Partidos políticos y competición electoral. Cuando la Ciencia Política confronta el Derecho

Abstract

The definition of political party has been one of the great themes in political science since the conversion of our discipline in the second half of the twentieth century. These conceptualizations have helped develop several theories dedicated to interpreting, explaining and classifying different party systems. The intellectual effort from political science has clashed with other conceptualizations from other related disciplines such as Law. The reasons leading to this disconnect between political science and legal definitions could be several. However, the consequences for the political system are clear. The article presents a case study from the Guatemalan political system. The article shows the problems asso- ciated with the conceptualization of the figure of political party. It is note that the legal definition raises the costs of participation hindering citizens access to public institutions. Our text presents the elements