Elections constitute defining moments for modern democracies.
Political parties remain, in spite of the influence of new communications technology, a centrally important means of communication between individuals and modern states. They also set political agendas and help run today s governments. Many features of political parties and elections have been topics of major controversy and interest in recent times. In the United Kingdom, for example, first New Labour and then, after its 1997 defeat, the Conservative Party have dramatically shaken up their party organisation. The 1998 Independent Commission on the Voting System, the Jenkins Commission, introduced proposals for reform of the first past the post electoral system.