Political party systems are the result of social conflicts and interests. It is a formation of various groups of political parties in a certain country. The aim of this essay is to validate and evaluate the importance of a multi-party parliament in the context of a dominant party system. This essay has been divided into four parts. The first part will briefly describe what party systems are, with emphasis on the multi-party system and the dominant party system. The second party will briefly explain the formation and function of the multi-party parliament. The third part will be a discussion of the various challenges faced by multi-party parliament when there is a dominant party in the context of South Africa. Finally, we will arrive at an argued conclusion based on the previous discussion. Party systems can be described in different ways. They are often described by the number of political parties vying for control of government. This differentiates between one-, two- and multi-party systems. A one-party system is one in which a single party dominates with little or no competition. It is an oppression of political competition and democratic freedom (Hofmeister & Grabow, 2011). A two-party system is one in which two parties dominate the electoral system, with the others having minimal effect on the system. In a multi-party system, more than two parties play an important role in the electoral system. The multi-party system is a structure in which multiple political parties have the ability to take control of the government independently or in union. The effective number of parties is generally more than two but less than ten. The multi-party system is a doctrine that has been considered the most reliable when it comes to maintaining, developing a separation in the middle of paper that diminishes any case where one party has complete control over the party. government. In conclusion, where constitutional supremacy exists, the multi-party parliament is weakened to a minimal extent because there are certain regulations that ensure that full power is not exercised. Reference ListBrook, H. 2004. The dominant party system: challenges for the South The second decade of democracy in Africa. Hofmeister, W and Grabow, K. 2011. Political parties: function and organization in democratic societies. Singapore: Konrad Adenaue Stifting. Prah KK, undated. Multi-party democracy and its relevance in Africa. Shiqiponja. 2013. The troubled waters of multi-party democracy in South Africa. News24 [online], June 14. Available at: http://www.news24.com/the-murky-waters-of-multi-party-democracy-in-south-africa-20130614 [Accessed March 20 2014].