Are countries with a two-party system better off than countries that have 3 or more main political parties?

The reason I ask is because I'm from the Dominican Republic and we are experiencing something that could result in a system similar to the Republican and Democratic two-party system of the United States. We have had 3 main parties for a long time. The PRD, PLD and PRSC. The PRD is a center-left social democratic party, the PLD used to be a center-left party that has gravitated towards a center-right platform in the last decade, and the PRSC is a conservative populist party that is losing a lot of support so now many experts say it will be absorbed by the PLD. I think that the PRSC will disintegrate and we'll be left with 2 parties. Countries with 2 main parties...one center-left and the other center-right tend to be the most stable democracies. The U.S. is a good example of that. So do you think that this is a good thing for the Dominican Republic and its development?

Are countries with a two-party system better off than countries that have 3 or more main political parties?
I could understand a 3 party system in a primary election but when it comes down to the general election, it needs to be a choice between two candidates.





Lets say we have the 3 party system.


Obama - progressive party


Clinton - democrat


McCain - Republican





So lets say 60% of America is fed up with the Republicans in office %26amp; wants out of the war.


So Obama gets 35%


Clinton gets 30%


McCain gets 40%





McCain would win in a 3 party system, even if 60% are very much opposed to him.





That is the flaw of three party systems.
Reply:I think the 2 party system has worked very well for the US. Of course our democracy is set up that way (not a parliamentary system like the UK where parties have to form coalitions to make a majority and select a prime minister.)





3 parties, as you state, is not bad, except that the 3rd party tends to draw votes from one or the other, and that is no way to win an election. The US has had viable 3rd party candidates from time to time and did just that. Of course, when you get up to 100 or 200 different parties, like in much of the world, how can any informed voter have any idea what is going on or how to vote. I think multi-party systems create chaos and guns in the street.