John Ishiyama, "Editor's Foreword," Party Politics, 12 (May, 2006), 315-316.

First Paragraph:
Why do some formerly dominant parties in authoritarian regimes successfully survive the transition to democratic competition (and in some cases flourish politically), while others do not? Is the explanation related to the political, social and economic environment, or does it have more to do with the internal characteristics of each of the 'successor' parties? Further what impact do these successor parties have on the subsequent structuring of democratic competitions later? These questions lie at the heart of how we understand party transformation under the conditions of rapid social, economic and political change.

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Last Paragraph:
These works certainly do not represent the final word on the topic of postauthoritarian parties. However together they represent a very good start in explaining how these parties survived the transition from authoritarian rule, and by doing so, contribute to our understanding of party development and transformation more generally.