Politics and the Struggle for Power: The Roles of the State and Hegemony

Abstract

This paper discusses the roles of the state and hegemony in politics, the struggle for power and elections. And that is because, all around the world today, elections are conducted to allow the mass of the people to participate in the political process so as to grant legitimacy to democracy as a process of governance. However, the critical roles of the state and hegemony in peaceful elections are taken for granted by so many people, while many other people are not aware that without the state and hegemony, the state being the institution to construct the hegemonic order that will formalize power, peaceful elections will be elusive and therefore the struggle for power (politics) will be chaotic as the exercise will be difficult to coordinate. Thus, how does the state and hegemony become relevant to the struggle for power, elections and politics? This is the explanatory attempt that is provided by this paper.