The suggestion that having a dominant party was bad for democracy was 'like saying that the people have got it wrong', he said.

The dominant party locally was also the party in distant government and under a spectacularly unpopular leader at a time of collapsing economic confidence.

For this reason, the prime minister and his cabinet are necessarily from the dominant party or coalition in the assembly.

Although minor parties were allowed, they were legally required to accept the leadership of the dominant party.

The councils were composed of three to six ministers elected by the territorial assemblies on the advice of the dominant party.