In the absence of a truly democratic culture, rushing into a distorted version of political pluralism risks losing the stability of the state.
Political parties play the role of mediator between popular, political, cultural or religious groups and state institutions, where strategic decisions are made. In Syria, prior to March 2011, there were only the nine parties that comprised the National Progressive Front (NPF). Now, 17 parties are warming up for parliamentary elections in May, with a total of 19 expected. However, the framework for political participation is still vague.
A democratic system that supposedly allows political participation is now under construction in Syria. But this idealistic aim suffers from a major error, which might result in the collapse of the state. Namely, the production of a democratic political system needs a democratic culture that gradually projects such a democratic system.
The creation of a pluralist political system under the pressure of instability raises a number of problems: first, the delivery of a high number of parties within a short period of time without a clear ideological spectrum increases the possibility of political fragmentation. Eight new parties have been licensed since the Syrian uprising started a year ago. None of the new parties has yet presented to the public a coherent "political project" better than that of the current NPF system, which includes their theory of national identity and their stand regarding the struggle with Israel...
http://www.syria-today.com/index.php/politics/19491-on-the-road-to-pluralism