réalignment

Realignment, occasionally written réalignment in some French-language discussions, is a political science term used to describe a long-term shift in the structure of a party system. It refers to the formation of a new, stable electoral coalition that replaces the previous one, often following a watershed election, demographic change, or a major issue realignment. Realignment contrasts with dealignment, in which party loyalties erode without a lasting reconfiguration of the party system.

Realignments may be categorized by mechanism. A critical or secular realignment occurs when large blocs of voters switch their allegiance in a way that endures, producing a new dominant party or coalition. Realignments can be regional, demographic, or issue-driven, such as shifts around civil rights, economic policy, or identity politics. In parliamentary systems, realignment may involve the emergence or collapse of parties and the redefinition of party competition, not just a change in the leader of a single party.

Notable examples are most often discussed in the United States. The era around 1800 and the rise of the Democratic-Republicans, the 1860 realignment with the rise of the Republican Party after the Civil War, and the 1932 realignment that established a durable Democratic coalition during the New Deal, are standard cases. A Southern realignment from the mid-20th century onward helped reinforce Republican strength in many regions; in other countries, parallel shifts have reorganized party systems without producing identical outcomes.

Scholars debate how often realignments occur and whether all major electoral shifts meet the criteria of a true realignment. Some view realignments as discrete, sudden transformations, while others describe more gradual processes of polarization and coalition-building that culminate in a new political order.