Coalitions become very unpopular when politicians are seen fighting and haggling. Calls for re-elections appear, together with the phrase “Instead of fighting all the time, the government should work.”
Elections represent the choices of the people, ideally not just in the representatives but the direction they intend to lead towards. If people were to already agree in majority, the outcome would be a single party leading the country in one direction.
If there is no party with a majority, the people are delegating the finding of a direction. On election day, this indecision is yet to be resolved. It is the job of politicians to resolve it, through consensus, compromise, conflict or otherwise.
So I see politicians of different parties fighting as the delegated resolution of the people’s conflict. They are undergoing the process.
In different countries, this may be more or less open. Perhaps in the past, in socialist countries and in dictatorships, this happens behind closed doors. Therefore, it appears orderly.
As transparency is increased, these conflicts become more visible. Maybe many people are uneasy with just the knowledge that there is a conflict ongoing. Or they may reject the style of resolving the conflict of interests. The ugliest forms are narcissistic politicians doing name calling and bullying. Alternatives, such as consensus finding, exist and may be preferable by conflict-avoiding people.
I also dislike conflicts myself, but I don’t mind delegating them to politicians to sort out.
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