Read the passage carefully and select the correct answer for the given blank out of the given alternatives.

Political parties have become necessary adjuncts of government in modern times. They are the instruments whereby ____(1)___are nominated and elected. Though they are not official organisations created by the state, they are nevertheless, quasi-official in the sense that ___(2)___sanction, regulate and permit them to offer candidates for public office. The ultimate aim of a political party is to capture political power and keep ____(3)___of the government. 

The numbers of ___(4)___parties in a state vary from one to many. England and the United States have a two-party system. The advantage of this system is its capacity to present clearer cut issues and fewer candidates instead of a multiplicity of positions on issues and a wide number of candidates. The ___(5)___party in this system serves as an effective opposition. France is the instance of a state with multiple party systems. Under a multiple party system government change rapidly. The ____(6)___are bewildered by several viewpoints presented and the multiplicity of candidates they must assess.