The weakening of these factions, comprised largely of Sunni Arabs, could play into the Islamic State's hands.
We find that strong correlations do exist between which factions comprise the agenda-setting party "mainstream" and how the government allocates spending across pork-barrel and public goods items.
Rock bands and folksingers, the more famous the better, alternate with orators representing the various factions comprising the sponsoring coalition.
When an abbot died and a dispute arose about the succession, the rival factions – comprising monks, local strongmen and concerned neighbours – often used armed force to decide the issue.
The anti-government factions, comprising the urban business elite and educated middle class, see the Shinawatras' power as the fruit of populist health and welfare programs showered on supporters in the poor, rural north.
The faction comprises members of the Real IRA, independent dissident republican units in areas such as East Tyrone and the Derry-based Republican Action Against Drugs.
Mr Lieberman heads the Israel Beiteinu faction, comprised of 11 parliamentarians, and some hail his criticism as a first step to a formal challenge of Mr Netanyahu's leadership.The political crisis comes as tensions continue to rise after a night of missile strikes and Israeli rockets, which killed seven Hamas fighters.
The powerful faction comprising militants from the Mehsud tribe - the core around which regional militant groups initially gravitated to form the TTP - said it was forming its own separate group called Tehrik Taliban South Waziristan.
The populist faction comprised rural leaders, socialist intellectuals, and several leaders who rose to prominence through their connections with the Communist Youth League.
The pro-Hindi block was further divided into two camps: the Hindi faction comprising Tandon,Ravi Shankar Shukla, Govind Das, Sampurnanand, and K. M. Munshi; and the Hindustani faction represented by Jawaharlal Nehru and Abul Kalam Azad.
