Parties not exactly required by politicians (5)
I believe the answer is:
camps
'parties' is the definition.
(both can mean sides in a dispute)
'not exactly required by politicians' is the wordplay.
'not exactly' becomes 'ca' (circa).
'required by' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'politicians' becomes 'MPs' (Members of Parliament).
'ca'+'mps'='CAMPS'
(Other definitions for camps that I've seen before include "Places where troops are lodged and trained" , "Temporary living quarters for soldiers" , "Pitches tents" , "Sleeps in a tent" , "Lives in makeshift shelters" .)