Final answer:
Primary elections are conducted within political parties to select a candidate, while general elections involve all eligible voters to choose the final candidate for an office.
Step-by-step explanation:
The difference between primary and general elections is that primary elections are held within political parties to select their candidate for an upcoming general election, while general elections are held to choose the final candidate for a particular office, such as the president, governor, or mayor. In primary elections, members of a specific political party vote for their preferred candidate, whereas in general elections, all eligible voters participate to choose the candidate who will hold the office. For example, in a presidential election, primary elections are conducted to determine the nominee for each political party, while the general election decides the president of the country.
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