Paul G. Lewis

Party systems in post-communist Central Europe: Patterns of stability and consolidation

When eight former communist countries joined the European Union in 2004 it was accepted that they all had reasonably well-established democratic systems. The extent to which this also meant that they had a range of political parties that cohered into anything like a stable party system was less clear, however. Different views have been expressed on this question, and it may also be queried how well current views of what the concept of party system implies fit with Central European (CE) developments. Investigation into the nature of the party systems that have developed after four free elections is first conducted in terms of their shape and size. From this perspective only Hungary and the Czech Republic have developed anything like a two-party system. The question of stable party representation in CE legislatures is then raised, and in this context Slovenia and Estonia show signs of party system development on a more plural basis. Stronger evidence of institutionalization is derived from calculation of an Index of Party Stabilization, which confirms the higher level of development in the countries identified above. There are some signs, as yet inconclusive, that weak party systems are also associated with more negative democratization outcomes.

Developments in East European politics

Preface - THE HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT - Introduction S.White - Culture and Identity in Post-Communist Europe G.Schopflin - MODELS OF TRANSITION IN EASTERN EUROPE - Poland D.Mason - Czechoslovakia G.Wightman - Hungary N.Swain - Bulgaria J.D.Bell - Yugoslavia J.Seroka - PATTERNS OF POLITICS IN POST-COMMUNIST EASTERN EUROPE - Structures of Representation K.Jasiewicz - Parties and Party Systems J.A.Dellenbrant - Leaderships and Executives R.Taras - People and Politics C.Corrin - The Politics of Economic Change J.Batt - Towards New Societies? B.Deacon - EASTERN EUROPE IN PERSPECTIVE - The Comparative Politics of Eastern Europe D.N.Nelson - Eastern Europe and the World P.G.Lewis - East European Voices J.Dempsey - Further Reading - Bibliography - Index

Theories of democratization and patterns of regime change in Eastern Europe

The transition from communist rule to democracy has taken different forms in different countries of Eastern Europe, and the pace of democratization has varied markedly. These variations pose challenges to theoretical models of democratization. The globalization of the world economy, together with the broader process of modernization, is one factor that sheds light on the differentiated pattern, however difficult to apply in particular cases. By contrast, theories dwelling on elite competition and leadership strategy, while holding some explanatory value, present problems, given the contrasting experiences of Poland and Hungary (where the approach appears to hold) and Czechoslovakia (where it does not). The international context appears to have been of prime significance, in producing an environment in which authoritarian regimes find it difficult to function.

EU Enlargement and Party Systems in Central Europe

Membership of the European Union will undoubtedly have a major effect on the course of political developments in the countries of Central Europe, although it is difficult to predict any particular consequences for the region’s party systems. Its impact on CE party systems is, nevertheless, likely to be stronger than in Western Europe owing to their being more fluid and less well consolidated. An initial survey of parliamentary elections held prior to enlargement suggests that the direct impact of enlargement issues was indeed limited, with the exception of Poland where anti-EU parties were successful in the 2001 election. Early observations lend weight to the view that the influence of enlargement on CE party politics is likely to strengthen, but its impact on party systems may be more indirect than direct in nature.

Changes in the party politics of the new EU member states in Central Europe: patterns of Europeanization and democratization

The article falls into three parts: an introduction that points to some general links between Europeanization, democratization and party status in the new accession countries, a more extensive discussion of developments in particular areas of party development since the enlargement of 2004, and some tentative conclusions (or suggestions) about continuing processes of democratization within the context of the European Union. In terms of party politics in relation to European impacts on democratization we conclude that in CE the logic of national party competition has overridden other logics, including that of the EU. Integration may have increased the distance between elites and citizens in some cases and depoliticized certain issues (where the acquis left little room for autonomous politics) but, in contrast to claims made of Western Europe, it is not clear that there has been a ‘hollowing out’ of party competition. The features of more successful democratization cluster in the Central and East European countries closer to the EU core. The non-democracies and bare electoral democracies of the region all lie beyond the ambit of the EU. All the liberal democracies are now EU members, and those with some defects in this regard are either the most recent (Bulgaria and Romania) or prospective (Croatia) members. But there is still a paradox in the accession process as it privileges the core national executive and puts strain on its relations with other components of the political system – possibly helping to undermine democratic stability.

The Impact of the European Union on Party Politics in Central and Eastern Europe

The chapters included in this volume have covered much ground, from the place of parties in the accession referendums to the strategies followed by parties in the 2004 EP elections. In this concluding chapter we return to the themes and questions raised in Chapter 1 and discuss those aspects of the parties and party systems on which the EU and processes of European integration, in the light of our theoretical expectations and the country chapters, have exercised or should have exercised, the most decisive impact. We then focus on four areas: changes in the fundamental characteristics of the party systems, the ideological transformation of parties and the role of European party federations in this process, the place of Euroscepticism in electoral competition and the degree to which EU-related attitudes have received effective representation.

Models of Party Development and Questions of State Dependence in Poland

In the wake of the 1993 Polish election it became obvious to party leaders not just that it was only the Polish Peasant Party that could claim mass status but that other parties had little prospect of developing along those lines. This provided the occasion for a general review of the conditions of party development which could be linked with the range of party models discussed in political science literature. While the paths of party development in eastern Europe are unlikely to fit known Western models, the growing emphasis on links with the state and dependence on public funds has been replicated in recent Polish experience. The post-communist parties thus drew considerable funds from the public purse after the 1993 election, which further strengthened their position and augmented the extensive organizational resources they already commanded.

Civil society and the development of political parties in East‐Central Europe

Following an influential tradition within western political thought, the new parties in east‐central Europe have been viewed with suspicion and have experienced considerable difficulty in establish...

Democratization and party development in Eastern Europe

Awareness of the problems of prediction has come to the fore with the ending of the cold war and uncertainty has become a major feature of areas affected by it, not least the countries of eastern Europe in relation to the development of democratic institutions and practices. Party development is a central part of this process and one recent attempt to theorize it directs attention, rather like the approach taken by modern chaos theory, to the persistent influence of starting conditions and a particular blend of lightly structured growth from a more tightly coordinated set of preconditions. This framework is applied to the complex developments in post‐communist Poland, and three families of political parties are identified by applying Panebiancos genetic model. The components of this model are, it is argued, quite useful in accounting for the relative success of post‐communist parties and the failure of the political formations that derived from the previously authoritative Solidarity movement.

The EU and Party Politics in Central and Eastern Europe: Questions and Issues

The broad principle of Europeanization was a guiding light for the transformation that has taken place in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since communist rule began to crumble in 1989. This was no less true of political parties and party systems than of other major components in the transition to democracy. The dominant Soviet hegemony that prevailed until 1989 was swiftly replaced by a strengthening Western influence composed, in its early phase, of a loosely defined idea of ‘transition to democracy’ and considerably more concrete processes of capitalist construction (’free market’ development) as well as steadily growing military cooperation. Parties were formed and developed on Western models, and transnational links both with the different party internationals and equivalent associations based on the European Parliament (EP) have been instrumental in shaping political identities and underpinning the development of the institutions that seek to represent them.