Electoral parties: the ideological positioning of parliamentary parties in Ukraine

Abstract

The article defines the main theoretical and methodological approaches to the analysis of the concept of «electoral party», investigates how this political institution evolved and which subspecies can be distinguished. Revealed that the electoral political party is a modern type of political party, characterized by erosion of the boundaries of the social base, professionalization and personalization of politics, de-ideologization of the party program, and recognition of the leading role of the electoral function. The main sub-types of electoral parties include: electoral-professional parties, cartel parties, strataghia, modern personnel parties, program parties, business-party parties, and «big tents».The ideological component of parliamentary parties in Ukraine according to the results of the last elections in 2014 has been analyzed. The methodology of content analysis of party programs by the Bloc of Petro Poroshenko, the Narodnyj Front, Samopomisch, the Bloc of Yulia Tymoshenko, the Radical Party and the Opposition Bloc, using the formula of Chi Min Kim and Richard Fording, determined the ideological positioning each of them. Revealed that parliamentary parties in Ukraine have weak ideological articulation, the vast majority of parliamentary parties tend to centralism.According to a number of formal signs, determined that modern parliamentary parties in Ukraine are electoral in their essence - with blurred ideological positions, the main purpose of which is to reach the widest possible electorate and gain maximum representation in parliament. Determined that Ukrainian political parties are «parties for all» with a blurred social base and de-ideologization. Analyzing the programs of Ukrainian parliamentary parties, was found common to all parties, namely, the abuse of populism and attempts to take a centrist stand.