Elections In Slovakia Research Articles

Return of Illiberalism: The Results of the 2023 General Election in Slovakia

After a general overview of the context of the 2023 general election in Slova- kia, the article provides a detailed analysis of the electoral results and support for political parties. Using both aggregate and individual level data, we show that the results were influenced by a combination of long-term features defin- ing electoral support and voting behaviour in Slovakia and a more recent trend including weaker ideological attachment and the increased importance of leadership personality for political party preference. Also, it seems that the illib- eral mobilization may be traced in the dynamic of electoral shifts in the context of different behaviour of various societal groups. Moreover, the return of illib- eral actors to power in Slovakia seems to have been characterized by a surge of votes for conservative or populist left-wing forces in the larger Slovak cities. Although this is not reflected in the turnout, at the individual level we can as- sume that liberal voters turned out in smaller numbers, while Smer voters may have been more mobilized, or some voters may have switched from other po- pulist parties such as OĽaNO

Social Justice and the Old-Age Pension System in the Slovak Republic

The aim of the contribution is to examine how eligible voters in the 2020 parliamentary election perceive social justice in relation to the old-age pension system in the Slovak Republic. The sub-objective is to analyse possible significant differences in the perception of social justice among eligible voters in the 2020 parliamentary election in relation to the old-age pension system in terms of their political orientation. 701 respondents (349 women and 352 men) responded to questions asking about their political orientation as eligible voters in the parliamentary election in Slovakia in 2020 and the degree of perceived social justice in relation to the old-age pension system of the Slovak Republic. The results showed the fair distribution of deposits and returns is important for the respondents’ perception of social justice in relation to the old-age pension system of the Slovak Republic. The analyses showed that respondents with different political orientations had different opinions on the extent to which the calculation of the old-age pension should depend on the amount of income.

Sex, age and education of citizens – factors affecting preferential voting? Territorial analysis of the 2023 parliamentary elections in Slovakia

Preferential voting is becoming an increasingly popular tool through which voters can prioritize their preferred candidate within the candidate list of a given political party, thereby influencing the intra-party struggle for public office to some extent. Candidate information is known, but which voters tend to use their preferential vote? Are they men or women, younger or older people, voters with lower or higher educational attainment? The presented study aims to evaluate the relationship between preferential voting and selected socio-demographic variables at the level of Slovakia, its regions and districts. We are analysing the results of the 2023 elections to the National Council of the Slovak Republic alongside socio-demographic data from the 2021 census. In order to identify a possible statistical relationship between the investigated variables, the method of linear correlation analysis was applied, using the Pearson correlation coefficient. The results indicate that at the national level, considering data from more than 2,900 municipalities in Slovakia, no relationship between preferential voting and selected socio-demographic characteristics of the population was demonstrated. Certain patterns were observed within spcecific population groups at a lower spatial-hierarchical level (in the case of the Bratislava region and Žilina region, and in selected districts of the Bratislava, Trnava, Žilina and Banská Bystrica regions), but the informative value of several of them is limited by the low number of cases entering the correlation analysis.

Forget about voting, we are going on vacation! Examining the effect of school holidays on turnout

Abstract Media and politicians widely debate the relationship between holidays and political participation, but research in the field is underdeveloped. To test the impact of holidays on election turnout, we use a natural experimental setting in general elections in Slovakia with respect to the presence of holidays near election day. More specifically, while a part of the country had no holidays, other regions either experienced holidays for the first time or had the holiday in a repeated manner. The results from difference--in-differences and OLS regressions employed in the analysis show that experiencing a holiday near election day decreases electoral turnout. However, this negative effect of holidays on turnout is found to be significant only in territories that experienced holidays for the first time, while it is absent in territories that had holidays near elections repeatedly. This finding points to a potential habituation of the electorate and the holidays’ influence in the long run. The paper thus contributes to our understanding of how different time aspects of holidays affect electoral turnout.

LOCAL AND REGIONAL ELECTIONS IN SLOVAKIA IN 2022: THE IMPACT ON THE INTER-PARTY BALANCE AND STRUCTURING OF THE POLITICAL SPACE

The article analyzes local and regional elections in Slovakia in the context of identifying and systematizing the changes and trends in the political-party balance and structuring of the political space in this country. The author identifies the role of party blocs/coalitions, as well as the specifics of party representation in the councils/representative bodies of self-governing regions of Slovakia. The combinations of party blocs/coalitions of political parties participating in 2022 local and regional elections in Slovakia are also studied. The author states that the electoral choice of the Slovakian population remains quite personalized, since the tendency to personify the images of political parties is clearly preserved. Given this, the relationship between the electoral support of separate political parties in the analyzed election campaign is traced in accordance with their parliamentary or non-parliamentary positions. The study characterizes the results of the main participants of the election races in the regional dimension, as well as the role of local or subnational party projects. The researcher traces the structuring of the party space in Slovakia based on the regional differences of various regions of Slovakia (especially along the «west-east» line). In addition, the parameters of the ideological positioning of political parties, as well as the peculiarities of the representation of separate ethnic groups at local level are determined. It is revealed that (overcoming the threshold of inclusion and representation) Roma parties have become a political institution that represents the interests of their ethnic group on a par with «Hungarian» parties, which have been representing the interests of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia for a long time. Finally, particular attention is paid to the division of the participants of local and regional elections into «pro-Ukrainian» and «pro-Russian» ones, in particular in accordance with the newest spectrum of party-political structuring.

Robert Fico – the New “Old” Prime Minister of Slovakia

SMER – Slovak Social Democracy won the parliamentary election in Slovakia in Autumn 2023. Despite the doubts expressed during the election campaign, Robert Fico succeeded for the fourth time to get an opportunity to form a new government. The prime minister's first steps have demonstrated his commitment to the views he held since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. His position is likely to stay stable. The election highlighted declining popularity of political forces, openly sympathizing Russia, and consolidation of the national Euro-Atlantic camp albeit with strong “Slovak” features.

A Collapsed Bridge: Most-Híd’s Social Embeddedness and Campaign Messages during the 2020 Parliamentary Election in Slovakia

ABSTRACT The Hungarian minority is an important element of Slovakia’s political landscape. For a decade, it was represented in the parliament by Most-Híd, an integrationist civic party that mobilized its electorate across ethnic boundaries and held a special niche in Slovakia’s politics. Based on Most-Híd’s 2020 campaign messages, this article identifies drivers of the integrationist party’s electoral failure stemming from its having to address the needs of its composite interethnic electorate equally and its oversize leadership factor. It provides evidence of the increased vulnerability of integrationist political groups, addressing deficits in Most-Híd’s social embeddedness that led to the party’s collapse.

THE ORIGINS OF CENTRAL EUROPEAN EUROSCEPTICISM

The article is focused on the practical manifestations Euroscepticism in the countries of Central Europe. Using a combination of content analysis research method and the classification of Euroscepticism given by Sioren Riisho, the foundations of the Eurosceptic policies of the leading parties of the Visegrád Group countries are identified. Special emphasis is placed on the role of national integration factors in forming a Eurosceptic political base. The analysis focuses on the policy documents that were published before the parliamentary elections in Slovakia, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland. The choice of research subjects (political parties) enabled the widest range of right-wing political forces in Central Europe to be studied. The content analysis and criteria used to identify Eurosceptic statements in the programmes of the political parties under study are described in the article in a step-by-step manner, which makes it possible to use this methodology to analyse other documents and manifestations of Eurosceptic policy.

Syndromes of Electoral Democracy in the Context of Mayor´s Municipal Elections in Slovakia

Syndrómy volebnej demokracie v kontexte komunálnych volieb starostu na Slovensku (Syndromes of Electoral Democracy in the Context of Mayor´s Municipal Elections in Slovakia) Journal Politické vedy has been released since 1998. The aim of the academically reviewed journal is to publish original articles of Slovak and foreign authors, concerning different fields of social science

Competitiveness in Mayoral Elections in Slovakia: One Man Race

Súťaživosť vo voľbáchstarostov a primátorov na Slovensku: preteky jedného bežca (Competitiveness in Mayoral Elections in Slovakia: One Man Race) Journal Politické vedy has been released since 1998. The aim of the academically reviewed journal is to publish original articles of Slovak and foreign authors, concerning different fields of social science

Corruption, Campaigning, and Novelty: The 2020 Parliamentary Elections and the Evolving Patterns of Party Politics in Slovakia

Party politics across Central and Eastern Europe has become less structured. Many of the divides that anchored political competition have waned in recent years, weakening the attachment of voters to the existing palette of parties and making them more likely to be attracted to new and non-traditional electoral vehicles. But for such parties to succeed at the ballot box, they need to be able to frame elections and campaign effectively. Drawing on data from a specially commissioned survey, we find that the success of Ordinary People and Independent Personalities (OĽaNO) led by Igor Matovič in the 2020 parliamentary elections in Slovakia owed much to the crafting of an anti-corruption appeal combined with an effective campaign. Both mobilization and conversion of voters, particularly through television and the leaders’ debates, in the months leading up to election day ensured OĽaNO won a quarter of the vote. OĽaNO stands in stark contrast to other parties whose leaders failed to craft as effective a message, miscalculated the impact of electoral rules and in some cases were unable to distance themselves enough from their past actions. The success of OĽaNO underlines that themes related to anti-corruption and good governance have become central to party politics and political contestation. More broadly, the election and its aftermath continued a general trend of forward movement of voters from old parties to new to newer still, indicating the churn of party politics in Slovakia is likely to continue.

‘Slovak, not Brussels Social Democracy’. Europeanization/De-Europeanization and the Ideological Development of Smer-SD Before 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia

This paper is focused on the evolution of the ideology of Smer - Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party and its positions on European integration before the political elections in Slovakia in February 2020. As the ‘social-democratization’ of Smer-SD was the result of party’s Europeanization, the article explores the dimensions of de-Europeanization in the politics of this party in 2017–2020. Since 2006, Smer-SD has occupied a dominant position among political parties in Slovakia. However, a substantive decline in the electoral support of the party took place after 2016. Smer-SD faced a significant political challenge during the political crisis after the assassination of the journalist Ján Kuciak and his fiancée Martina Kušnírová in February 2018. The result was the resignation of Prime Minister Robert Fico. The appointment of party vice chairman Peter Pellegrini as Prime Minister created a new situation within the party, as for the first time the positions of Prime Minister and head of the party were separated. The political crisis in 2018 revealed the presence of internal conflicts within the party and the weakening of the authority of its chairman, Robert Fico. The establishment of two centres of power within the party resulted in competition between Fico and Pellegrini and, finally, in June 2020, a split, as Pellegrini announced the founding of a new political party.

State Regime Liberalization in Conditions of Crisis of Socialism: Slovak Context (mid-1980s—1992)

The article deals with the transformation of the Slovak state regime in the period of changes in the system of socialist governance in the mid-1980s — 1992. It is determined that the historical period of liberalization of the Communist regime had a significant impact on the further success of democratic transformations. The subject of the analysis was the public and Church opposition in socialist Slovakia. The fact of the ideological evolution of the opposition movement “Public against violence” has been established. It is noted that the movement for independence in Slovakia in 1989—1992, which was initiated by the Slovak elite led by Vladimir Mechiyar, significantly reduced the intensity of the democratic transition. It is claimed that in the first half of the 1990s Vladimir Mechiyar built a strong vertical of Executive power, supported by the dominance of the Movement for a democratic Slovakia in the Parliament. It is emphasized that the first competitive parliamentary elections in Slovakia in 1990 and 1992 failed to stabilize the socio-political situation in the country, despite the intensive development of multiparty systems.

Pork barrel politics and electoral returns at the local level

Does the targeted spending of public resources provide electoral benefits for incumbents? Despite the attention of scholars to that question, the empirical results are mixed thus far. The present paper supplies insights into the electoral benefits of discretionary funding on local elections. I study the consequences of pork-barrel politics in 7355 competitive mayoral elections in Slovakia between 2006 and 2018, finding that more grants from the central government enhance the likelihood of mayors winning reelection. The same advantage applies to mayors whose municipalities receive grants in local election years. The effects of the number of grants obtained as well as the timing of their distribution are, however, moderated by municipal population. More specifically, a larger number of grants and resources obtained near the end of the mayoral term provides electoral benefits only to small town mayors but give no advantage to the mayors of larger urban areas.

Slovakia’s Oversized Cabinet after the 2020 Parliamentary Elections: Barrier against Extremism Vol. II, or Protection of Its Own Stability?

This article deals with one of the major political consequences of parliamentary elections in every parliamentary regime – the process of government formation. It focuses on the formation of the coalition government following the 2020 parliamentary elections in Slovakia, in the context of both pre-election developments as well as the main challenges and appeals of contemporary politics in general – the rise of far-right political parties. Its aim is to identify the coalition strategies presented before the elections of political parties and movements that had a theoretical chance of being elected to Parliament. Special emphasis is placed on the definition by the other political parties and movements of the long-time ruling party Smer and the far-right party Our Slovakia. The analysis continues with the post-election government formation process, the classification of the established coalition, including the allocation of cabinet portfolios, assessment of the similarities and differences of coalition parties, and factors that could possibly cause both instability as well as stability. It concludes that the joint definition by the new ruling parties and movements of Smer and Our Slovakia will, at least for some time, serve as a unifying factor keeping the coalition together. However, the coalition’s stability will be under almost constant pressure coming from both relations between coalition parties and the possibility of internal conflicts within the coalition parties and movements. The article argues that the establishment of the surplus majority coalition might – besides the official justification for it – serve as a protection against government destabilization.

Big Debate, Small Effect: Impact of Televised Political Debates in Slovak Parliamentary Elections 2020

Televised political debates have become a permanent part of electoral campaigns, the campaign finale. However, evidence that such debates can shift voters’ attitudes is mixed, while the impact on voters’ preferences is highly doubted. Our research contributes to this debate based on empirical data on the effects of televised debates in the 2020 parliamentary elections in Slovakia. In contrast to other research on the impact of TV debates’, we followed our participants for a longer period of time after the experiment, which allowed us to measure not only declared vote preference ex ante, but also reported behaviour ex post. We employed a pre-test/post-test experimental design in a controlled environment. The analysis investigates what effect debate exposure has on opinions about candidates’ leadership skills, credibility, and political competence.

The 2020 Parliamentary Elections in Slovakia. Steadily Turbulent Change of Direction

In recent years Slovakia witnessed a dynamic development with crucial consequences for its domestic politics. Vast civic mobilization, the emergence of new parties and decline of a long-term hegemon – all these features culminated in the 2020 general election. We first introduce the results and discuss them from a longitudinal perspective of Slovak politics. Most importantly, despite a considerably large portion of correctly casted ballots for parties which failed to pass the institutional thresholds, the outcomes do not suggest that the representativity or proportionality of the Slovak political system is about to suffer. Second, we focus on the rise and ideological appeals of populist political parties. Although similar in many ways, we show important differences in their ideological platforms.

Parliamentary Election in Slovakia: Unexpected Results amid Coming World Crisis

Parliamentary Election in Slovakia: Unexpected Results amid Coming World Crisis

New faces, old problems

In the elections in Slovakia at the end of February 2020, the governing coalition lead by the Social Democrat SMER party lost power, while the OL’ANO anti-corruption movement won. OL’ANO benefited most strongly from the shocked reaction among the population to the corruption and subversion of the rule of law that emerged during the investigation into the murder of the journalist Jan Kuciak. The government is now made up of four parties led by the anti-corruption activist Igor Matovic. Populist politicians will continue to dominate the parliament and government in the future. There will be no fundamental change of direction or new political culture in Slovakia.

Just a Show? Effects of Televised Debates on Political Attitudes and Preferences in Slovakia

The popularity of televised political debates is growing, attracting millions of viewers. However, evidence that such debates can shift voters’ attitudes is mixed and the impact on voters’ preference is also mixed. In addition, the evidence comes mostly from presidential elections in the United States and almost exclusively from established democracies. A call for comparative research in new democracies has been made several times. Our research answers the call and contributes to this debate by comparing two experimental studies based on first-order national elections and second-order European Parliament elections in Slovakia. To our knowledge, this is the first time such a study has been performed in a post-communist EU country. We employed a pre-test/post-test experimental design in a controlled environment with participants randomly assigned to both groups. The results show that debate exposure has a stronger effect on opinions about candidates’ leadership skills, credibility, and economic competence if the candidates were previously unknown. Familiarity with the candidates and pre-existing preferences also function as a block to preference change. Almost all of our findings are in line with previous research originating from Western contexts. Therefore, we conclude that the causal mechanism linking debate exposure to voters’ preference and attitudes in the post-communist context is similar to that in Western countries with long-term democratic traditions.