Action Party Research Articles

Right-wing Nationalist Parties (Narodovtsy) in Poland in the 1990s

The article examines the emergence and activities of right-wing nationalist parties in Poland, which appealed to the traditions of national democracy by R. Dmowski, during the period of post-communist transformation. Their methods of activity, relations between them and with other political forces, participation in election campaigns, as well as their ideas and political demands are shown. The author analyzes the reasons, why in the 1990s these parties failed to take a strong position on the Polish political scene.

Algorithms in the study of the activities of political parties

Algorithms in the study of the activities of political parties

Socio-Political Status of Women in Egypt during President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi’s Rule

Egypt is considered to be the birthplace of the feminist movement in the Arab East, because the first women's activists began their activities in this country, and later the first women's organizations were founded. The events of the Arab Spring of 2011 had a significant impact on the entire region of the Arab East: some Arab countries embarked on the path of democratization, including in the field of solving the “women’s issue”. After the political changes of 2011 2014 Egyptian women have also faced numerous difficulties and obstacles in various spheres of life. In this paper, the author examined the socio-political status of women in Egypt under the current President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The paper analyzes the legal foundations of women's participation in the activities of state bodies and political parties, namely international documents and articles of the Egyptian Constitution of 2014 related to this topic. Moreover, comparative statistics on the number of women in the national Parliament are provided. The article also described the activities of gender-oriented institutions in the context of the political empowerment of Egyptian women, including the goals and directions of the “National Strategy for the Empowerment of Egyptian Women 2030: Vision and Pillars”, additional annex to the country's strategy “Egypt Vision 2030”. The author drew conclusions about the role of the Egyptian women, the degree of their participation in the socio-political life of modern Egypt, as well as about the main difficulties, among which, first of all, in society stood out the problems of low awareness of the population about gender issues and insufficient funding of programs. In conclusion, suggestions were made about the prospects for expanding the female presence in the political sphere of the country.

Институционализация партийной системы в де-факто государствах постсоветского пространства (на примере Республики Абхазия)

To ensure the democratic functioning of the state, the party system must be competitive and institutionalized, in connection with which it is relevant to study the process of institutionalization of the party system in the Republic of Abkhazia, which allows us to determine not only the stages of this process, but also a number of its features, including the degree of institutionalization . The novelty of the work: the reasons for the low level of institutionalization of parties and party systems in Abkhazia are identified. Object of study: the party system of the de facto states of the post-Soviet space. Subject: institutionalization of the party system in Abkhazia. The purpose of the work is to determine the features and main stages of the institutionalization of the party system in Abkhazia. Methodology and research methods: to analyze the process of institutionalization of the party system of Abkhazia, the organizational approach proposed in the works of M. Duverger and M. Ya. Ostrogorsky, which makes it possible to analyze the process of institutionalization of parties from the point of view of their organizational structure. The results of the research contribute to the scientific discussion about the role of political parties and the level of institutionalization of the party systems of Abkhazia and can serve as a basis for further study of the role of public associations and political parties in political processes, including in other de facto republics of the post-Soviet space. Conclusions: the programs of all parties are united in matters of the status of Abkhazia in the global political space, socio-economic development priorities and the preservation of the institution of the president; high informational activity of pro-government parties; The choice of the Abkhazian electorate is focused primarily on individuals, and not on ideology and the party program.

Problems of the activity of political parties in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine

Problems of the activity of political parties in the conditions of martial law in Ukraine

Ein Handbuch zur deutschen Parteiengeschichte 1861 bis 1933. Überlegungen zu einem jahrzehntealten Forschungsdesiderat

The two handbooks of the history of political parties in Germany between 1789 and 1945 that Dieter Fricke published in Jena in the 1960s through to the 1980s continue to be con- sidered the gold standard for research on this subject . Yet, though Fricke’s handbooks offer a solid basis of facts, they are still characterized by socialist rhetoric and, in addition, are now outdated with respect to methodology . This essay examines the following: Which issues are pertinent today with respect to the political parties of the German Empire and the Weimar Republic? Similar to Fricke’s approach, we continue to ask questions regarding the context of origin, the objectives, the organization, and the short-term political activity of political parties . Yet, above and beyond that, the cultural-historical aspects such as ques- tioning the relationship of the political party to the populace in general as well as the self- staging of the respective political parties are to be discussed . In the same way, a look will be taken at the international interconnectedness of the political parties, just as handbooks today should focus more strongly on the political parties in the member states of the Ger- man Empire . Finally, in addition, the essay discusses how a contribution to political educa- tion can likewise be achieved in connection with the handbook on the history of political parties in Germany .

Wilhelm II and the Power System of Germany at the End of 19th and to Begin of 20th Centuries

On the basis of a historiographical analysis, the authors of this article attempt to reflect on the thirty-year reign of German Emperor Wilhelm II, taking into account the historically shaped tendencies of power, ideology, social and political organisation, as well as the Emperor's own ideas of monarchy and state. The authors systematise historians' assessments of the concepts of “dual modernization”, the “regime of personal rule by the emperor” and “Wilhelminianism” as well as interpretations of the phenomenon of radicalisation of public opinion and the activities of political parties and popular associations. It is their shared opinion that the far-reaching constitutional guarantees and powers proclaimed and granted to the German public by the 1871 Constitution were in fact substantially circumscribed. The Reichstag, as a social and political institution of power, never really became the main actor in the legislative process with controlling powers over the executive. The German middle class failed to secure the “classical prerogatives of parliamentarianism” (Georg Iggers). The constitutionally enshrined preponderance of monarchical power was reinforced by the alliance of the princes with the agrarian elite, which continued to dominate both economically and politically, occupying key positions in both the bureaucracy and the army. Therefore, due to the comparatively late unification of the country, the preservation of medieval monarchical culture and structures of domination, social groups, associations, unions, political movements and parties became the subjects of modernisation changes during this period of time. The war unleashed by the German monarchy and its subsequent tragedy clearly showed the other side of national unity. All these developments are considered in the context of the transformation of the monarchy, but not in the direction of limiting the personal power of the ruler, but in the direction of the traditional view of it ("the alliance between throne and altar"), which predetermined the final disaster of the reign of Emperor Wilhelm II.

Влияние конституционных реформ на политическое участие граждан в Казахстане

Political participation is an important mechanism of aggregation and articulation of socio-economic interests in politics, the purpose of which is the influence of citizens on political decision-making through various channels of political interaction, activities of political parties, public organizations, and movements. Modern political processes in many CIS countries indicate a new stage of post-Soviet politics. The current war in Ukraine, mass protests after the announcement of the results of presidential elections in Belarus in the summer of 2020, protests against the preliminary results of parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan in autumn 2020, mass protests in support of the opposition in Russia in the spring of 2021 show that all post-Soviet countries to a greater or lesser degree have prerequisites for political destabilization, political change, and turmoil. Kazakhstan, unfortunately, has also undergone political destabilization and radicalization, as evidenced by the events of January 2022. The article offered for consideration examines the impact of constitutional reforms aimed at liberalizing the political system of Kazakhstan on increasing political participation of citizens and overcoming the crisis of political participation of citizens.

An Overview of the Electoral Act, 2022

The Electoral Act, 2022 is a legislation meant to guide the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) while conducting election in Nigeria. It is legal framework regulating the electoral processes in the country including the activities of political parties ranging from registration and merger. This article seeks to examine the Act in an abstract form using doctrinal means to analyse this novel legislation. It is observed that the legislation is perfect for the timing but was not implemented fully by the Commission in particular and Nigerians in general. To correct this anomaly, all stakeholders including the Commission need to put into use all vital provisions to give life to the legislation in all elections to come.

Местные выборы в Молдавии: итоги и политический контекст

In November 2023 local elections were held in Moldova, during which heads of administrations of settlements and members (councilors) of local councils were elected. The election results showed that the popularity of the ruling pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) has declined significantly over the past two years. PAS candidates failed to win the mayoral elections in Chisinau and other major cities of Moldova. At the same time, the elections also demonstrated the weakness of the opposition, represented primarily by the Party of Socialists of the Republic of Moldova (PSRM). The success of the new centrist National Alternative Movement (MAN) in the elections to the Chisinau Municipal Council became a sensation of the elections. Analyzing the results of local elections, the author concludes that electoral cleavages persist in Moldova due to socio-cultural and ethnolinguistic factors.

ФЕНОМЕН РЕЛИГИОЗНЫХ ПАРТИЙ НА ПОСТСОВЕТСКОМ ПРОСТРАНСТВЕ

The article analyzes the phenomenon of religious parties in the post-Soviet space. It is shown that they were formed either in the formats of Islamic parties or Christian-democratic. There are States that impose a ban on the creation of parties on religious grounds, and those that allow their existence. The prerequisites for the appearance of such restrictions are shown. The article especially analyzes the case of Tadjikistan, where approaches to the possibilities of the legal existence of religious parties have fundamentally changed. Other criteria related to the religious sphere and limiting the activities of parties (propaganda of religious discord and enmity, financing of parties by religious structures, etc.) are also analyzed. The results of the analysis are presented in the summary table 1. The article shows that Islamic and Christian Democratic parties manifest themselves in the post-Soviet space as oppositional. There is an analysis of the prerequisites and factors, the value bases of such a situation. It is shown that Islamic proto-parties and movements offering an alternative project of statehood can exist only in an illegal format, and Christian Democratic parties acquiring national-state specifics can be both oppositional and supporting the current government, depending on its political course. The author also analyzes the reasons for the institutional weakness of religious parties. The conclusion is made about the negative result of projects to create religious parties in the post-Soviet space

Theoretical and practical problems of counteracting interference with the activities of parties to criminal proceedings

Theoretical and practical problems of counteracting interference with the activities of parties to criminal proceedings

,,Czy wprowadzić częściową prohibicję?” Sposoby przeciwdziałania zjawisku pijaństwa w województwie śląskim w drugiej połowie lat 40. XX wieku

After World War II, the phenomenon of alcohol abuse was noted throughout Poland. Military officers, militiamen, UB officers, ORMO officers, and party activists tended to fall into addiction. Drunkenness was observed among professional chauffeurs, clerks and representatives of managerial cadres. Skilled and unskilled workers succumbed to it. There was mass drinking in both urban and rural areas. Women, young people and even children did not shy away from alcohol at that time. Based on archival and press sources, the article presents the scale of the alcohol abuse phenomenon in the Silesian Voivodeship in the years 1945-1950 and the measures taken to curb it. Available monographic studies were also used to show the supra-regional background of the problem involving various social groups in the post-war Poland.

К вопросу о дискурсивных параметрах типологизации политических партий

The newest trends in the development of political parties and their ideologies have caused the emergence of a set of new concepts, such as catch-all parties, electoral-professional parties, cartel parties, firm parties, and parties in power. These concepts are focused on the functions a party performs, and not on the discursive considerations, so, they do not encompass the entire spectrum. For instance, populist and regionalist parties are hard to localize in the given models. On the other hand, such discursive concepts as “niche” parties or “horseshoe” spectrum, as well as the widespread Hans Eysenck’s “political compass”, suggest their own ways to typologize party phenomena. They complement each other but do not form a coherent matrix integrating all the significant elements of party discourses. Intentionally leaving structural-functionalist classifications aside, the authors propose to synthesize the established discursive typologies with some newly-emerged parameters and to localize party actors along such axes as economic agenda (conventionally, right or left), political agenda (conventionally, right or left), the scope of discourse (from “niche” to “catch-all”) and the salience of identity aspects. The latter should be combined with the indication of the loyalty level: ethnic/regional, national, or civilizational. The scope of discourse is found as a result of thematic analysis of party programs/manifestos and the identification of the presence and quantity of significant thematic blocs: economy, security/internal affairs, foreign affairs, education/culture, values/rights. The final matrix is illustrated in the example of the Belgian party system based on expert scaling. The Belgian case is chosen because the Belgian party system contains the entire ideological spectrum inherent in Western Europe and is relatively stable. While proposing the employment of qualitative methods, such as thematic analysis, Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) and expert scaling, the authors think that it is possible and desirable to further develop the parameters by applying quantitative methods.

GENERAL ELECTIONS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

This article discusses the regular general election hold in Bosnia and Herzegovina (02.10.2022), the course of their electioneering, and the voting results. The analysis reveals the same main actors flashed on the political scene, the same principle collisions repeated, and even the methods of winning victory with the help of nationalist rhetoric remaining unchanged. However, the realignment of political forces has led to a new formula of power both in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and at the national level. The loser was the leading Islamist-nationalist Party of Democratic Action of the Bosniaks, which already bored its Western patrons with its destructive activity. Keeping up with these developments, an assessment of the prospects of the coalition government of Bosnia and Herzegovina formed by 21 political actors is suggested. Among them are the Croatian Democratic Union and the parties blocking with it, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats with their partners from Republika Srpska and also eight secular Bosnian parties. A significant factor in maintaining the cabinet cohesion is the need to demonstrate to the EU its «cooperation», a sine qua non for Western support and funding. The Federation theoretically could face problems with the losers being able to block the process of authorities formation. However, according to the common understanding, Christian Schmidt, the High Representative of the international community in the country, will not allow this. It can be assumed that under the current international climate (when the Russian Federation is absorbed by the conflict in Ukraine, and Serbia is barely able to withstand Western pressure and the aggravation of the situation in Kosovo), even the allegedly pro-Russian President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik will be forced to take into account new political realities. If Brussels and Washington are smart enough to not push the Serbs «to the limit», the new Bosnia and Herzegovina government will finally have a chance to get down to business and do something useful for their citizens.

지방정치 다양성 확보를 위한 정당제도 개선방안

The current Political Party Act regulates the establishment of regional parties by limiting registration as a political party only when there is a central party in the capital city and five or more city/provincial parties nationwide. This is the reason why local politics cannot escape from the influence of central politics and local issues are not highlighted in local elections. Academia and civil society are demanding that the Political Party Act be amended to allow local parties, and related amendments have been proposed several times in the National Assembly.
 Looking at overseas cases, regional parties are allowed in countries with developed party politics, such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany, and the influence of regional parties in local elections is increasing.
 Therefore, in terms of realizing grassroots democracy, it is necessary to allow participation of various political groups, including local parties, in local elections. In addition, in the long term, it is necessary to review the constitutional party-related provisions to expand the freedom of political party activities.

PERKEMBANGAN ISLAM DI AMERIKA DAN PENGARUHNYA DALAM BIDANG POLITIK

This study aims to determine the basis of the development of Islam in the United States and the manifestations of the influence of Islamic development in the field of United States politics, both in domestic and foreign policy of the United States. In this study a descriptive analytic method will be used which uses data collection techniques in the form of literature review, while the type of data used is theoretical data obtained from literature in the form of books, documents, journals, and information related to the problem to be studied. The data analysis technique used in this study is a qualitative analysis technique. The results of the research show that the basis for the development of Islam in the United States and its influence in the political field is based on the political system and the basic values that apply and are adhered to by the people of the United States. Islam in the United States shows rapid development both in terms of quantity and quality. In the political field, Muslims have shown an increase in involvement in political activities, for example, an increase in the number of participation in elections and also an increase in the number of partisans who are active in political party activities and an increase in cooperation and lobbying with elites and political institutions. The highest achievement of Muslims in the political field is the election of members of the congress who are Muslims. Currently there are two members of Congress who are Muslims and several of them occupy important public positions in the political and governmental structures of the United States. Muslims are also actively fighting for civil rights including political rights through Islamic organizations formed by Muslims in the United States.

“We have a somewhat unusual meeting today...” : Transcript from the meeting of rectors of higher educational institutions and secretaries of their Komsomol and party organizations on November 21, 1967 in Dnipropetrovsk

The purpose of the article is to present and analyze a document from the fund of the Central Committee of the LCLYU (in Ukr. – LKSMU) from the CSAPO (in Ukr. – TSDAGO) of Ukraine – a transcript of the meeting of rectors and representatives of Komsomol and party organizations of “high schools” of Dnipropetrovsk on November 21, 1967, which held at the initiative of the Central Committee of the LCLYU. Research methods: historical-chronological, historical-genetic, comparative, descriptive. Main results. The published transcript recorded a conversation with the participation of one of the secretaries of the Central Committee of the LCLYU, dedicated to figuring out the state of “communist education” of the city's students. The meeting with the heads of universities and Komsomol and party activists was held on the eve of the December plenum of the Central Committee of the AULYCL (in Ukr. – VLKSM), which was supposed to consider the work of Komsomol unions with students. The conditions of the meeting, the main participants, who represented all institutes of the city – metallurgical, medical, civil engineering, railway transport engineers, agricultural, mining and state university were characterized. The specifics of the meeting were determined by the jubilee dates that fell on 1967–1968, in particular the 50th anniversary of the AULYCL’s founding, as well as ideological crisis of the “exit” from the “Thaw”: the latter significantly strengthened the position of students in the youth movement, reinforced its public and creative activity. Attempts to find an adequate answer to the challenges of the time and to preserve party-Komsomol control over the student body led to the discussion of key issues: concerning the work of Komsomol organizations of higher education institutions in the “formation of the communist worldview”, the scientific-student society, state of studying social disciplines, issues related to labor, aesthetic, physical education, and organizational activities of the Komsomol in universities. Conclusions. The analyzed document reflects one of the difficult periods in the history of Ukrainian higher education and studentship, an important part of the party and Komsomol leadership’s work, reveals the peculiarities of their communication with the heads of higher education institutions, the latter's vision of the problems of the student community. Practical significance: the results of this research will contribute to the expansion of the research topics of local and urban history, history of higher education in certain regions, studentship as an important social category, its role in the development of Ukrainian/Soviet society. The originality lies in the publication and presentation of an archival source on the history of the leading youth organization of Ukraine during the Soviet era – LCLYU, which reveals the features of working with the heads of higher educational institutions on issues of Komsomol activity and student life. Scientific novelty is determined by the problems of studying the Soviet period in the history of Ukraine at the local level, ambiguity, multiplicity of visions of this time on the part of the management of educational institutions and representatives of party and Komsomol organizations. Type of article: archeographical.

STATE POLICY AND THE PECULIARITIES OF PARTY ACTIVITY IN MARTIAL LAW IN UKRAINE

The development of modern political systems cannot presuppose the activity of political parties that perform representative functions between citizens and the state, providing a mechanism for society's self-regulation. Thanks to political parties, the antagonism between society and the state is kept within safe limits for social stability. Political parties not only express the interests of certain social groups but also actively shape interests that influence the national and state levels of politics. Weak involvement of political parties or their illegal activities can weaken the state's capacity to act and lead to destabilization at the state policy level due to the loss of feedback and control over political processes. Keywords: martial law, state policy, party activity, political parties, representative functions.

DEFENDER OF CZECHOSLOVAK UNITY. A PROBE INTO THE POLITICS OF THE CZECHOSLOVAK NATIONAL SOCIALISTS IN SLOVAKIA BETWEEN 1918 AND 1938

Until 1989, the reformist current of the National Socialists was one of the backbone elements of the Czech/Czechoslovak party-political system. The political party of the Czech National Socialists was formed in the 1890s and during the years of the First Czechoslovak Republic (1918 – 1938) under the name Czechoslovak National Socialist Party (CSNP) was a regular part of government coalitions. The historiographical description of their activities and their contribution to solving the political, economic, social, and cultural problems of state formation corresponds to this fact. An exception in this context is the history of the party in Slovakia between 1918 and 1938, a period when the party leaders decided to extend the organization's reach to the entire territory of the newly formed state. Apart from partial mentions, we have only a few short historical studies, which are inaccurate in their findings and give only the most basic outline of the Party's policy in this territory. Therefore, the present study is one of the new probes into the Party's activities in Slovakia, aiming to reduce the historiographical debt. Given the limited scope, this article analyses the party's profile in Slovakia intending to evoke its Czechoslovakist programme, the programme of Czechoslovak national and state unity, which was not accepted with understanding in the conservative and especially nationalist and autonomist-oriented Slovak environment or was fundamentally rejected. In the field of political practice, the party projected the concept of unity into the issue of the search for the optimal administrative system of the Czechoslovak Republic. It was opposed not only to the vision of an autonomous Slovakia within Czechoslovakia, which she correctly perceived as the first step in the process leading to the state-law separation of Czechs and Slovaks, but also the provincial system. The ideal, fulfilling the idea of self-government, autonomy, and independence, was the county system. As a probe into the aforementioned topic, this study also analyses the relationship of the National Socialists in Slovakia to Hlinka's Slovak People's Party, which had the most significant electoral support of the population and differed with them programmatically and politically on the issues addressed in our study. It was their primary political opponent.