Electoral Reform in the Czech Republic (1998-2000)
No.3(2000)
Abstract
Keywords:
Electoral reform; czech republic; postcommunist region; electoral rules
There is an intension to analyze a phenomenon of electoral reform in the postcommunist region - concretely in the Czech Republic. The question is: what are die main forces behind continuity and discontinuity of electoral rules? In other words what kinds of factors function in favour with discontinuity and what kinds of factors limit such discontinuity? There can be identified not only institutional and socio-structural factors but also specific historical preconditions and cultural pattern. In the Czech Republic were made unprecedented efforts of two winning parties to change an electoral system only on instrumental base. The electoral engineering is “perfect”, because these two parties prepared an electoral reform behind the scene, and prepared probably the most disproportional and unique PR system existing in standard democracies. There is no other limits for this kind of manipulation than their own power and interests. Because they are just now temporarily more powerful (in the sense of parliamentary majority), they want to push instrumental changes independently of other factors and barriers.
Electoral reform; czech republic; postcommunist region; electoral rules