wh y w e l o s t
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I. Introduction
T
he Slovak Republic, with its Czech neighbor, shares the distinction of being the
youngest independent state in Europe. Since its creation in 2003, it has gone through
two basic periods in development. The first was a period of deep “democracy deficit”
which excluded the country from the process of the Euroatlantic integration (1993 - 1998).
In this period, Slovakia was considered a deviant country and a “black hole in Central Eu-
rope.” The second was a period of radical socio-economic reforms and a strengthening of
democracy, during which the country returned to the path of integration (1998 - 2005).
Since 2002, Slovakia has been considered a “Central European reform tiger.”
One of the key factors that has influenced development in Slovakia since 1993 is the con-
figuration of political forces, particularly the positions of center-right parties within the
party system. Their strength resulted from support obtained in parliamentary elections,
internal organizational cohesion and positions in the institutions of state. Other strengths
include their ability to form coalitions and alliances (among themselves, as well as with
parties of different political and ideological orientation), their programmatic background,
an efficient party structure, skillful political leaders and their relationships with non-party
actors. These strengths continue to play an important role in determining the direction of
the country’s development.
II. DEVELOPMENT OF THE SLOVAK CENTER RIGHT
AND FACTORS INflUENCING IT
The positions of center-right, conservative, Christian-democratic and liberal political
groupings within the party system of the Slovak Republic are influenced by a variety of
factors, including:
• the long process of social development in the 1990s, marked by the emergence of the
independent state, the nature of the transformation process and the struggle to forge an
identity for the political regime in the years 1993 - 1998;
• the proportion between particular segments of the party system (left vs. right, demo-
crats vs. national populists);
• reshuffling inside the center-right segment of the party system, characterized by com-
petitive and frequently contentious relations;
• the periodic “emptying” of the liberal wing and the emergence of new liberal formations;
• the political and socio-cultural orientations of the population and the degree of voter
identification with non-left ideologies;
• relative discontinuity as far as local historic patterns of party politics are concerned; and
• the extent to which particular parties are members of international party associations
(such as the European People’s Party, the European Democratic Union, the Liberal In-
ternational, the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party and the Christian Dem-
ocrat International)
