THE END OF THE BEGINNING: THE PARTIAL CONSOLIDATION OF EAST CENTRAL EUROPEAN PARTIES AND PARTY SYSTEMS

There have been some very characteristic tendencies of political and electoral behavior in ECE (Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia) which may be summarized as follows:

1 electoral and party fragmentation; 2 high electoral volatility and protest voting; 3 the return of the “post-Communist” vote and parties; 4 growing abstention at the elections; 5 declining confidence in parliaments and parties.