ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses the use of primaries in Romania and Slovakia with a focus on the PSD in 2004 and the SDKU-DS in 2010. Two important political parties from Romania and Slovakia had a similar approach towards primaries: they both formally adopted primaries, but failed to use them on a systematic basis. The chapter presents the contextual determinants and rationales behind the adoption of primaries. It describes the election process, with an emphasis on formal rules, electoral campaign, competitiveness and degree of participation. Then the chapter analyses the political consequences of primaries on the PSD and the SDKU-DS. The comparison reveals that the PSD uses various criteria to restrict candidacies to members, whereas the SDKU-DS allows all Slovak citizens to enter the competition. With respect to the most important formal aspects, the PSD's primary elections were rather decentralised, but with a strong final say from the executive committee which could alter the will of participating members.
