Party Fragmentation, the Proportional System and Democracy in Slovenia
| Author | Danica Fink-Hafner,Meta Novak |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/14789299211059450 |
| Published date | 01 November 2022 |
| Date | 01 November 2022 |
https://doi.org/10.1177/14789299211059450
Political Studies Review
2022, Vol. 20(4) 578 –591
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/14789299211059450
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Party Fragmentation, the
Proportional System and
Democracy in Slovenia
Danica Fink-Hafner and Meta Novak
Abstract
In Slovenia, political parties have been the key actors in opting for a proportional electoral
system and constitutional choice of a parliamentary system, both of which are believed to help
to develop a consensual type of democracy. However, a vicious circle involving a fragmented
party system and a proportional electoral system has not only led to polarisation within the
party system, but has also contributed to problems of democratic governability and legitimacy.
The destabilisation of the party system since 2011 has not only caused a crisis of political
legitimacy and accountability, but has also contributed to a recent trend of de-democratisation.
At the moment, there does not appear to be a realistic alternative to the existing electoral rules
in the near future, in spite of recurring calls by an anti-communist party (Slovenian Democratic
Party) to introduce a majoritarian system.
Keywords
party system, party fragmentation, Slovenia, electoral system, democracy
Accepted: 15 October 2021
Introduction
In this article, we point at idiosyncrasies of Slovenia that challenge the existing theories
on design and re-design of electoral systems in Central and Eastern European countries
(CEEC) in several aspects.
Initial theoretical expectations have been that post-socialist party systems would con-
solidate, (Millard, 2004) particularly when peaceful transition happens with democratic
elections (Linz, 1990). However, party system destabilisation, including a hurricane of
new political parties (Haughton and Deegan-Krause, 2015) and electoral reforms have
recently created a common trend in older and newer democracies. While institutional
choices were generally believed to be crucial for a successful transition to democracy
(Lijphart, 1991), institutions have later been found to matter only in the context without
Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Corresponding author:
Danica Fink-Hafner, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Kardeljeva ploščad 5, 1000 Ljubljana,
Slovenia.
Email: danica.fink-hafner@fdv.uni-lj.si
1059450PSW0010.1177/14789299211059450Political Studies ReviewFink-Hafner and Novak
research-article2021
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