'Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb'
Abstract
Autori analiziraju razvoj i snagu političkih stranaka kao aktera u procesima demokratske tranzicije i konsolidacije u Mađarskoj. Pri tome polaze od teze da su političke stranke u postkomunističkim zemljama suočene s istim konkurentima u političkoj areni kao i stranke na Zapadu – od snažnih interesnih grupa, preko sve jače tržišne borbe i nadnacionalnih medija, do državne administracije. Autori zaključuju da su stranke u Mađarskoj, premda ne tako stabilne i bez razvijene stranačke organizacije i članstva, ipak u dominantnom položaju u oblikovanju i kontroli političkih procesa. Razlog za to vide ponajprije u činjenici da stranački sustav sustavno proizvodi izrazito kompetitivne izbore, s jasno izraženim vladinim alternativama, te snažnom vezom među rezultatima izbora i sastavom vlade. Kako su u položaju da oblikuju trenutni politički i društveni preobražaj svojih zemalja, političke stranke imaju izvanrednu mogućnost da sui generis uspostavljaju stranački poredak u društvu, zaključuju autori.The authors analyse the evolution and the strength of the political parties as actors in the processes of democratic transition and consolidation in Hungary. Their starting point is that the political parties in transitional countries are faced with the same rivals in the political arena as the parties in the West: powerful interest groups, the increasing market competition, the supranational media, and the state administration. The authors conclude that the parties in Hungary, though not as stable and as developed, are nevertheless dominant in shaping and controlling the political processes in that country. The reason for that primarily lies in the fact that the party system systematically generates very competitive elections, clear alternations of the parties in power, and a strong link between the electoral outcomes and the government composition. Being in the position to shape the contemporary political and social transformation of their countries, these political parties find themselves in an excellent position to sui generis set up party systems in their societies
