Patterns of political instability : affiliation patterns of politicians and voters in Post-Communist Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania

LTReikšminiai žodžiai: Estija (Estonia); Latvija (Latvia); Partinė sistema; Pokomunistinės šalys; Politinia perbėgimai; Politinės partijos; Poltinis nestabilumas; Rinkimai; Rinkėjai; Elections; Latvia; Lithuania; Party system; Political detections; Political instability; Political parties; Post-communist countries; Voters.

ENIn contrast to established party systems, the transformation of post-communist party systems is not only shaped by shifts in electoral preferences, but also by the changing organizational loyalties of politicians. Post-communist politicians pursue a wide range of organizational strategies such as party fusions, fissions, start-ups, and interparty switching. By focusing on the interaction between these organizational strategies and voters’ electoral preferences, we argue that the seeming instability of post-communist party systems actually reveals distinct patterns of political change. The article develops an analytical framework, which incorporates politician-driven interparty mobility and voter-induced electoral change. It uses this framework to show that the apparently inchoate party systems of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania actually follow definable modes of transformation. [From the publication]