Increasing Democratic Legitimacy of Elections and Referendums in Slovakia
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| Year of publication | 2020 |
| Type | Chapter of a book |
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| Description | In the field of political sciences there is a general consensus that with increasing participation in elections and referendums, the level of democratic legitimacy also increases. However, theoretical concepts and also practical approaches towards this phenomenon deviate across the political systems of different nations. The most extreme ones encompass compulsory participation or multiple registration designs. The aim of this case study was to evaluate the level of democratic legitimacy of the European Parliament elections and referendums in Slovakia and to deliver policy recommendations. In both cases the participation of voters is too low to assure real legitimacy of these instruments. Based on the findings, international practice and also the personal experience of one of the authors, with a prominent position in the Slovak political scene, several recommendations are formulated in the final part of the text. |