Institute for Public Affairs issued a publication Slovak Elections ‘10: A Chance for a Change, in which eleven authors analyze the results and the contexts of the last year's parliamentary elections. The book is in Slovak, English summary (16 pages) is included.
It is the fourth publication of this type, in which the Institute for Public Affairs analyzes parliamentary elections and their broader context. Similar books were also published in the past: after the 1998 elections The 1998 Parliamentary Elections and Democratic Rebirth in Slovakia, after the 2002 elections Slovak Elections ’02: Results, Implications, Contexts and after the 2006 elections Slovak Elections ’06: Results, Causes, Contexts(Slovak book only). A similar approach – in terms of breadth of the research scope and depth of analysis – was also applied in the latest book issued by IVO only several months after the elections.
In the book, readers will find answers to many questions, including the following ones: What factors influenced the results of the 2010 elections? In what ways was the political development in Slovakia similar to other Visegrad countries and in what respects was it different? Have the elections opened space for the continuity or change of Slovak foreign policy? How has voter support of the two main party blocks developed in the long run? What have been the trends in voter turnout and electoral behavior? What were the main issues of public discourse before the elections? How efficient were the political parties’ campaigns and what messages addressed their potential voters the most? Did the elections bring a breakthrough from a gender perspective? How has the political climate in Slovakia changed in the first months following the elections?
Book Slovak Elections ‘10: Chance for Change is a set of separate analytical studies. It is divided into four thematic parts. The first part analyzes the Central European contexts and foreign policy implications of the elections (two chapters). The second part concentrates on the political landscape in Slovakia (two chapters). The third part is entitled Society and Voters (three chapters). The fourth part is dedicated to election issues, campaign and communication (three chapters).
The book includes also a series of photographs by Pavol Demeš.
More about the book is at the Slovak web page.
