Decline of Elite Consensus and Destabilization of Political Space in East-Central Europe

Abstract

The article deals with recent developments in terms of elite configuration and its impact on political stability in post-communist countries from East-Central Europe, especially with regard to the structure of political/party space. The author observes that none of the countries from this region has a political space that matches those of established democracies, where the key role is played by two parties, one on the left and another on the right of the political center. The claim is made that these developments are strongly related to an increase in polarization within the political elite, and the corresponding decline in elite consensus, resulting in the weakening of the potential for cooperation between elite factions. It is argued that this decline is only partially conditioned by global crisis, but is more significantly correlated to the specific nature of the transformation process.