Suchergebnisse

Slovenian state assembly can be categorized as one of those new parliaments in Central & Eastern Europe that were not only beneficiaries of democratization but also major actors in the transition from the former socialist into a democratic system. It was in the forefront of the modernization of the entire legislature in the second stage of Europeization & played a major role in the process of EU accession. The state assembly as a new parliament has undoubtedly reached a satisfactory level of institutional & organizational competence. The problem is, however, its genuine subjective or "cultural capacity." The lack of such capacities among the delegates in the process of EU accession was occasionally manifested in a huge disparity between the lip service to the EU membership & its values & the real understanding of the functioning of its institutions & goals. On numerous occasions there was a marked contrast between the idealized perceptions about how after the EU accession everything was going to be simpler & the pessimistic predictions about "drowning" in the EU. The Slovenian parliamentary elite has not yet fully grasped the reality that the so called "internal" issues have largely become the European issues or that the European issues have already become "national" issues. On the other hand, too little attention is paid to the question of how demanding the participation of the Slovenian parliament in the circumstances of the full membership really is. The representatives will be exposed to a much more intensive flow of information from the EU institutions & the reaction time will get shorter. This will mean that the delegates will increasingly respond "reactively" instead of "actively." The conclusion is that the state assembly at the commencement of its fourth mandate & following Slovenia's EU accession is not yet fully qualified to participate via the government in the process of EU decision-making from the perspective of a swift grasp of vital information & taking stands; neither is it in the position to properly monitor the government. Also, the state assembly is not conversant enough in translating the European politics into the Slovenian setting since it lacks the necessary experience, knowledge & routine in operating in the new circumstances of multilevel decision-making. Due to this lack of precedents, the real hard work is only beginning. Tables, References. Adapted from the source document.

The author analyzes the results of Slovenian parliamentary elections, held on November 10th 1996, within the context of the structure of political institutions and characteristics of the party system. The Slovenian constitutional system is a parliamentary democracy. The parliament consists of two houses. The upper house is based on the principle of functional and territorial representation with limited authority. The parliamentary party system is defined by the composition of the lower house, the National Assembly. In the elections of 1992, as many as eight parties won places in the parliament, which resulted in the pluralized party system, the dispersion of the political clout of various parties and the necessity of forming a coalition government. Up to the beginning of 1996, the power was held by the tripartite, politically balanced coalition, gathered round a centrist party, "Liberal Democracy of Slovenia". The withdrawal of the reformed communists from the government shifted the political balance towards centre right. The corresponding rightist shift of the public opinion was noted during the preelection campaign as well. The outcome of the elections, in which seven parties ran for the parliament, has been an extremely polarized party system: on the one hand, there is a coalition of three rightist parties, and on the other there are the liberals, as the strongest parliamentary party, and other smaller parties. The even distribution of mandates between these two poles has, for the time being, brought about the political stalemate, which stands in the way of forming a coalition government. (SOI : PM: S. 62)

The author analyzes the results of Slovenian parliamentary elections, held on 10 Nov 1996, within the context of the structure of political institutions & characteristics of the party system. The Slovenian constitutional system is a parliamentary democracy. The parliament consists of two houses. The upper house is based on the principle of functional & territorial representation with limited authority. The parliamentary party system is defined by the composition of the lower house, National Assembly. In the elections of 1992, as many as eight parties won places in the parliament, which resulted in the pluralized party system, the dispersion of the political clout of various parties & the necessity of forming a coalition government. Up to the beginning of 1996, the power was held by the tripartite, politically balanced coalition, gathered round a centrist party, Liberal Democracy of Slovenia. The withdrawal of the reformed communists from the government shifted the political balance towards centre right. The corresponding rightist shift of the public opinion was noted during the preelection campaign as well. The outcome of the elections, in which seven parties ran for the parliament, has been an extremely polarized party system: on the one hand, there is a coalition of three rightist parties, & on the other there are the liberals, as the strongest parliamentary party, & other smaller parties. The even distribution of mandates between these two poles has, for the time being, brought about the political stalemate, which stands in the way of forming a coalition government. 1 Table, 17 References. Adapted from the source document.