The impact of institutional factor on the dynamics of electoral Volatility in Post-Communist Countries of europe

Abstract

The article examines the influence of the institutional factor on the dynamics of electoral volatility in post- communist European countries. The party and electoral systems were chosen as institutional variables. It is noted that a noticeable influence on the level of electoral mobility in the group of countries under consideration is not segmentation, but polarization of party systems. The author emphasizes that the small ideological distance between the parties competing in the electoral field hinders the formation of stable party identification of voters, which contributes to the growth of electoral volatility. The author comes to the conclusion that the institutional factor as a whole has a limited effect on the dynamics of changing party preferences of voters. Therefore it should be recognized that the factor of political culture continues to have a predominant impact on the electoral behavior of citizens of post-communist European countries.