Table 1. The Main Cleavages of Transformation
The Cleavages of Transformation The Key Controversial Questions The Parties Formed within the
Cleavage
Conflict over the character
of the regime
ˇ Character of the regime,
pace, intensity and
direction of the social and
political transformation
ˇ Communist parties
ˇ Civic movements (forums)
or anti-communist
formations of dissident
provenience
Socio-economic cleavage
ˇ Question of profits and
losses of the economic
transformation
ˇ Dispute over the form and
pace of the economic
transformation
ˇ Rudiment of the cleavage
owners ­ working class
(questions of the range of
economic redistribution)
ˇ Liberal-conservative
formations
ˇ Social-democratized ex-
communist parties or re-
established `historic' social-
democratic formations
Nationalistic cleavage
ˇ Existence of ethnic
minority or specific region
ˇ Existence of another
nation regarded as a
traditional ,,enemy"
ˇ Dispute over the character
of the regime (inclusive
civic society versus
"ethnocracy")
ˇ Parties/movements of
national minorities and
regional formations
ˇ Nationalistic formations
with the `nation-wide
mission'
Residual cleavage from the
early stage of
democratization in the 19th
and the first half of the 20th
century
ˇ typically Church versus
state
ˇ Christian-democratic and
Christian-national parties
ˇ Liberal and Ex-
communists formations
Residual cleavage
communism versus anti-
communism
ˇ Process of de-
communization
ˇ Attitude toward the
communist past
ˇ Ex-communist parties or
neo-communist parties
ˇ Parties formed from the
movements (forums) or
Christian-democratic
parties
evitalized conflict over the
character of the regime
ˇ Questions of respect to
the liberal rights and
values, rule of law state,
fairness of political
competition
ˇ Parties formed from the
movements/forums
(sometimes), ex-
communist, Christian-
democratic, liberal and
other formations
Ideological and programme
orientation is connected or not
with liberal democratic values
and procedures.
Election 1990 (results - %)
Public Against Violence (VPN) 29,3
Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) 19,2
Slovak National Party (SNS) 13,9
Communist Party of Slovakia ­ KSS (later Party of the
Democratic Left)
13,3
Coalition Coexistence and Hungarian Christian
Democratic Movement
8,7
Democratic party (DS) 4,4
Green Party (SZS) 3,5
Election 1992 (results - %)
Movement for the Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 37,3
Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) 14,7
Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) 8,9
Slovak National Party (SNS) 7,9
Coalition Coexistence and Hungarian Christian
Democratic Movement
7,4
Election 1994 (results - %)
Movement for the Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 35
Common Choice (coalition SDĽ and three small parties) 10,4
Hungarian Coalition (MK) 10,2
Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) 10,1
Democratic Union (DU) 8,6
Association of Slovak Workers (ZRS) 7,3
Slovak National Party (SNS) 5,3
Election 1998 (results - %)
Movement for the Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 27
Slovak Democratic Coalition (SDK) 26,3
Party of the Democratic Left (SDĽ) 14,7
Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) 9,1
Slovak National Party (SNS) 11,2
Party of Civic Understanding (SOP) 8
Election 2002 (results - %)
Movement for the Democratic Slovakia (HZDS) 19,5
Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) 15,1
Direction (Smer) 13,5
Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK) 11,2
Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) 8,3
Alliance of a New Citizen (ANO) 8
Communist Party of Slovakia (KSS) 6,3
Figure 2. The Orientation Scheme of the Parties and the Two Most Significant Cleavages in the
Present Slovak Party System
socio-economic cleavage
the left the right
religious
KDH
(SNS), HZDS SMK, SDKÚ
cleavage state-
church
secular KSS Smer ANO
Note: The SNS which had been split before the 2002 election was re-united after the election.
According to the polls, it has a great chance to obtain the parliamentary representation in the
2006 election. Therefore it was classified in the figure.
Trust of Slovak publicity into Slovak politics (%)
7/1991 1/1992 3/1993 5/1994 12/1995 10/1997
V. Mečiar 48 V. Mečiar 39 M. Kováč 34 M. Kováč 23 V. Mečiar 22 V. Mečiar 22
A. Dubček 16 A. Dubček 17 V. Mečiar 22 V. Mečiar 22 I. Gašparovič 15 I. Gašparovič 14
V. Havel 12 V. Havel 13 P. Weiss 15 J. Moravčík 22 M. Kováč 16 M. Dzurinda 14
J. Čarnogurský 8 P. Weiss 9 I. Gašparovič 13 P. Weiss 14 P. Weiss 11 M. Kováč 13
P. Weiss 6 J. Čarnogurský 5 M. Kňažko 10 I. Gašparovič 8 B. Bugár 8 P. Weiss 9
1/1999 6/2001 10/2002 10/2003 10/2004 8/2005
M. Dzurinda 26 R. Fico 21 R. Fico 17 R. Fico 26 R. Fico 22 R. Fico 25
R. Fico 18 V. Mečiar 17 M. Dzurinda 17 V. Mečiar 12 I. Gašparovič 12 I. Gašparovič 14
V. Mečiar 16 A. Malíková 13 V. Mečiar 15 B. Bugár 11 V. Mečiar 11 V. Mečiar 11
R. Schuster 11 R. Schuster 11 B. Bugár 10 P. Hrušovský 7 B. Bugár 10 B. Bugár 9
B. Schmögnerová 11 B. Bugár 8 P. Rusko 9 P. Rusko 6 M. Dzurinda 6 J. Slota 7
Table. Evolution of the Cleavages of Transformation in Slovakia after 1989 (simplified
view)
Timing/
Cleavages
Slovakia
1989/1990
1992
initial: conflict over the character of regime
significant: socio-economic, church vs. state, centre vs.
periphery with change to nationalistic cleavage ()
1992
2002
significant: nationalistic and revitalized conflict over the
character of the regime (Mečiarism vs. Anti-Mečiarism)
weak: church vs. state, socio-economic, communism vs.
anticommunism ()
2002
2006
significant: socio-economic
weak: church vs. state (), nationalistic cleavage,
revitalized conflict over the character of the regime
(Mečiarism vs. Anti-Mečiarism) ()
Note: Arrow indicate tendency of evolution specific cleavage.