Volebná (ne)účasť ako pretrvávajúci fenomén v slovenskej a švajčiarskej spoločnosti
Electoral (non)participation as an Ongoing Phenomenon in Slovak and Swiss Society

Summary/Abstract: One of the main problems of modern democracies is the alienation of citizens from political processes. In this context, civil society represents an important part of the democratic process. It provides citizens with an alternative option, in addition to the possibilities represented by political parties and lobby groups, to express different opinions and promote different interests in decision-making processes. On a global scale, Switzerland has long-term shown the highest values of satisfaction with its democracy and is a classic example of a political system using strong elements of direct democracy in practice. In the context of the possibilities of political participation of citizens in Switzerland, in addition to traditional elections, the two institutions of direct democracy, namely the referendum and the people's initiative, are the most widely used alternatives. On the other hand, the scheme shown by S. Huntington in his theory of the third wave of democratization in connection with the institutionalization of democratic political behavior is fully confirmed in Slovak society. According to his theory, resignation, or lack of interest in political affairs, mistrust of state authorities and politicians is a manifestation of disillusionment that arose in the new democratic systems. Most of these new democracies were characterized by the fact that at the time of the regime change, the participation of citizens in elections was very high, but in the following period it began to decline sharply. The aim of the submitted contribution will be to present the realities of two civil societies with their diametrically different historical-political development and, thanks to the comparison of selected elements, to bring both the status and common/different features regarding the phenomenon of persistent electoral (non-)participation in the conditions of the Slovak Republic and the Swiss Confederation.

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