Volby do Evropského parlamentu ve Švédsku z hlediska teorie voleb druhého řádu
European Elections in Sweden in the Context of the Second-Order Elections Theory

Summary/Abstract: The article deals with the analysis of the European Parliament elections in Sweden. Four elections, which were held between 1995 and 2009, are examined here. The author chose the second-order elections theory, developed by Karlheinz Reif and Hermann Schmitt, as a framework of the analysis. He analyses the three most important characteristics that are attributed to the second-order elections: a) a lower turnout; b) a higher proportion of votes for non-parliamentary parties; c) a lower proportion of votes cast for government parties. The author also analyses whether EU-related issues affected a performance of political parties in the European elections, as results of some recent studies indicated. The analysis demonstrates validity of most of the Reif and Schmitt’s original propositions, despite some discrepancies found in the third above mentioned characteristic. The Swedish elections to the European Parliament thus correspond, to the large extent, with the basic assumptions connected with the second order-elections theory. Factors decisive for a success of political parties should be sought in particular with regards to current developments in the dominant political arena, while European factors play only a minor role, which is reflected primarily in a longterm comparison.

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