Британската представителна демокрация: предизвикателства пред Уестминстърския модел
Representative Democracy in the UK: Challenges for the Westminster Model

Summary/Abstract: Low and further declining levels of citizen political participation are often described as one of the major challenges to contemporary representative democracy. In the United Kingdom, however, it is the Westminster model, characterizing the British political system, which draws the attention of the political analysts. The debate around this model intensified after the reforms, introduced by Tony Blair’s Labour government in the late 90-ies, which are taken to undermine some of its major features. Its central building block – the majoritarian electoral system, – has yet successfully resisted the increasing pressure for electoral reform. The article presents and discusses the major positions and developments in the debate on the electoral reform and analyses the central pro and con arguments. The author concludes that the electoral reform and the future of the Westminster model more generally depends on how the first post-WWII coalition government will fare: the major priority of the minor partner in the coalition, the Liberal Democrats, is precisely a radical reform of the Westminster model in its central tenet – the electoral system.

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