EVOLUTION OF ELECTORAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS IN UKRAINE Cover Image

ЕВОЛЮЦІЯ ВИБОРЧИХ ТЕХНОЛОГІЙ В ЕЛЕКТОРАЛЬНИХ КАМПАНІЯХ УКРАЇНИ
EVOLUTION OF ELECTORAL TECHNOLOGIES IN THE ELECTION CAMPAIGNS IN UKRAINE

Author(s): О. О. Polishchuk
Subject(s): Civil Society, Governance, Government/Political systems, Electoral systems, Political behavior, Politics and society, Comparative politics
Published by: Національний юридичний університет імені Ярослава Мудрого
Keywords: Ukraine; election technologies; elections; state independence; election campaigns; democratic transformation; «black PR»;

Summary/Abstract: In this paper the specificity of electoral technologies in the presidential and parliamentary election campaigns in Ukraine. The attention to the fact that in recent times to activate the use of electoral technologies in Ukraine linked to independence in 1991. The elimination of the Communist monopoly on state power has become a prerequisite for democratic elections. Attempting to identify the stages of election technology since independence. There are the important factors that largely determined the content essential use of electoral technologies.The beginning of democratic elections in Ukraine 1989–1990 should be considered. For such a small period of time has not yet formed a political activist culture, effective civil society, the tradition of electoral participation. The lack of experience of most of the election process in competitive elections has led to a significant number of errors. At a time when Ukraine was part of the USSR competitive elections even theoretically assumed. The citizens at the polls almost unanimously supported the candidate of the Communist Party. Declaration of Independence put voters in a difficult position, due to the need for self-selection. Given the lack of experience of political activity (more than seventy years) it was extremely difficult for most people. The result was inconsistency in making political choices. In some elections, voters vote for one political party, and the next – the ideological opposite. Thus, the problem of formation of electoral technologies in Ukraine and specifics of electoral participation is extremely important.Getting technologizing full-scale election campaign in Ukraine is counting on its 1998 parliamentary elections. During this period, starting out election headquarters who actively use different voting technologies. Also in this work actively involved political advisers. In this context, the Ukrainian researcher L. Kochubey notes that the development of electoral technologies primarily promotes democratic character of the political system, as only in it there is a real choice. Formation of a democratic political system involves sharpening focus on democratic procedures of national expression, modern democracy cannot be achieved without the electoral process. The democratization of society and the formation of the institute of elections in the country contributed to the formation of a full institution of elections.The rapid spread of electoral technologies in Ukraine in the second half of the 90th ХХ century certain deterministic factors. Ukrainian society began to form political plural- ism. Evidence of this is the fact that before the political spectrum were represented on the axis of «right» (nationalist forces) against the «left» (communist-socialist) forces.