The Czech and Slovak Republics: the Surprising Resilience of Proportional Representation

Abstract

The Czechoslovak federation broke up in 1992 because, on some accounts, its two constituent republics were too divergent in their political cultures and policy preferences. While there may be some truth to this, at various times after the split the two independent states experienced very similar developments. One of these was the attempt to escape from the proportional representation system set out hurriedly in early 1990, shortly before the founding free election, which was held partly or largely responsible for the countries’ alleged dependence on government by shaky coalition. In both states, there were attempts to shift toward a less proportional regime that would facilitate one-party or at most two-party government. In both countries, however, such efforts were thwarted or subverted.