About this Research Topic
This Research Topic focuses on analysing the state of democracy in Europe, with a special focus on central, eastern and southern European countries. The European Union’s political accession conditionality, known as the Copenhagen criteria, required aspiring countries for EC/EU membership to show compliance with the requirements of “stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for and protection of minorities”. The promotion of democracy shaped political regimes and as an acknowledgement of progress in democratisation, in 2004, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia, respectively; in 2007, Bulgaria and Romania, and in 2013 Croatia, joined the European Union.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa stated, “We will know whether democracy lives or dies by the end of 2024.” Similarly, Staffan Lindberg of the Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) stated, "2024 may be the make-or-break year for democracy in the world”. These and other similarly gloomy assertions depart from the perception of elections as a celebration of freedom and democracy. This raises the question of why elections are seeding fear among democracy scholars. These assertions also indicate that 2024 is exceptional due to the number of countries in which elections are held, but also that many elections will happen under conditions of rarely seen polarisation, geopolitical tensions, climate transformation and, as a result, the likelihood that some elections could go beyond government formation, but act as referenda over the nature of political regimes.
2024 stands out as an extraordinary year due to the multitude of countries conducting elections. Nevertheless, this year stands out as extraordinary in terms of the electoral context. Several elections will take place amidst a crisis situation. We can categorise the crises as either internal to democracy, like issues of legitimacy, inclusivity, political polarisation, and populism, or external, like geopolitical conflicts, climate transformation, the pandemic's aftermath, migration, and the cost-of-living crisis. This has led to gloomy assertions about the future of democracy. These assertions, along with others of a similar sort, contrast with the common conception of elections as a celebration of freedom and democracy. They highlight the potential for certain elections to transcend mere government creation and instead become referenda on the fundamental character of political regimes.
This Research Topic situates the subject matter within the specific setting of Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. The political requirements imposed by the EU for membership, along with broader efforts to support and promote democracy, significantly influenced the process of democratisation and the consolidation of democracy in the region. Eight countries, namely Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, became members of the European Union in 2004. They were able to join after meeting the so-called Copenhagen criteria, which mandate that aspiring EC/EU members must show adherence to the standards of "institutional stability ensuring democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minorities." Subsequently, Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007, and Croatia joined in 2013. Geopolitical factors, indecisiveness within the EU, or the inability of certain countries to achieve the criteria resulted in the exclusion of other countries from the region. Nevertheless, the conflict in Ukraine has evidently expedited the procedure and heightened the possibility of additional European Union expansion into the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Submissions that focus on one of the following topics are encouraged. Authors are invited to examine the outcomes of the 2024 elections and their impact on democracy at both the national and subnational levels. This analysis should be done in reference to the ongoing discussions in the literature regarding democratic erosion, backsliding, and hybridization. Furthermore, it is worth looking into the influence that election results in EU member states have on the overall EU institutions and policy agendas. In addition, we encourage articles regarding the governance of the electoral process and its influence on democratic systems. Additionally, we welcome papers that investigate the impact of election results on the fundamental rules and norms of politics. How can electoral outcomes demonstrate changes in long-term objectives regarding individual freedom and collective equality, the allocation of authority, and the utilisation of power? Submissions must conform to rigorous academic standards, present well-defined theoretical frameworks, and give important insights for the academic community or policymakers.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa stated, “We will know whether democracy lives or dies by the end of 2024.” Similarly, Staffan Lindberg of the Varieties of Democracy Institute (V-Dem) stated, "2024 may be the make-or-break year for democracy in the world”. These and other similarly gloomy assertions depart from the perception of elections as a celebration of freedom and democracy. This raises the question of why elections are seeding fear among democracy scholars. These assertions also indicate that 2024 is exceptional due to the number of countries in which elections are held, but also that many elections will happen under conditions of rarely seen polarisation, geopolitical tensions, climate transformation and, as a result, the likelihood that some elections could go beyond government formation, but act as referenda over the nature of political regimes.
2024 stands out as an extraordinary year due to the multitude of countries conducting elections. Nevertheless, this year stands out as extraordinary in terms of the electoral context. Several elections will take place amidst a crisis situation. We can categorise the crises as either internal to democracy, like issues of legitimacy, inclusivity, political polarisation, and populism, or external, like geopolitical conflicts, climate transformation, the pandemic's aftermath, migration, and the cost-of-living crisis. This has led to gloomy assertions about the future of democracy. These assertions, along with others of a similar sort, contrast with the common conception of elections as a celebration of freedom and democracy. They highlight the potential for certain elections to transcend mere government creation and instead become referenda on the fundamental character of political regimes.
This Research Topic situates the subject matter within the specific setting of Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe. The political requirements imposed by the EU for membership, along with broader efforts to support and promote democracy, significantly influenced the process of democratisation and the consolidation of democracy in the region. Eight countries, namely Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia, became members of the European Union in 2004. They were able to join after meeting the so-called Copenhagen criteria, which mandate that aspiring EC/EU members must show adherence to the standards of "institutional stability ensuring democracy, the rule of law, human rights, and the protection of minorities." Subsequently, Romania and Bulgaria joined in 2007, and Croatia joined in 2013. Geopolitical factors, indecisiveness within the EU, or the inability of certain countries to achieve the criteria resulted in the exclusion of other countries from the region. Nevertheless, the conflict in Ukraine has evidently expedited the procedure and heightened the possibility of additional European Union expansion into the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Submissions that focus on one of the following topics are encouraged. Authors are invited to examine the outcomes of the 2024 elections and their impact on democracy at both the national and subnational levels. This analysis should be done in reference to the ongoing discussions in the literature regarding democratic erosion, backsliding, and hybridization. Furthermore, it is worth looking into the influence that election results in EU member states have on the overall EU institutions and policy agendas. In addition, we encourage articles regarding the governance of the electoral process and its influence on democratic systems. Additionally, we welcome papers that investigate the impact of election results on the fundamental rules and norms of politics. How can electoral outcomes demonstrate changes in long-term objectives regarding individual freedom and collective equality, the allocation of authority, and the utilisation of power? Submissions must conform to rigorous academic standards, present well-defined theoretical frameworks, and give important insights for the academic community or policymakers.
Keywords: elections, electoral processes, electoral outcomes, democracy, snap elections democratic consolidation, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, South-Eastern Europe
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