Defeating Authoritarian Leaders in Postcommunist Countries (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780521187251)

From 1998 to 2005, six elections took place in postcommunist Europe and Eurasia that had the surprising outcome of empowering the opposition and defeating authoritarian incumbents or their designated successors. Valerie J. Bunce and Sharon L. Wolchik compare these unexpected electoral breakthroughs - with one another and with elections that had the more typical result of maintaining authoritarian rule. They draw three conclusions. First, the opposition was victorious because of the hard and creative work of a transnational network composed of local opposition and civil society groups, members of the international democracy assistance community, and graduates of successful electoral challenges to authoritarian rule in other countries. Second, the remarkable run of these upset elections reflected the ability of this network to diffuse an ensemble of innovative electoral strategies across state boundaries. Finally, elections can serve as a powerful mechanism for democratic change. This is especially the case when civil society is strong, the transfer of political power is through constitutional means, and opposition leaders win with small mandates.

Author: Valerie J. Bunce, Sharon L. Wolchik
ISBN-10: 0521187257
ISBN-13: 9780521187251
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 06/30/2011
Pages: 386
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.35lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 03/01/2012