Electoral Integrity and Support for Democracy in Post-Communist Society

The expansion of democracy following the collapse of communism in 1989-90 led many to believe that democratic institutions would rapidly take root. However, over the past decade, electoral malpractice has become widespread, casting doubt on democratic consolidation.

This lecture examines the causes and consequences of weak electoral integrity in Belarus, Russia and the Ukraine. Using a series of opinion surveys conducted since 2000, we show that public perceptions of electoral unfairness have their roots in seeing widespread corruption among public officials. By contrast, viewing elections as fair correlates with support for the incumbent government and watching television, the latter showing the importance to the regimes of control of the mass media. In turn, views about electoral integrity have a significant impact on satisfaction with democracy, especially in Belarus.

The results suggest that only root and branch reform in the post-Communist societies will substantially improve public perceptions of electoral integrity.

This lecture is generously sponsored by Concordia's Department of Political Science and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Citizenship.