Romanian’s Legislative Elections or Confirmation of the Political Periphery Theory

Abstract

Despite a formal liberal-democratic society and a supposed legal-rational authority (according to German sociologist Max Weber’s definition), post-communist Romania has continued to be a semi-peripheral country based on status. The perpetuation of the organization model where the personal status always prevails is the main effect on the parties appeared in post-communist political and economic context, which is basically the same as in interwar and communist periods. Thus parties’ development is closely linked to the charisma of their members, and their connection with the electorate/society has no sense concerning political ideology (as it is dominated by the context and electoral clientelism of short notice – one electoral cycle).

Keywords

• Romania
• cleavages
• clientelism
• general elections
• periphery
• post-communism