Abstract Voda

A Geographical analysis of elections in the V4 in 2010

Petr Voda

Abstract: This article deals with a geographical analysis of electoral results in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia in 2010. Answers are given to questions about the location of electoral support and about how similar parties in different countries obtain their support in similar conditions. The answer to the first question was found through drawing maps of electoral support. The second question was answered with the use of regression analysis with electoral results as a dependent variable and data about society (determined by Rokkan’s theory of cleavages) as independent variables. Spatial distribution of party support differs between countries and party families. Some similarities are only between the Czech Republic and Slovakia where liberal and conservative parties win in the center and in cities and social democratic parties are the strongest outside cities. Differences are also in the nature of party systems. The Czech and Hungarian party system (in 2010) are based more on economic cleavage: whereas, Slovak and Polish parties are rather based on urban-rural cleavage.

Keywords: Electoral Results, Electoral Geography, Party System, Visegrad Group, Linear Regression