Territorial dimensions of the Romanian parties: elections, party rules and organisations

Abstract

The homogenisation of voting patterns within the territorial units constitutes one of the major features of the post-communist electoral contests. In the Romanian case, despite forecasts, the empirical analysis of voting behavior both in national and local elections unveils an exceptional trajectory. First, this study will scrutinise the evolution of citizens' political choices across the territorial units after the breakdown of communism, emphasizing the difficult process of party system nationalisation. Secondly, concentrating on state regulations and party organisational development, the paper aims at exploring possible justifications for the low levels of nationalisation. The conclusions will highlight the significance of more inclusive definitions of the institutional arrangements (introducing the impact of party regulations) as well as the importance of party development strategies, mainly from the perspective of political recruitment, in order to explain the post-communist electoral reconfigurations.