Panel 1: Why Is Democracy So Hard To Consolidate?

Wednesday, April 19th (9:00-10:00am)

13th Symposium on

Development and Social Transformation

Democracy And Conflict In Macedonia

Dragomira Zhecheva

Panel 1: Why Is Democracy So Hard To Consolidate?

13th Symposium onDevelopment and Social Transformation

Reforms in Macedonia

Democracy or Another Ethnic Conflict on the Balkans?

Conflict BackgroundParties • Macedonian government/police • Albanian communities• Albanian political parties

The Ohrid Peace Agreement• Representation in the Administration for the Albanian

minority• Political Voice• Education• Culture – Language• Decentralization

EU

Reforms for Resolution

Decentralization• Municipal Reform incorporate Albanian and

Macedonian communities in joint decision making

• State and Local Government bring inter group national issues to local level solutions

– Schools and new educational plan– Budgets

Reforms occur within the Context of…

Nationalism

History

Mindsets

Transition

Conflict

How did the Reforms not solve the tensions…

Municipal Reform

Civil Society

Perceptions

Institutions Building(Schools)

Training of CadresSelf-Rule at the Local Level

Political Representation

Problems…

No Representation and Institutions - No Channels of communication

No neutral reliable process

Persisting perceptions

Continuous exclusion/inclusion

Groups’ Own

Solutions

Consolidation Of Romanian Democracy

Gabriella Pakucs

Panel 1: Why Is Democracy So Hard To Consolidate?

13th Symposium onDevelopment and Social Transformation

Is the Romanian Democracy Is the Romanian Democracy

a Consolidated Democracy?a Consolidated Democracy?

Gabriella PakucsGabriella Pakucs

April 2006April 2006

Two Main Theoretical Approaches

It is the only game in town

In terms of formform – fair elections, alternation in power

(Huntington)

Focus on substancesubstance – the arenas of democracy:

the political society the civil society the rule of lawthe state bureaucracy the economic society

(Linz and Stepan)

I will concentrate on the political arena for two reasons:

The central importance of this arena in influencing or controlling the functioning of all others

The evolution followed the cycles of political four-year mandates

The political arena

1989, December– the violent end of the communist era, followed by the interim leadership

1990-1992 – the constituent assembly, the ex-communists’ first period - “the socialism with a human face”

1992-1996 – the second mandate for the ex-communists

1996-2000 – the first alternation in first alternation in powerpower due to strong involvement of the NGO sphere – the weak state

2000-2004 – the ex-communists’ third accession to power – the too strong state

2004- present – the second the second alternation in poweralternation in power (the “orange revolution”)

Conclusion

Consolidation must encompass all the all the arenasarenas simultaneouslysimultaneously– the criterion of form is not enough to define democracy

The way to consolidation was externally steeredexternally steered – IMF/WB and the European Union

The 1997 Constitution And Thai Democracy

Joanna Song

Panel 1: Why Is Democracy So Hard To Consolidate?

13th Symposium onDevelopment and Social Transformation

The 1997 Constitution & Making Thai Democracy

Joanna Song

April 18, 2006

Outline

Introduction

The 1997 Constitution

Thai Democracy Styles

Road to Making Democracy

Introduction

Democracy & Consolidated Democracy? The mere survival of democracy does

not signal that it is consolidated.

A minimal focus of such political institutions as parliament, bureaucracy, and court of democracy

Democratic Maturation

?

Young Age of Democracy: Thailand

Democracy struggling with many street demonstrations, impeachment, autocratic leaders, and political crisis.

Democracy emerged during the Third Wave identified by Huntington as young, fragile, and low quality.

Democracy lack of capacity to maintain persistence.

The 1997 Constitution

Sixteenth Constitution but the first participatory

drafted constitution

Sixteenth Constitution but the first participatory

drafted constitution Human Rights Human Rights

Electoral SystemElectoral SystemIndependent judicial &

Quasi-judicial institutionsIndependent judicial &

Quasi-judicial institutions

The 1997 Constitution

The 1997 Constitution

Lack of attitudinal commitment of the political leaders

Independence of Watch-dog agencies

Vote-buying and corrupt politics

Thai Democracy Style

1) Legacies of Military Domination End of the absolute monarchy in 1932- by military officials Adopt constitutional democracy Monopolized the power of the state and utilized it for their

individual or collective causes Frequent changes of military dominated political system

from 1932 to 1973 “Vicious Cycle” ; Political Crisis

Military Coup

New Constitution

Thai Democracy Style

2) Liberalized Institution but

ineffective

Minimally active parliament Strong executive branch and bureaucrats Controlled participation of masses Appointment system Power centralization in Bangkok

Thai Democracy Style

3) Immobilized and Fragmented Civil

Society

Master-Servant Principle Authoritarian political legacy Low degree of active citizenship and civic

competence Absent of politically mobilized masses

Road to Making Democracy

Role of New Constitution and Watch-dog agencies

- Attitudinal commitment of political leader & independent judiciary and quasi-judicial institutions

Future development of strong parliament and political parties

-Fundamental reform of political system, active legislature, representative politicians

Panel 1: Why Is Democracy So Hard To Consolidate?

Wednesday, April 19th (9:00-10:00am)

Dragomira Zhecheva Democracy And Conflict In Macedonia

Gabriella Pakucs Consolidation Of Romanian Democracy

Joanna Song The 1997 Constitution And Thai Democracy

13th Symposium onDevelopment and Social Transformation