Abstrakt
The article deals with the topic of electoral design, reforms, and engineering in the Post-Yugoslav state entities between 1990 and 2015. Firstly, it briefly conceptualizes theoretical framework (Katz, Shugart, Renwick).
Secondly, it describes evolution of electoral design and reforms to the main chambers in particular systems in detail. Thirdly, it analyses and compares common trends in electoral reforms and design.
PR list systems have been used for almost of 90% of all 60 elections (PR list had been adopted no later than in the fourth elections in all the systems). There have been 29 reforms in total (avg. 3.6 per entity), 1/5 of them major and 4/5 minor.
Major reforms took place in the FRY and Serbia (one) and in Croatia and Macedonia (two). On contrary, there have been no major electoral reforms in Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Kosovo.
Minor reforms have been present in all entities (the most in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, the least in Kosovo and Slovenia). While major reforms were used mostly for corrections of parts of political systems perceived as dysfunctional, one third of minor reforms were used for intentional electoral engineering.
Generally, electoral design can be considered as unstable and electoral reforms as very frequent in the Post-Yugoslav state entities (avg. every 4.7 year). All the systems also introduced specific approach to national minorities which facilitated their representation in the main chambers.