Changing Nature of Partisanship in a Post-Communist Society: Comparing “Old” and “New” Parties in Lithuania
Changing Nature of Partisanship in a Post-Communist Society: Comparing “Old” and “New” Parties in Lithuania

Summary/Abstract: The article explores the nature and the causes of changing pattern of partisanship in Lithuania. Even though the students of post-communist democracies seem to suggest that party systems in post-communist societies have been formed from above and are lacking social roots, the case of Lithuania reveals that old parties, established at the beginning of the party system formation, had a great deal of loyal supporters and quite a few members. New parties, on the other hand, are floating above the society. The differences between the old and the new parties in Lithuania are mainly apparent when analysing the reasons of joining a party and motives for keeping up partisan involvement. While members of the old parties are mainly motivated by value orientations, emotional engagement and group solidarity, the membership of the new parties is based on instrumental motivation and rational decision. Lacking social and normative grounds, these parties are not able to attach their voters and to develop ties with their electorate. Instead they are successfully using anti-party sentiments of the population and mass media-based electoral technologies.

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