Voters Are Not Lost, They Are Transformed. Changes in Electoral Results in Three Municipalities Between 2006 and 2023

The paper examines the parliamentary election results of three (one in western, one in central and one in eastern Slovakia), in many respects similar municipalities (plus a fourth control municipality) following six elections (2006–2023). For all three, it shows a decrease in the number of votes cast for Hungarian parties and an increase in the number of votes cast for Slovak parties. The figures show a trend: an increasing proportion of voters who previously voted for a Hungarian party or parties are now voting for Slovak political parties, typically among the younger generations. According to the author, the reasons for this change in voter behaviour are to be found in the previously uncharacteristic, public battles articulated within Hungarian party politics in Slovakia. Instead of thinking together, the Hungarian party elite opted for partial solutions that were well-barricaded along sectional lines, and this resulted in their elimination from parliament.