Kontinuita a diskontinuita ve vývoji stranicko-politického systému Lotyšska

The article presents an analysis of development of the party system in Latvia from 1918 and shows how continuity and discontinuity is reflected: elements taken over from previous establishments, personal continuity of contemporary political heads with the preceeding ones and continuity and discontinuity in the development from restoration of democrarcy. Latvia took over a lot of elements from the inter-war period (e.g. the 1922 Constitution as a core of the present one), from the characteristcic features of the inter-war Latvia a unstability of goverments was preserved together with small alternation of governing parties, attempts on parties' renewal failed (only LSDSP remained in the parliament), the number of parliamentary parties decreased and independent representation of minorities as well as Latgale vanished. The autoritative establishment of 1934 – 1940 does not have any influence on the contemporary situation except for some references to the president of that period Karlis Ulmanis. German occupation and behaviour of Latvians during those years still contribute to the tension between Russia and Latvia. Many personages from the communist period managed to assept themselves on the political scene. The development from the democracy restoration is marked by high volatility and discontinuity, firts of all it is possible to follow the origin of parties and their representatives in the basic division of the political scene from the end of eighties on to national, pro-reform and anti-reform trends.The article presents an analysis of development of the party system in Latvia from 1918 and shows how continuity and discontinuity is reflected: elements taken over from previous establishments, personal continuity of contemporary political heads with the preceeding ones and continuity and discontinuity in the development from restoration of democrarcy. Latvia took over a lot of elements from the inter-war period (e.g. the 1922 Constitution as a core of the present one), from the characteristcic features of the inter-war Latvia a unstability of goverments was preserved together with small alternation of governing parties, attempts on parties' renewal failed (only LSDSP remained in the parliament), the number of parliamentary parties decreased and independent representation of minorities as well as Latgale vanished. The autoritative establishment of 1934 – 1940 does not have any influence on the contemporary situation except for some references to the president of that period Karlis Ulmanis. German occupation and behaviour of Latvians during those years still contribute to the tension between Russia and Latvia. Many personages from the communist period managed to assept themselves on the political scene. The development from the democracy restoration is marked by high volatility and discontinuity, firts of all it is possible to follow the origin of parties and their representatives in the basic division of the political scene from the end of eighties on to national, pro-reform and anti-reform trends