PREFERENČNÉ HLASOVANIE V PREDČASNÝCH PARLAMENTNÝCH VOĽBÁCH 2023 NA SLOVENSKU

The presented study analyses preferential voting in the 2023 parliamentary elections in Slovakia. Preferential voting is the only option for Slovak voters to change the personal shape of the parliamentary caucuses of political parties. Despite the relatively high willingness of voters to participate in preferential voting, it has had a rather complementary form until 2023. In the parliamentary elections under review, the situation is beginning to change. The aim of this study is to show that preferential voting in the 2023 elections was not an insignificant aspect of the electoral system for the National Council of the Slovak Republic and was able to influence the personal shape of the parliamentary caucuses, especially of those political parties whose gains in the elections were between 5% and 7%. In addition to conceptualizing the theoretical framework of preferential voting and systematizing the development of the current legislation in Slovakia, this study analyses in particular the preferential voting of the voters of political parties and coalitions that entered the parliament after the elections. Based on the results of the data analysis from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic, we can conclude that the influence of preferential voting in Slovakia is increasing.