COMPETITION AMONG POLITICAL PARTIES WITHIN THE COMPETITIVE DEMOCRATIC SYSTEM

Abstract

Democratic system and the political scene of Bosnia and Herzegovina is characterized by a high degree of competition, both between political forces which are divided in many political parties with varying power and influ- ence, and within each party, in which, due to severe competition, there is a conflict, disuniting and eventually, new integrations. When we, additionally, take into consideration political and socio-economic reality in Bosnia and Her- zegovina, as well as ubiquitous social instability, conflicts and dissatisfaction, we can say that the party rivalry takes on a whole new dimension, in which, of particular importance are both selection of objectives and strategies of a party competition, party organization and political marketing. All of these structural elements of political competiti- on, and their effects, have a crucial importance for the outcome of the elections, along with the stability of the government and the political system in generally. The paper gives an overview of the competitive behaviour of poli- tical actors (parties and candidates) in the Bosnian political market. In addition, special attention is given to creating a permanent stable political ground.