FEATURES OF MANIFESTATION OF POLITICAL LEGITIMACY IN CENTRAL EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract. Understudied aspects of political legitimacy in the contexts of these CEE countries, especially the subjects of this paper, namely Hungary, Poland, East Germany (GDR), and the Czech Republic are investigated in this study. Many of them realized political democratization mainly due to pressure from international organizations such as the European Union and the Council of Europe. In Hungary, legitimacy under Viktor Orban Fidesz government entail electoral support and conservatism and anti-immigration policies albeit undermining the democratic institutional structure. The Polish state gains its mandate from free elections or Catholic culture and civil society but it contested by the recent amendments in the judiciary made by the ruling party, Law and Justice. The GDR was pursuing a Marxist-Leninist image and policed the people and their actions, hence when the economy deteriorated, people protests and desire for freedom made the GDR to collapse following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. However, this has increased its democratic legitimacy after the 1989 regime with stable institutions, active civil societies, press and media freedom and EU member despite vices like corruption. This comparative investigation underlines the fact that historical, social and institutional backgrounds influence the recognition of governments in the countries of Central East Europe and concerns international interventions, the process of democratization, and internal social acceptances. Information sources include primary sources like historical documents, constitutions and international agreements; secondary sources such as academic books and articles as well as legal studies; statistical data comprising public opinion polls together with international reports.