INTERNATIONAL POLICY ANALYSIS Transformation Experiences in Slovakia Governing Uncertainty DARINA MALOVÁ January 2017 n Almost three decades of transformation have produced a rather mixed political sys­tem in Slovakia, including a weakly institutionalized party system with elitist and personalized parties that have failed to establish strong and stable ties with(civil) society. n The transformation in Slovakia can be divided into four periods distinguished accord­ing to the dominant structuring issues:(1) democracy and nation-state(1989–1998); (2) EU accession and international recognition(1998–2002);(3) adjusting the market economy and social state(2006–2015); and(4) corruption and clientelism(since 2016). n Continuously high levels of corruption promote low levels of popular trust in national political institutions and democracy and the previously stabilizing role of the EU has been recently undermined due to the economic and migration crises. n The European Union has functioned as the key anchor in unprecedented political, economic and social transformations. Yet, the social dimension, regional disparities and corruption have been neglected. n The weak institutionalization and low stability of individual parties has frequently challenged the consolidation of liberal democracy in Slovakia. Neglecting pro-Eu­ropean and liberal education and awareness of universal values can backfire very easily, especially in the new as well as in the older European democracies. n Progressive forces should overcome fragmentation and offer a new political pro­gramme that would unite the majority of population and stop the rise of extremism.