Illiberalism and the Constitution of the Slovak Republic: Political Discourse Analysis

Summary of the idea: The Slovak Constitution embraces democracy and the rule of law. Globally and historically, however, commitment to these ideas has sometimes correlated with the erosion of democracy. The risk of erosion also in Slovakia prompts asking whether the Slovak Constitution contains ideas, which constrain democracy and the rule of law, considered as illiberal. If so, which political actors defend and which actors contest them? Addressing these questions advances the understanding of democracy’s resilience, and maps the use of the terminology of illiberalism in Slovakia. Furthermore, it advances political science research on constitutions and constitutionalism. At the theoretical level we systematize the state of art on the use and approaches to the concept of illiberalism. Empirically, we analyze original data from the Slovak Constitution and its amendments, parliamentary discourse, decisions of the Constitutional Court on interpretation of the Constitution, and academic writings. 

Duration: 1 January 2023 – 31 December 2025

Research team (Comenius University in Bratislava, Faculty of Arts, Department of Political Science):

• Mgr. Zsolt Gál, PhD.
• doc. Mgr. Erik Láštic, PhD. 
• prof. PhDr. Darina Malová, PhD. (deputy to the principal investigator)
• Max Steuer, M.A., LL.M., PhD. (principal investigator)

Budget: 2023 (2979 €); 2024 (5082 €); 2025 (6305 €)

Funder: Scientific Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports of the Slovak Republic (VEGA-1/0658/23)

Academic publications:

• Max Steuer, ‘Judicial Self-Perceptions and the Separation of Powers in Varied Political Regime Contexts: The Constitutional Courts in Hungary and Slovakia’, European Politics and Society 25, no. 3 (2024): 537–55, https://doi.org/10.1080/23745118.2023.2244390.
• Max Steuer, ‘Towards Understanding Constitutional Court Resilience Vis-à-Vis Autocratization: An Institutionalist Approach’, Oñati Socio-Legal Series 15, no. 2 (2025): 395–426, https://doi.org/10.35295/osls.iisl.1897.
• Max Steuer, ‘The “Will of the People” as Means for Pressuring the Rule of Law? The Case of the Slovak Constitutional Court’, Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Politikwissenschaft (German Journal of Comparative Politics), forthcoming 2025.
• Max Steuer, ‘Hijacking “Democracy”: Proposals for the Future of the European Union in Czechia, Hungary and Slovakia (2015–2022)’, Politics and Governance, accepted 2025.

Publications for a wider audience:

• Max Steuer and Darina Malová, ‘To Hell, on a White Horse: Governing in Slovakia after the 2023 Early Elections’, Verfassungsblog (blog), 26 October 2023, https://verfassungsblog.de/to-hell-on-a-white-horse/.
• Max Steuer, ‘When Talking about Militant Democracy, Let’s Focus More on Judicial Craft’, SLSA Blog (blog), 3 June 2024, https://slsablog.co.uk/blog/blog-posts/when-talking-about-militant-democracy-lets-focus-more-on-judicial-craft/.

XI ICCEES World Congress. University College London, UK & online. July 21 – 25, 2025. Max Steuer (paper).

Fifth ISA Forum of Sociology. Université Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco. July 7 – 11, 2025. Max Steuer (paper, roundtable participant).

We, the People and the Future of Democracy. Interdisciplinary Approaches. University of Oxford, Oxford, UK. July 1 – 3, 2025. Max Steuer (paper, panel chair).

ICON-S CEE Chapter Conference on ‘Individual Autonomy, Fundamental Rights, and Institutional Safeguards’. ELTE Law School, Budapest, Hungary. May 29 – 30, 2025. Max Steuer (paper, panel chair).

Fourth European Constitutional Law Schmooze. University of Milan, Milan, Italy, May 8 – 9, 2025. Max Steuer (paper).

The Global Summit on Constitutionalism. The University of Texas at Austin School of Law, Austin, USA. March 20 – 22, 2025. Darina Malová and Max Steuer (co-authored paper).

ELTE (Constitutional Law Department) research seminar on 'Slovakia’s Constitution on the road to illiberalism? The role of constitutional design and elites’ determinations'. ELTE, Budapest, Hungary, March 6, 2025. Darina Malová and Max Steuer (co-authored paper).

ICON•S Annual Conference on 'The Future of Public Law: Resilience, Sustainability, and Artificial Intelligence'. IE University Law School, Madrid, Spain. July 8 – 10, 2024. Max Steuer (paper ['Towards Value De-Differentiation in the European Union?'], discussant ['The Future (or end) of Militant Democracy: New Theories and Counterarguments']). 

European Union’s Eastern Enlargement(s). European University Institute, Italy. June 17 – 21, 2024. Max Steuer (paper).

ICON•S CEE Chapter Conference on ‘Unwritten Constitutionalism and Public Law in Central and Eastern Europe’. Lucian Blaga University, Sibiu, Romania. April 12, 2024. Darina Malová and Max Steuer (co-authored paper), Max Steuer (panel chair).

BASEES Annual Conference 2024. University of Cambridge (Robinson College), UK & online. April 5 – 7, 2024. Darina Malová and Max Steuer (co-authored paper).

Studying Central—Eastern European Politics in the Age of AI: A Workshop on Data and Methods. Centre for Social Sciences, Hungary & online. November 23 – 24, 2023. Max Steuer (invited presenter).

Rule of Law and Rechtsstaat under Pressure. University of Warsaw, Poland & online. September 15 – 16, 2023. Max Steuer (paper).