Management of political elite conflicts in the process of democratic transition through the mechanisms of consensus democracy

Abstract

Contemporary processes of democratic transition are accompanied by an increase in conflict intensity among political elites, which necessitates the search for effective mechanisms for their regulation. The relevance of the study is determined by the fact that elite conflicts can both stimulate democratic transformations and cause institutional instability, thereby complicating the formation of sustainable democratic practices. Particular importance is attached to the concept of consensus democracy, which is considered as an instrument for transforming conflicts into constructive interaction. In this context, there is a growing need for a systematic analysis of the relationship between types of conflicts, their impact on the transition process, and the mechanisms for their regulation.

The рurpose of the article is to substantiate the theoretical and methodological foundations for managing conflicts of political elites in the process of democratic transition based on the mechanisms of consensus democracy.

Research methods are based on the application of systemic, structural-functional, comparative, and typological approaches, which ensured a comprehensive analysis of conflict interactions among elites and made it possible to determine their role in transformational processes

Results. The study provides a typology of political elite conflicts depending on their nature, level of manifestation, and stage of democratic transition. Causal relationships between the nature of conflict interaction and the dynamics of political transformations have been identified. It is substantiated that the effectiveness of democratic transition largely depends on the ability of the political system to institutionalize conflicts through mechanisms of interest coordination. An algorithm of the influence of elite conflicts on democratic transition, as well as a model for managing elite conflicts through the mechanisms of consensus democracy, is proposed. It is proven that the instruments of consensus democracy contribute to reducing the level of conflict, increasing the legitimacy of institutions, and ensuring the stability of the political system.

The conclusions emphasize that the management of political elite conflicts should be based on a combination of institutional mechanisms and negotiated settlement procedures, which allows transforming conflict into a resource for democratic development. Prospects for further research are associated with the empirical verification of the proposed models and the analysis of their application in different political systems.