The article deals with the frequently expressed belief in the importance of institutions, particularly electoral systems, which largely determine the key characteristics of party systems. The authors seek to answer the question of whether the same types of institutional solutions give rise to the same patterns of government coalition formation, the same characteristics of governments or governmental coalitions and their duration. It is obvious that in the cases of Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the same type of electoral institutions produced certain similar consequences; however, there were more differences than similarities. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that similar institutional solutions do not automatically lead to the same patterns of government coalition formation, the same characteristics of governments/governmental coalitions and their duration.
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