POLITICAL INFLUENCE OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND CIVIL SOCIETY

This paper discusses the political influence of NGOs and civil society on political development. Non-governmental organizations have no direct impact on government actions, but they have an opinion-forming function, by which they can influence citizens and voters. In this respect, it is important that NGOs act in the interest of citizens, which is a sensitive and difficult to prove topic in the case of foreign funding. Just as civil society needs to organize itself in NGOs for its development, these organizations need funding for their activities. The interest of government should be to ensure sufficient funding for this area, which will to some extent prevent the influence of foreign donors on the political situation in the given country. The article is addressing a current issue, as NGOs are an integral part of any democratic society. Their influence on the political situation was noticeable in Slovakia before the 1998 parliamentary elections, when they influenced the electoral behavior of citizens, thus influencing the overall result of the elections. Contemporary literary sources, opinions of Slovak experts, but also the theoretical definitions of NGOs and civil society were used to better understand the position of NGOs in the society.