FEATURES OF PARTY OPPOSITION, INTRA-PARTY RELATIONS AND INTERACTION WITH THE VOTERS IN THE EU COUNTRIES (the example of Germany)

The paper investigates the inner-relations and their influence on the transformation of modern political parties. The basic trends in the transformation of political parties in the EU are exposed: traditional big parties are losing their popularity and influence, and new parties emerging due to socio-political transformation of the contemporary society and changes in the forms and style of political communication. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the functioning of the German political parties that use modern tools and strategies in their struggle for the conquest and retention of state power and, ultimately, are drawn into the process of cartelization. Few interactive methods to attract voters are used so far, but there is a tendency to expand social networking during election campaigns. Political activity becomes professional. The paper describes the features of intra-party and inter-party cooperation of German political parties at the present stage. The author shows the features of political communication among major political parties in Germany, where an important role is played by the ability to work in coalitions and to interact effectively with the business at all levels.