Hrvatski sabor 2000.: strukturne značajke i promjene
Croatian Parliament 2000: structural Features and Changes

Summary/Abstract: This essay is a continuation and an addition to the analysis of the structural dynamics of the Croatian Parliament (Sabor), carried out by the end of the third mandate of the Upper Parliament House. Certain features of the party and social composition of the fourth Croatian Parliament are analyzed and compared to the formerly observed tendencies. The Croatian Parliament has been set up along moderate pluralist lines, which means that Sabor is moderately fragmented party-wise. It seems that the processes of non-electoral parliamentarization and the party factioning have continued in the new Sabor, although in a weaker form, since there is a smaller number of parties and representatives. Having the nature and the intensity of the party factioning in mind, as well as the fact that the constitutional changes have removed the risk of a possible destabilizing influence of one branch of government, the fragile relations within the ruling coalition are recognized as the main potential threat to the stability of the Croatian Sabor. There have been no significant changes in its social structure: educated middle-aged male Croats still predominate in Sabor. Nevertheless, there has been a shift towards a greater representation of women. At the same time, the disproportion in the generational distribution of power has deepened. And finally, due to the relatively brief existence of a multi-party Sabor, and the cyclical changes in the strongest parties’ mandates, the Croatian Parliament does not yet possess a stable core of seasoned and competent representatives.

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