Political Development in Croatia 1990-2000: Fast Transition - Postponed Consolidation
Political Development in Croatia 1990-2000: Fast Transition - Postponed Consolidation

Summary/Abstract: Regardless of our evaluation of the results and quality of the transition in Croatia, it seems justified to take 1995 as the year when the transition was over. Until then the main democratic institutions were formally crafted and established and the new regime was something quite different from the socialist rule. The new regime emerged as the result of institutionalization of the HDZ movement into political regime, with two distinct characteristics: a) in terms of substance, the regime was an authoritarian regime; b) the regime acquired its legitimacy through reasonably free and fair democratic procedures. Such an authoritarian democracy (in contrast to authoritarian dictatorship) precluded democratic consolidation (either in terms of quality or in terms of duration) almost by definition, which can be additionally shown at the constitutional, behavioural and attitudinal level. Nevertheless, the January elections opened the space for the Croatian democracy to consolidate. Whether consolidation will be successfully crafted is still not clear.

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