ABSTRACT
Political indeterminacy in post-communist societies takes both institutional and ideological forms, reflecting larger problems of achieving democratic consolidation. Emerging parties assumed a hybrid character, stamped by a threefold combination of movement (the legacy of the insurgency phase of anti-communist politics), party (representative and electoral), and regime (the 'party of power', often fusing political and economic interests). The ambivalent nature of the parties themselves is reflected in the stunted development of a functioning party system. Which is cause and which effect is a moot point, but together a vicious circle of political closure was generated. As for ideology, the traditional categories of 'left' and 'right', while retaining a residual usefulness, provide little insight when analysing shifting theoretical positions and pragmatic political practices.
