ABSTRACT
At the beginning of the 1990s, most of the new independent states stemming from the disintegration of the USSR chose a democratic institutional design for their new political systems. Nevertheless, the political evolution of these countries differed considerably. By the end of the decade, authoritarian practices of power coexisted with democratic political institutions in some of these new countries. This was not surprising, because consolidated democracy is not the only possible outcome of transition from authoritarian rule. Even when established, democratic institutions may generate outcomes that cause some politically important forces to opt for authoritarianism.1
