ABSTRACT
The surprisingly rapid and — with the exception of Romania — nonviolent fall of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989-1990 triggered a wave of ambitious expectations in the emerging democracies throughout the whole region. The declining power of both the state and the antiregime coalitions was seen as an obstacle to creating viable democracies. Hungary and Slovakia have opted for a strictly parliamentarian form of government. It is stating the obvious to point out that the internal transformation processes in the new democracies in Eastern Europe also have an important international dimension. Only Hungary and Croatia have opted for a moderate majoritarian system; as a result, party fragmentation is rather low. The countries of East Central Europe, therefore, look to Western security organizations to help them solve their security dilemma.
