ABSTRACT
This chapter compares institutional developments in Central and Eastern Europe during and since the transition from single to multi-party governance with concentration on the transformation of the representational structures of the national parliaments and assemblies. Institutional choice lies at the heart of the politics of transition. The essence of pure parliamentarianism is mutual dependence. Although there is a general pattern of strong presidentialism in Russia and strong parliamentarianism in other Central and Eastern European democracies, there is considerable variation. The performance, culture, and style of the legislature are critical to determining whether the resulting development is integrating or divisive. Eastern Europe's constitutional courts are important veto players in the politics of transition. However, when dealing with the most complex and polycentric issues of transition, like privatization or social security reform, they have turned out to be poor policy-makers. Surprisingly, the Hungarian system has evolved from a multi-party to a virtual two-party system.
