ABSTRACT
Elections in the newly democratized countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are being exposed to particularly close scrutiny. Given the interest, and also the difficulty, in discerning the relative success in the transition from dictatorship to democracy, elections serve as a major indicator of political choices, attitudes, and behavior; they reveal the outlines of the emerging political culture. Is there a commitment to democracy and to democratic procedures? Is there a reaffirmation of prior political choices, or a vote for a change of direction? Have new political forces appeared, or has there been a resurgence of old forces, particularly the Communist Party? Do the elections reveal deep dissatisfactions, or latent tensions in society?
