The Croatian Political Elite at the Beginning of the Democratic Transition

U radu se prikazuje nastanak i formiranje hrvatske političke elite na početku demokratske tranzicije, u razdoblju od proljeća 1989. godine do kraja kolovoza 1990. godine, kada je raspuštena prva Vlada (Izvršno vijeće (S)RH). Uvodni dio definira pojam političke elite i osnove istraživanja njezine regrutacije. Nakon toga razmatra se oblikovanje i način regrutacije političke elite u tranzicijskim zemljama. Glavni dio članka razmatra konkretno hrvatsko iskustvo oblikovanja i regrutacije političke elite. Izborni pobjednici na prvim višestranačkim i konstitutivnim izborima u proljeće 1990. godine bili su izabrani na temelju zakonskih propisa i procedura koje je donijela bivša, komunistička vlast. Zakonodavna vlast bila je institucionalizirana trima vijećima u koja je izabran 351 zastupnik između više od 1600 kandidata. Izvršna vlast bila je pak podijeljena između Izvršnog vijeća (Vlade), sa Stjepanom Mesićem kao prvim premijerom i Predsjedništva (S)RH kao kolektivnog tijela kojem je predsjedao Franjo Tuđman, izabran na tu dužnost većinom glasova zastupnika u parlamentu.The paper presents an overview of the emergence and shaping of the Croatian political elite at the beginning of the democratic transition over the period from spring 1989 to late August 1990, when the first Government (Executive Council of the (Socialist) Republic of Croatia) was dissolved. The introductory section defines the concept of the political elite and the fundamentals of examining its recruitment. Thereafter, the formation and the mode of recruitment of political elites in transitional countries is discussed. The main part of the paper examines the particular Croatian experience of the formation and recruitment of the political elite. The electoral winners in the first multi-party and founding election held in spring 1990 were elected based on legal rules and procedures introduced by the former, Communist government. The legislative branch of government was institutionalised through three Councils to which 351 representatives were elected from among more than 1.600 candidates. On the other hand, the executive was divided between the Executive Council (Government), Stjepan Mesić being the first Prime Minister, and the Presidency of the (Socialist) Republic of Croatia, as a collective body, presided by Franjo Tuđman elected to the post by a majority of votes of MPs