IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bpj/soeuro/v72y2024i4p399-418n1001.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Constrained Choices: How Bosnian Communists Lost Their Party Before Losing the Elections

Author

Listed:
  • Muharemović Ensar

    (81872 Institute of Political Science, Maison des Sciences Humaines, University of Luxembourg , Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg)

Abstract

This article demonstrates that, during the year 1990, the process of democratization in Bosnia-Herzegovina was intentionally decelerated and stifled by the ruling Communist Party due to the ideological conservatism of its leadership. This process directly contributed to the party’s ultimate loss of power. Archival documentation, extensive newspaper coverage from this period, and testimonies of key participants are used to recreate the contextual circumstances under which the crucial events unfolded. The critical importance of strategic decisions made by the ruling political elites under extreme time pressure proved to be a key factor in determining their ability to retain power. The case of Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1990 demonstrates that slow, indecisive, and gradual policymaking during the transformational period from communism to democracy could have disastrous consequences for the electoral chances of the incumbent communist parties.

Suggested Citation

  • Muharemović Ensar, 2024. "Constrained Choices: How Bosnian Communists Lost Their Party Before Losing the Elections," Comparative Southeast European Studies, De Gruyter, vol. 72(4), pages 399-418.
    • Handle: RePEc:bpj:soeuro:v:72:y:2024:i:4:p:399-418:n:1001
    DOI: 10.1515/soeu-2023-0059
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2023-0059
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1515/soeu-2023-0059?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Danica Fink-Hafner & Mitja Hafner-Fink, 2009. "The Determinants of the Success of Transitions to Democracy," Europe-Asia Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 61(9), pages 1603-1625.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Francis Onditi, 2021. "Dominatarian Theory of Regional Integration," Insight on Africa, , vol. 13(1), pages 76-94, January.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bpj:soeuro:v:72:y:2024:i:4:p:399-418:n:1001. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Peter Golla (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.degruyter.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.