CONCLUSION

The strength of Croatia's civil society, its critical independent press, and some of its political leaders are evidence of its democratic potential. The current Constitutional Court shows that rule of law and respect for individualrights matter in Croatia, and offers a glimpse of the potential for the entire judiciary if it were given the necessary resources and independence from political interference. The desire of its population for democratic change is also evidence of Croatia's potential. Yet too often, these natural tendencies are squashed or impeded by the anti-democratic instincts of a small group of politicians, mostly in the ruling HDZ party, who are willing to undermine state institutions and curtail the freedoms its constitution guarantees for their own ends. As a result, it appears that Croatia's democracy deficit is widening at the very moment when the Croatian people are beginning to realize the country's true potential.