Democratization involves the construction of participatory and competitive political institutions. The process of democratization begins with political challenges to authoritarian regimes, advances through the political struggles over liberalization, and requires the installation of a freely elected government. It concludes only when democratic rules become firmly institutionalized as well as valued by political actors at large. Democratization is thus a protracted process which, if it obtains at all, unfolds over several generations. We have reviewed the onset of regime transitions in Chapter 4 and will discuss the prospects for democratic consolidation in Chapter 7.

This chapter probes the endgame of regime transition, specifically asking how transitions conclude and how democratic governments are first installed. The end of the transition is marked by the cessation of overt disputes about the rules of the political game and the establishment of a new procedural equilibrium. A fresh regime is installed following landmark events like a founding election (for democratic regimes) or a military intervention or civilian crackdown (for authoritarian ones). According to the definition used throughout, a transition to democracy can be said to have occurred only when a regime has been installed on the basis of a competitive election, freely and fairly conducted within a matrix of civil liberties, with results accepted by all participants. The acceptance of the validity of founding elections by losing parties is crucial because it marks the first tentative consensus on democratic rules.