Building the institutional fundaments of a new state was accompanied for several years by the endeavor of democratic forces to preserve the degree of freedom and democracy achieved during the initial period of transition after the collapse of Communist regime (1990 1992) and, subsequently, to overcome the democratic deficits that prevented the country from fulfilling its integration ambitions when it was disqualified from the first wave of NATO enlargement and was not invited to open entry negotiations with the EU. This endeavor led to a change in power following the 1998 parliamentary elections. The results of these elections reflected all changes that had occurred within the Slovak society since the collapse of the Communist regime in November 1989. The fact that tables turned in the 1998 elections was due to a high degree of political mobilization of all pro-democratic citizens, implementation of sufficiently effective coalition strategies by democratic political forces, formation of broad democratic alliances amalgamated by a single objective to prevent the authoritarian regime from cementing any further, activation of civil society players that efficiently combined spontaneous and organized activities, an ability to capitalize on the expert potential accumulated within the nongovernmental sector and general strengthening of the countrys social capital.