"On 21 and 22 February 1998, the HDZ held its Fourth Convention at the Vatroslav Lisinski Hall in Zagreb. The Convention was held under the slogan of “The HDZ – security and future of nation and state”. It was the first of its kind without the spectre of war hanging over its proceedings; comparatively, all of the three previous party conventions had been overshadowed by clouds of war. The author analysis the development of HDZ in the process or normalisation since 1995 as a process of growing internal power struggle and sums up with the conclusion: « HDZ became too divisive to press ahead with the task of post-war normalisation in a straightforward fashion. For the present, the opposite factions were engrossed more in contriving strategies to outwit and outpower their opponents than in looking into ways to deliver their repeated promises and to lead Croatia out of the adverse legacies of war into stability and prosperity. Besides, the ascendancy of nationalist hardliners did not facilitate the reality which was already hard enough. Far from leading the reconstruction of party identity corresponding to the post-war period, the hawkish members of the party fought desperately to keep their vested interests which would not necessarily go in line with the interests of the nation. »"

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