The modern history of Croatia evokes persistent analogies with Ukraine.

We saw how the socialist empire of Yugoslavia, albeit smaller than Russia, still collapsed. We also saw problems with transition from post-totalitarianism to democracy and the war for the right to existence of the state and nation.

And finally, Croatia integrated into the economic and security structures of the developed world - the EU and NATO.

At the same time, this is a unique experience of the state transformation after the war.

This experience is valuable for Ukraine because one day, it will also have to face post-war transformations to rebuild the country and eventually join the club of developed states.

Parties in Croatia are under constant legislative attention because the country is a parliamentary republic. Therefore, the entire system of power largely depends on how the parties function.

Constitution establishes that political parties are obliged to publicly report on the origin of their funds and assets. The funding is strictly regulated by law.

This aims to reduce political corruption and show the voter exactly which influence groups are behind this or that political force so as not to vote for the "cat in the bag."

The Croatian Parliament - the Sabor - is unicameral, like the Verkhovna Rada in Ukraine. However, the number of seats is not constant.

Any member of parliament or the government can initiate consideration of draft laws. Parliamentary committees also have the right to legislative initiatives. This is unusual for Ukraine because its Constitution does not give committees any independent powers.

As in many other European countries, most laws in Croatia are adopted not by a majority of MPs but by a simple majority of present MPs, provided that at least half of all elected representatives are present in the parliament.

It makes the parliament very effective and lets society focus on the essence of the decisions, not on who of the MPs had skipped the session.

For certain laws that have special social weight, the Constitution directly establishes a different number of votes.

Another interesting thing about the Croatian Constitution is that it democratically controls the army and special services.

Ukraine frankly lacked such norms. Therefore, in the years preceding the Revolution of Dignity, the Armed Forces of Ukraine were out of the legislative attention and still needed to receive even the bare minimum of funding.

The special services did not fight the Russian threat but the political opponents and terrorised businesses.

The President of Croatia is elected by popular vote – unlike many parliamentary republics, where the head of state is elected either by the parliament or by a special meeting or assembly.

Despite this, the role of the president in Croatia is mostly ceremonial.

The real presidential power is manifested only when it comes to war. He is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and appoints the entire military leadership of the state.

His powers allow the country to function even when it is impossible to gather MPs due to military threats. Moreover, the parliament can grant the president additional powers during martial law.

The government is responsible for the exercise of executive power. It forms state policy in all spheres of administration and is responsible for its implementation.

The process of forming the Cabinet of Ministers in Croatia is similar to the Ukrainian one.

In order to quickly respond to crises, the parliament can strengthen the government by empowering it to adopt acts that have the force of law for one year. Limiting action in time allows to avoid too strong growth of power of government officials and ensures implementation of the principle of checks and balances between the branches of government.

The experience of Croatia is incredibly valuable for Ukraine.

For example, strengthening the role of the parliament in controlling the army and special services so that they are not deprived of state funding and are engaged in protecting the state's interests, and not in politics or business. It is also an option for maintaining the balance of power in the face of internal crises or even war.