Contestable constitutions: Ambiguity, conflict, and change in East Central European dual executives

J.B. de Raadt

doi:10.1016/j.postcomstud.2009.02.003

Contestable constitutions: Ambiguity, conflict, and change in East Central European dual executives

J.B. de Raadt

Multi-layered governance in EUrope and beyond (MLG)

Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

Abstract

This article investigates how ambiguous constitutional design affected president-cabinet relations and constitutional change in post-communist Poland and Hungary. Constitutional provisions related to the prerogatives of presidents and governments were frequently subject to political conflict during the 1990s. The power struggle in the two cases developed and consolidated along two distinct pathways. In Poland, failed attempts to modify the constitution initially stirred up and extended intra-executive conflicts. With the adoption of a new constitution in 1997 the struggle over power between president and council of ministers was finally settled. In Hungary constitutional court rulings were instrumental in the settlement of president-cabinet conflicts. © 2009.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	83-101
Number of pages	19
Journal	Communist an Post-Communist Studies: an international interdisciplinary journal
Volume	42
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2009.02.003
Publication status	Published - 2009

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de Raadt, J. B. (2009). Contestable constitutions: Ambiguity, conflict, and change in East Central European dual executives. Communist an Post-Communist Studies: an international interdisciplinary journal, 42(1), 83-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2009.02.003

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10.1016/j.postcomstud.2009.02.003