Contradictory Approaches: Discussing Semi-Presidentialism in Central Europe
Contradictory Approaches: Discussing Semi-Presidentialism in Central Europe

Summary/Abstract: Attentive students of Central European political regimes may come across a striking phenomenon: political scientists of the region differ sharply from most of English-writing researchers on how they understand Central European political regimes. Whereas the latter group of political analysts usually refers to these regimes as semi-presidential, their counterparts in Central Europe generally claim that these regimes are parliamentary. Our article is an analysis of the two contradicting approaches on the nature of democratic regimes in Central Europe. This examination is carried out in the context of the Czech Republic, Poland and Slovakia. Major changes in the position of president took place in these countries. This is why the question of the nature of their political regimes is a frequent subject of both discussions and analyses. This difference is explained by different theoretical as well as methodological approaches.

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