Power beyond constitutions: presidential constitutional conventions in Central Europe

In: Palgrave studies in presidential politics

Abstract

This research monograph examines presidential constitutional conventions and the role they play in the political systems of four Central European countries the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. As primarily unwritten rules of constitutional practice, constitutional conventions represent political arrangements and as such are political in origin. Not only this, constitutional conventions, in general, and presidential constitutional conventions, in particular, have signicant political implications. They shape both the everyday operation and character of regimes. Central Europe represents a particularly useful example on which this role of constitutional conventions can be studied and assessed. Milo Brunclk is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Czech Republic. Michal Kubt is Professor of Political Science at the Institute of International Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Czech Republic. Attila Vincze is Assistant Professor at the Judicial Studies Institute of the Faculty of Law, Masaryk University, Czech Republic. Milue Kindlov is Assistant Professor at the Department of Constitutional Law of the Faculty of Law, Charles University, Czech Republic. Marek Anto is Associate Professor of Constitutional Law at the Department of Constitutional Law of the Faculty of Law, Charles University, Czech Republic. Filip Hork is an Assistant Professor of Constitutional Law at the Department of Constitutional Law of the Faculty of Law, Charles University, Czech Republic. Luk Hjek is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the Institute of Political Studies of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Charles University, Czech Republic.