Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses the concepts of parliamentary and semi-presidential regimes. It focuses on the origins of the constitutional systems in several countries, as well as their subsequent developments, including constitutional amendments that affected the position of presidents and their powers. The book presents the formal presidential powers of these Central European countries. It provides a measure of scoring presidential powers that shows the Polish president as being the most powerful, though the scores between Central European countries do not differ significantly. The book deals with the issue of presidential accountability through the distinction between political and constitutional accountability. It explores sources of informal powers that stem from the presidents' relationships to parliamentary parties, public attitudes towards the presidency and the popular election of the president.