ABSTRACT
The relationships between parliaments (or legislatures) on the one hand, and the government and the president (executive leadership) on the other, are one of the key defining characteristics of the functioning of any political system, let alone new systems, as those that have been emerging in Eastern Europe since the momentous changes in 1989. These relationships are also complex, depending on a range of formal and informal practices. The constitutional prerogatives vested in legislatures and the executive, are of course most important because they define the broad framework for interactions between the two powers. However, numerous informal rules and conventions, such as the customs concerning nomination of prime ministers following an election are very important as well.
