ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book aims to provide a better insight into the operation of semi-presidential systems in young democratic regimes. It tests the different arguments in East Timor, a new semi-presidential democracy in a post-conflict setting. Using East Timor as a case, the book tests the hypotheses against and in favour of semi-presidential systems. It scrutinises the relative cohesiveness of the political elite in pre-independence East Timor. The book provides an overview of the findings and draws conclusions about the hypothesised effects of semi-presidentialism and identifies avenues for future research. It describes post-2012 events and identifies important challenges to East Timors democratic regime. The book concerns political institutions, or more precisely, the constitutional design of executive-legislative relations. It explains over a ten-year period East Timors semi-presidential system generated three different political situations: cohabitation, divided government and unified majority government.
