ABSTRACT

This chapter continues our exploration of parliamentary institutionalization by focusing on the position and role of presidents in executive-legislative relations. As we saw previously (chapter 2), the governments are constitutionally declared supreme bodies of the executive power in both countries. The presidents are elected by parliament and are, de jure , supposed to perform largely ceremonial functions.1 Nevertheless, it is clear that in any political context both the overall role played by the president, as well as the form of institutionalization of his relationship with the government and parliament, may differ substantially from what is actually written in the constitution. In post-communist circumstances, there are three elements of particular importance.