DIFFERENT CONFESSIONS, SAME SINS? VÁCLAV HAVEL AND VÁCLAV KLAUS AS CZECH PRESIDENTS

DIFFERENT CONFESSIONS, SAME SINS? VÁCLAV HAVEL AND VÁCLAV KLAUS AS CZECH PRESIDENTS

Author(s): Lubomír Kopeček,Josef Mlejnek / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Czech presidents; Vaclav Havel; Vaclav Klaus; Government;

The first direct elections for Czech president in January 2013 were accompanied by a major wave of public interest, as well as some remarkable moments. One of them was a debate that unfolded after the victory of the left-wing candidate Miloš Zeman, over whether the president is able to remove the premier of an unpopular center right government. The idea was encouraged by one of the winner’s main campaign slogans: “Stop this Government!” The Czech constitutionsays that the president “names and removes the premier and other members of the government” (Article 62).

WEAK BUT NOT POWERLESS: THE POSITION OF THE PRESIDENT IN THE HUNGARIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

WEAK BUT NOT POWERLESS: THE POSITION OF THE PRESIDENT IN THE HUNGARIAN POLITICAL SYSTEM

Author(s): Attila Horváth,Attila Gyulai,Gábor Dobos / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Hungary; Political system; Head of state; Political history; Government forms;

It is widely thought that the head of state has a weak, constitutionally limited position in Hungarian politics. Looking more closely, however, several important factors seem to be worth analysing. While the strong head of state is part of Hungary’s long political tradition, during the transition from communism to democracy, its role was constitutionally weakened. This discrepancy would suggest broad opportunities for strengthening the informal position of the president; still, only isolated efforts have been made over the last two decades. These efforts, however, can always be traced back to the formal frameworks.

SLOVAKIA: IN SEARCH OF LIMITS

SLOVAKIA: IN SEARCH OF LIMITS

Author(s): Peter Spáč / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Slovak politics; Communist regime; Political history of Slovakia; Czechoslovak Republic; Head of state;

Slovak politics experienced a relatively turbulent period of development prior to the introduction of the communist regime in 1948. At this time the Slovak territory was located in various states, all with rather divergent characteristics. The tradition of a presidential post began with the creation of the First Czechoslovak Republic in 1918 and continues to this day. As the character and nature of the political societies of which Slovakia was a part during the twentieth century changed, so also did the role of the president.

SEVEN DEMOCRATS AND A DICTATOR: FORMAL AND INFORMAL POWERS OF LATVIA’S PRESIDENTS

SEVEN DEMOCRATS AND A DICTATOR: FORMAL AND INFORMAL POWERS OF LATVIA’S PRESIDENTS

Author(s): Daunis Auers / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Latvia's presidents; Political history of Latvia; Government; Political system;

In June 2011, Latvia’s Parliament (Saeima) elected the fourth state president since the renewal of independence in 1991 and the seventh in its history: Andris Bērziņš. A wealthy retired banker who had been elected to Parliament in the 2010 election on the Green-Farmers Union ticket,he was an unexpected, last-minute candidate, nominated just a week or so before the vote. His personal affairs, as well as his political philosophy, were utterly unknown to the wider public.

LITHUANIA’S PRESIDENT: A FORMAL AND INFORMAL POWER

LITHUANIA’S PRESIDENT: A FORMAL AND INFORMAL POWER

Author(s): Algis Krupavičius / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Lithuania; Political history; Presidency; Political system;

Lithuania is an example of the balanced form of semi-presidentialism with its advantages (mainly that it restricted a concentration of power in hands of one or few leaders) and disadvantages (as it led to several institutional conflicts, even including the impeachment of President Paksas in 2004).

THE ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT IN BULGARIAN POLITICS: THE VETO AS A TOOL FOR LEGITIMATION?

THE ROLE OF THE PRESIDENT IN BULGARIAN POLITICS: THE VETO AS A TOOL FOR LEGITIMATION?

Author(s): Blagovesta Cholova / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Presidency in Bulgaria; Bulgarian politics; Presidential power; US model; presidential veto;

The presidential institution in most Central and East-European countries has passed through different stages of development since 1989. The role of presidents has changed over time and developed different patterns and characteristics in different countries, even though the institutional framework is quite similar in most of the countries in the region.

FORMAL AND INFORMAL POWERS IN A SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL REGIME: THE CASE OF ROMANIA

FORMAL AND INFORMAL POWERS IN A SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL REGIME: THE CASE OF ROMANIA

Author(s): Sergiu Gherghina / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Semi-presidential regime; Romania; Government; Constitutional Monarchy; Authoritarian Leaders;

There is a general consensus in the literature that political institutionsin Central and Eastern Europe underwent dramatic changes in a short period of time. This transformation had effects on the stability and nature of relationships among executive and legislative bodies. In the beginning of the 90s, the institutional design in most post-communist countries placed an emphasis on the role of the legislature in the decision making process.

THE POLITICAL ROLE OF PRESIDENTS IN THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: SOME TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS

THE POLITICAL ROLE OF PRESIDENTS IN THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPE: SOME TENTATIVE CONCLUSIONS

Author(s): Vít Hloušek / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Political role of presidents; Central and Eastern Europe; Comparative politics;

The previous country chapters dealt with the following questions: What used to be, or are, the reasons for the successful expansion of the personal influence exerted by heads of state? Is it the political personality of the office holder rather than ‘structural’ reasons determined by the political system? Or is it the popular attitudes held towards politics and politicians? We saw that the answers to these questions can be different. Now we can try to draw some general findings.

SUMMARY

SUMMARY

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Presidents in Central and Eastern Europe; Constitutions; Political history; comparative politics;

The book aims at an examination of the discrepancies between the formal and actual positions of presidents in Central and Eastern European countries, especially those which are classified as parliamentary democracies and those which have semi-presidential features. Constitutionally, presidents are normally endowed with symbolic functions and duties that are shared with the government (such as appointment of important officials), regardless of whether they are elected directly or indirectly.

REFERENCES

REFERENCES

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

NAME INDEX

NAME INDEX

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English / Publication Year: 0

ANALYSIS OF ELECTION PROGRAMS

ANALÝZA VOLEBNÍCH PROGRAMŮ

Author(s): Otto Eibl / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Elections in Czech Republic; 2013; Political market;

Volební programy jsou nedílnou součástí předvolební stranické nabídky a nechybí samozřejmě ani v případě předčasných voleb, byť tato situace pro strany představuje nemalý problém. Už jen kvůli tomu, že se jim výrazně zkrátí čas na přípravu veškerých materiálů, které zamýšlejí použít ve volební kampani, a zejména na formulaci více či méně komplexních programových dokumentů.

VOTERS TURNOUT IN EARLY ELECTIONS

VOLEBNÍ ÚČAST V PŘEDČASNÝCH VOLBÁCH

Author(s): Michal Nový / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: 2013; Czech Republic; voters turnout; early elections;

Na základě přijetí ústavní novely, která v roce 2012 včlenila do českého právního řádu přímou volbu prezidenta republiky, se opětovně rozrostl počet arén, v nichž může občan prostřednictvím odevzdání hlasu promluvit do veřejných záležitostí. Tímto krokem se podařilo navýšit počet kanálů, jimiž se lidé účastní politiky, což se z normativního pohledu zdá být pozitivní zpráva, jelikož podobné opatření přibližuje zastupitelskou demokracii ideálu vlády lidu.

VOTERS MOVEMENTS

PŘESUNY HLASŮ

Author(s): Kamil Gregor / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: early elections to the Chamber of Deputies; 2013; Czech Republic; voters;

Výsledky předčasných voleb do Poslanecké sněmovny v roce 2013 jsou dokladem do značné míry bezprecedentní změny volebního chování v České republice. Stejně jako v předchozích sněmovních volbách došlo k oslabení dvou dříve nejsilnějších etablovaných politických stran, ČSSD a ODS.

THE ELECTIONS AND THE ELECTIONS GEOGRAPHY

VOLBY DO POSLANECKÉ SNĚMOVNY 2013 A VOLEBNÍ GEOGRAFIE

Author(s): Michal Pink,Petr Voda / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic; Elections geography; Czech Republic;

Na konci října 2013 se čeští voliči rozhodovali v předčasných volbách do PSP ČR, komu dát svůj hlas, případně zda vůbec k volbám jít, a právě rozbor toho, jak toto rozhodnutí v českých zemích dopadlo z pohledu regionálních rozdílů, přináší tato kapitola. Zjednodušeně řečeno, cílem následujících stran bude prostorové představení volebních výsledků všech úspěšných politických stran, které dokázaly získat zastoupení na půdě Poslanecké sněmovny.

USE OF PREFERENTIAL VOICE

VYUŽÍVÁNÍ PREFERENČNÍCH HLASŮ

Author(s): Eva Kneblová / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Preferential voting; Chamber of Deputies; 2013;

Preferenční hlasování bylo velkým tématem před volbami do Poslanecké sněmovny v roce 2010. Vznikla dokonce iniciativa Defenestrace2010.cz, která apelovala na voliče, aby „kroužkovali“ poslední čtyři kandidáty na jimi zvolené kandidátní listině a tím přispěli k personální obměně Sněmovny.

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EFEKT KANDIDÁTA VE VOLBÁCH DO POSLANECKÉ SNĚMOVNY V ROCE 2013

Author(s): Petr Voda / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: preferential votes; candidates; voters; Electoral policy; 2013; Czech Republic;

Tato kapitola se věnuje studiu toho, jaké vlastnosti kandidáta vedly k jeho větší oblibě, respektive k většímu počtu preferenčních hlasů. Obsah textu je do značné míry replikací kapitoly na stejné téma, která byla součástí publikace ze stejné série, jako je tato kniha, o volbách do Poslanecké sněmovny v roce 2010.

The competence and capacity of the Slovak Republic regions to solve the crisis situations

Spôsobilosti a kapacity krajov SR na riešenie krízových situácií

Author(s): Stanislav Filip,Marián Kováč / Language(s): Slovak / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: district office; security environment; extraordinary event; operabilita;

The article extends the first part of the research in the subject area about the security environment characteristic of the Slovak Republic regional level, about the competent authorities to declare the crisis status in the competent territory, about results of the analyzes and evaluates the competences and capacity of the of the regional crisis management bodls.

The role of regional authority in crisis management processes in the CR

Role krajské samosprávy v procesech krizového řízení v ČR

Author(s): Jan Šelešovský,Eduard Bakoš / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: Crisis management; regional authority; floods; financing;

The paper summarizes structure and processes of crisis management on the regional level (e. g. floods). Emphasis is placed on solution of crisis situations connected with creation of relevant legislature and regional documents and results of empirical research are evaluated. In conclusion there are formulated proposals for improvement of crisis management system in region with emphasis on issue of financing.

Civil society and its influence on regional development

Vliv občanského sektoru na regionální rozvoj

Author(s): Vladimír Hyánek,Zuzana Prouzová / Language(s): Czech / Publication Year: 0

Keywords: nonprofit sector; regional development; voluntary work; donation; satelite account of nonprofit institutions;

This paper deals with the ways of influencing the regional development by the nonprofit sector. While evaluating this influence; authors emphasize the public services, incoming financial means, voluntary work and the donation, and public support of the nonprofit organizations above all. Authors also consider relations between the nonprofit institutions and public administration as a whole, their cooperation, competition or partnership. Statistic data are being used, especially the outputs of the satellite account of the nonprofit institutions. The results can be used for the comparison with the Slovak republic situation.