The Constitutional Role of the President in a Parliamentary System : The Cases of Germany and Italy

Traditionally, the role of the head of state in a parliamentary system would be considered to be a symbolic one, without concrete power. In a monarchy (such as England and Japan) it is the king or queen; in a republic (such as Germany and Italy) the president who is the symbolic leader. However, rec...

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Published inDōngwú zhèngzhì xuébào Vol. 37; no. 2; pp. 1 - 60
Main Authors Hsu, Yu-Fang, Su, Tzu-Chiao
Format Journal Article
LanguageChinese
Published Taipei Soochow University 01.01.2019
Subjects
Constitutional government
Constitutional reform
Heads of state
Monarchy
Parliamentary systems
Political power
Presidential powers
State role
Italy
Germany
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Summary:Traditionally, the role of the head of state in a parliamentary system would be considered to be a symbolic one, without concrete power. In a monarchy (such as England and Japan) it is the king or queen; in a republic (such as Germany and Italy) the president who is the symbolic leader. However, recent cases in Germany and Italy contradict this assumption. Both presidents played significant roles during the government's formation. The constitutional power which the president holds in a parliamentary system and the role he or she can play in practice is indeed a question which deserves more attention. In this paper, the competencies of the presidents in other countries with parliamentary systems will be examined, to establish a common baseline for presidential power. Secondly, the constitutional power and presidential role in the internal political practice of two countries, Germany and Italy, will be looked into more closely. The findings of this research could offer a useful theoretical foundation for future
ISSN:1019-8636