Original scientific paper
ROLE OF PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC IN SLOVENIAN (CONSTITUTIONAL) LEGAL AND POLITICAL SYSTEM
Miro Cerar
; Faculty of Law, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Abstract
The Slovenian model of political system envisages that the president
of the Republic has only representative, initiative and protocolary
functions. According to Elgie’s definition, Slovenia might be categorized as a sort of a semipresidential regime; hence, the historical, constitutional and political circumstances in which the role of the president of the Republic in the Slovenian political system should be looked into. After a careful analysis of the political tradition and culture, and the development of the constitutional culture in particular, the author analyzes the constitutional-political practice and the results of the presidential elections, their political orientation and the difference between the constitutional powers and the presidential performances.
The author concludes that Slovenia does not have a powerful but a symbolic president of the state, despite the fact that the presidents
are elected directly; consequently, the political system of Slovenia
should be classified as a “parliamentary system with a president”.
Since the history of the individual presidency in Slovenia is still very short, for the time being it is very hard to assess all its major aspects; only the future developments will reliably demonstrate the
real competences and the constraints of the president of the Republic
as a legal and political actor.
Keywords
Slovenian political system; the president; presidential powers; direct election of the president; semi-presidential system; parliamentary system; checks and balances; development of Slovenian political system
Hrčak ID:
20881
URI
Publication date:
29.4.2006.
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