The paper deals with distinguishing features of presidential systems of government adopted in the current or former constitutions of some Francophone African countries, such as Benin, Djibouti, Ivory Coast or the Republic of Congo. Particular attention has been devoted to the internal structure of the executive branch of government (the existence of the prime minister as a separate body) as well as to the reception of diverse mechanisms of rationalised parliamentarianism created previously in the constitution of the French Fifth Republic. The dynamics of constitutional changes leading to the adoption of presidentialism in place of semi-presidentialism and vice versa in such countries as Niger or Senegal has also been taken into account. In the light of the findings, it can be stated that the specific properties of presidentialism in Francophone Africa prove its apparent distinctness from certain typical assumptions of this model.

The paper is dealing with the constitutional and historical importance of Act I. of 1946. In 1946 Hungary has changed its form of government. The passage of Act I of 1946 has defined Hungary’s form of government as a republic. In addition to the creation of a republic, the legislation provided powers for the president of the Hungarian Republic. Moreover, the Preamble of Act I. of 1946 was the first document in the Hungarian constitutional history which summarized and declared the most important natural and inalienable rights of the citizens.

The subject of this article is the character and meaning of the head of state’s liability. The author notices that this institution is an important factor that determines the systemic and legal position of the supreme body in the country, and adopting different solutions in this matter may make the position of heads of state significantly different, even if they seem to have a similar character. This relation has been shown on the example of regulations of liability of the heads of state in Monaco and Liechtenstein. In both countries, there is an almost identical manner of appointing to the office of a head of state and the scope of their authorities. However, the matter of liability has been regulated in a completely different way in these two countries.

Genesis of the republican Head of the State in Poland

The article presents the genesis of the republican Head of State in Poland after the First World War (until the adoption of the March Constitution). It was a particularly important moment when the election of the form of government of the Polish State being rebuilt took place. The Author draws attention to the significant relationship between historical events taking place during the First World War, including especially political changes happening in the partitioning states influencing the decision for choosing the republican path.

Conceptions of the head of state in drafts of the Polish Constitution of 1918–1921

The article deals with a conception of the head of state while working on the March Constitution. The first part presents motives for adopting a republican form of the future system of Poland and describes draft constitutions drawn up by the Constitutional Bureau of the Presidium of the Council of Ministers. The second part presents characteristics of a political status of the head of state in the draft of the so-called “Survey,” the draft of W. Wakar as well as the governmental “Constitutional Declaration” and the draft of the Popular National Union. Moreover, it describes controversies connected with the titles of “Chief” and “President.” The third part presents a description of views on the head of state revealed during the works of the Constitutional Committee as well as in the second draft drawn up by the Council of Ministers, along with amendments made by the Skulski’s government. The last, 4th part discusses causes which influenced the final shape of the office of President in the March Constitution.

The political position of President of the Czech Republic in view  of recent amendments to the Constitution of 8 February 2012

The subject of the article below is the appearance of Czech Republic President’s political position under the newest amendments to the Constitution from February 8, 2012. At the beginning, reasons for the Constitution to be corrected were pointed out, which among all, had a political background. Later, the article focused on the presentation of detailed analysis of each change. With the historical support, a comparison was made between the current basic law and its previous version, as well as the comparison between the traditions of Czech and Czechoslovakian constitutionalism. The most important change was the introduction, common for the presidential or semi-presidential system method of choosing the head of the state in common elections, which occurred by limiting president’s prerogatives and normalization of the range of president’s responsibilities, stepping out of the rules of law and the constitutional irresponsibility of the head of the state.

Original solutions of government systems  on the example of the Sultanate of Oman

The article provides a snapshot of Oman’s leading political institutions. It also contains description of Oman’s political power structure. At the beginning author presents a historical background of the events that led to the taking of power by the current ruling sultan. Subsequently, the legislature, the executive, the judiciary and suffrage are discussed. In conclusion, the author makes a brief assessment of a functioning system of government in Oman.

President and constitutional legislation in the Polish political tradition

The article discusses prerogatives and activity of the President of the Republic of Poland with respect to constitutional legislation. The first part of the paper deals with regulations which refer to the head of state’s participation in the constitutional legislation during the inter-war period. The second part of the article analyses legal provisions concerning that issue, which were enforced in 1947–1952 and 1989–1997. The third part contains a description of the President’s role in the procedure of amending the Constitution stipulated in art. 235, para. 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 1997 and the application of that procedure in practice so far. The fourth part is the summary of this paper.

Vice-Presidency in the Structure of the Presidential System of Government. The Overview of Legal Regulations in Selected Countries

Vice presidents inscribed into the institutional frameworks of the most typical systems of government (presidentialism, semi-presidentialism, parliamentarianism) exist in more than a quarter of the modern world. The vast majority of them operate – as in the United States – under presidential systems. The aim of the article is to indicate common features of vice presidents existing in the institutional context of presidentialism as well as to identify the most significant differences between the constitutional regulations that relate to them. The author concludes that in some cases the impact on the regulations regarding vice presidents is exerted to a lesser extent by the very architecture of the presidential system of government, and to a greater extent by non-legal factors such as the socio-ethnic structure of a given country and even current political needs of governing elites.

Vice-Presidency Within Constitutional Structures of Parliamentarianism and Semi-Presidentialism

Vice-Presidents exist mainly in the states adopting the presidential system o government. The overview of contemporary legal regulations proves, however, that the vice-presidency may also be found, though much less often, in the two remaining basic regimes, that is parliamentarianism and semi-presidentialism. The purpose of the article is to analyze constitutional provisions that relate to vice presidency in six countries in which one or the other of the two aforementioned systems was adopted. The author draws attention to the typical and specific features of this institution, arriving at the conclusion that its embedding in the systems of government other than the presidential one is not a factor that essentially distinguishes the construction of the vice-presidency from that occurring in a typical or modified (compared to the model known from the US) presidentialism.

The Position of a Head of State in the Political System of the Principality of Liechtenstein

The aim of the article is to present the position of a head of state in the Principality of Liechtenstein. The Principality is one of the European monarchies, but it is distinguished from others by the fact that the position of the prince is far-reaching, by no means limited only to representatives functions. The prince’s activity to internal and external politics is rooted in the constitution in force since 1921 and was presented in the article. The position of the head of state also results from historical and social conditions. It is salso based on non-constitutional solutions. Princerly prerogatives are broad. Although attempts were made to limit them, such proposals were rejected in a referendum. Additionally, during the voting in 2003, the ruler’s powers were further extended.

W niniejszym artykule przedstawiono główne cechy tureckiego modelu systemu prezydenckiego, a także historyczne uwarunkowania pozycji prezydenta w strukturze organów państwa w Turcji. Praca składa się z trzech części. W pierwszej z nich omówione zostały podstawy parlamentaryzmu, co jest kluczową kwestią dla ukazania kształtu tureckiego systemu przed reformą. Kolejnym zagadnieniem omawianym w tej części artykułu jest proces ewolucji prezydentury od pierwszych lat powstania Republiki do zmian wprowadzonych po wyborach prezydenckich i parlamentarnych w 2018 r. W drugiej części pracy wskazano uwarunkowania zmiany systemowej. Wreszcie w ostatniej dokonano analizy nowego systemu, określanego jako prezydencjalizm „w stylu tureckim”, i ukazano jego charakterystyczne cechy.

Functions of the President of the Republic of Poland in Connection with Poland’s Membership in the European Union

The article aims to analyze the functions of the President of the Republic of Poland in connection with Poland’s membership in the EU. The discussed issues are important due to the dynamic nature of this process and the federalist tendencies in the EU. They cause that the issues of compliance of the deepening of the European integration process with the constitution and issues related to the increasingly significant scope of the integration process in the context of the sovereignty of nation states become particularly important. Therefore, the role of the President of the Republic of Poland in this process, as the guardian of the constitution and state sovereignty, requires analysis. The Republic of Poland’s membership in the European Union makes it necessary to take a new look not only at the system of government but also at the tasks of the executive branch.