Comments on: Iraqi consociationalism woes

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:41:10 +0000

Hand-waving: thought-on-the-fly follows, and I have not read the new book. But it sounds like parliamentary systems with presidential vetoes merit their own analytical category.

By: MSS

MSS — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 20:35:19 +0000

Parliamentary. Like Italy, Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey (prior to its recent constitutional amendments), etc.

The twist is that Iraq’s presidential veto takes more than a majority of all members of the assembly to override. I am not aware of any other parliamentary system where that is the case.

(I am not sure of the exact veto provisions in the countries I listed, but at least some of them do have presidential vetoes, but the override thresholds are anywhere from a mere majority of present and voting to a majority of the full parliament.)

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:57:19 +0000

Thanks. Then how do you classify a system with a dual executive (which Iraq seems to have) in which both executives originate with the assembly, but the assembly does not control the survivability of the second executive, and this executive may veto legislation?

By: Matthew

Matthew — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:04:45 +0000

Excellent points, but one caveat: Iraq’s constitution does not establish a semi-presidential system. By definition, in a semi-presidential system, the presidency (whether unitary, as in France, or collective, as in Bosnia-Hercegovina) is popularly elected.

Iraq’s presidency council is selected by parliament.

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