BALANCING POWER IN SEMI-PRESIDENTIALISM: THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURTS OF FRANCE, ROMANIA, AND POLAND
Keywords:
Semi-presidentialism, Constitutional Courts, Judicial Independence, France, Romania, Poland, Constitutional Capture, Rule of Law, Dual ExecutiveAbstract
This comparative study examines the critical role of constitutional courts as arbiters in the high-tension, dual-executive systems of semi-presidentialism. By analyzing the sophisticated doctrines of France, the crisis-management trajectory of Romania (including the controversial 2024 electoral annulment), and the “constitutional capture” of Poland, the author identifies the essential conditions for judicial independence. The article provides a deep dive into how courts translate abstract provisions into the concrete distribution of power between presidents, governments, and parliaments.
