The Semi-Presidential Republic: French Origin and Different Perspectives in Europe

Abstract

The present article examines the concept of semi-presidentialism since its conception by the scholar Maurice Duverger and presents the evolution and the features of the French semi- presidential system, which served as a model for many of the post-communist presidencies in Europe. The last section of the paper is focused on intra-executive conflicts that arise in the semi- presidential systems, conflicts which are usually regarded in the field literature as negative, but also have the potential for leading to solutions when there is not the same majority supporting both the president and prime minister.