Semi-Presidentialism in a New Post-Conflict Democracy: the Case of Timor-Leste
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Semi-Presidentialism in a New Post-Conflict Democracy: The Case of Timor-Leste Lydia M. Beuman BA, MA Dissertation submitted for the degree of PhD (Doctor of Philosophy) Supervisor: Professor Robert Elgie School of Law & Government, Dublin City University, Ireland September 2013 I DECLARATION OF WORK I hereby certify that this material, which I now submit for assessment on the programme of study leading to the award of PhD is entirely my own work, that I have exercised reasonable care to ensure that the work is original, and does not to the best of my knowledge breach any law of copyright, and has not been taken from the work of others save and to the extent that such work has been cited and acknowledged within the text of my work. Signed: __________________ (Candidate) ID No.: 59100389___ Date: 16 September 2013 II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following people. I will forever be grateful to my supervisor Professor Robert Elgie, who has been a valuable presence in my life over many years. Thank you for your assistance and contribution to the development of this thesis and for your constant guidance and patience. To my family and friends, in particular, my parents and my sister Jantien. Special appreciation goes to Cristina Bucur, for your help and time, especially whilst completing your own PhD. I gratefully acknowledge the support of this dissertation by a doctoral grant from Fundação para Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT). I also wish to thank Fundação Oriente for providing accommodation during field research in Timor-Leste. To Dr. Rui Feijó, for your encouragement and expertise. Finally, to José, it is hard to find the words to truly express my gratitude for your encouragement to embark on this PhD and support across all these years to eventually reach the finish. In the end, I can only say thank you, and hope those words convey how truly appreciative I am. III TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION OF WORK ......................................................................................................II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.........................................................................................................III ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................... VII FIGURES AND TABLES........................................................................................................VIII ABBREVIATIONS .....................................................................................................................IX INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................... XII CHAPTER 1 PRESIDENTIALISM, PARLIAMENTARISM, SEMI-PRESIDENTIALISM AND DEMOCRACY...............................................................................................................................1 DEMOCRACY AND DEMOCRATISATION...................................................................................................2 PRESIDENTIAL VS PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEMS......................................................................................6 SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS ............................................................................................................. 13 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................ 32 CHAPTER 2 RESEARCH DESIGN ................................................................................................................33 RESEARCH QUESTION............................................................................................................................. 34 CASE SELECTION ..................................................................................................................................... 37 DEPENDENT VARIABLE: LEVEL OF CONFLICT .................................................................................... 42 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES: POLITICAL SITUATIONS UNDER SEMI-PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEMS .... 43 OBSERVING INSTITUTIONAL CONFLICT............................................................................................... 48 STRUCTURE.............................................................................................................................................. 58 CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................................ 58 IV CHAPTER 3 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ...............................................................................................60 PARTY FORMATION AFTER PORTUGUESE COLONISATION............................................................... 61 PARTY RELATIONS UNDER INDONESIAN OCCUPATION .................................................................... 73 REORIENTATION UNDER THE UN TRANSITIONAL ADMINISTRATION .......................................... 87 CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................108 CHAPTER 4 COHABITATION................................................................................................................... 110 COHABITATION IN TIMOR-LESTE......................................................................................................111 HYPOTHESES ON COHABITATION.......................................................................................................113 THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK.........................................................................................................116 CONFLICT IN THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS .........................................................................................118 CONFLICT IN THE APPOINTMENT AND DISMISSAL PROCESS .........................................................130 PROCLAMATORY POWERS ...................................................................................................................135 CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................142 CHAPTER 5 DIVIDED GOVERNMENT ................................................................................................... 145 HYPOTHESES ON DIVIDED GOVERNMENT.........................................................................................146 DIVIDED GOVERNMENT IN TIMOR-LESTE........................................................................................148 PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVISM IN THE LEGISLATIVE DOMAIN................................................................153 PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVISM IN THE APPOINTMENT AND DISMISSAL PROCESS...............................160 PROCLAMATORY POWERS ...................................................................................................................163 CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................170 V CHAPTER 6 UNIFIED MAJORITY GOVERNMENT .............................................................................. 173 UNIFIED MAJORITY GOVERNMENT IN TIMOR-LESTE .....................................................................174 HYPOTHESES ON UNIFIED MAJORITY GOVERNMENT ......................................................................180 PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVISM IN THE LEGISLATIVE DOMAIN................................................................182 PRESIDENTIAL ACTIVISM IN THE APPOINTMENT AND DISMISSAL PROCESS...............................194 PROCLAMATORY POWERS ...................................................................................................................196 ACCUMULATION OF POWER ................................................................................................................204 CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................................................210 CHAPTER 7 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................................................ 213 SEMI-PRESIDENTIALISM AND DEMOCRATIC PERFORMANCE ........................................................213 THE FINDINGS........................................................................................................................................214 THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE LITERATURE ON SEMI-PRESIDENTIALISM AND DEMOCRATIC PERFORMANCE ......................................................................................................................................223 DISCUSSION............................................................................................................................................224 FUTURE RESEARCH...............................................................................................................................228 LOOKING AHEAD ...................................................................................................................................230 REFERENCES......................................................................................................................... 232 VI ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the impact of a semi-presidential system on democratic performance. Does semi-presidentialism encourage institutional cooperation and promote successful democratization, or does it provoke a power struggle,