TITLE : EAST EUROPEAN CONSTITUTIONAL REVIE W FALL 1993, WINTER 1994 AUTHOR: STEPHEN HOLMES, EDITOR in CHIEF UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO LAW SCHOOL THE NATIONAL COUNCI L FOR SOVIET AND EAST EUROPEA N RESEARC H TITLE VIII PROGRA M 1755 Massachusetts Avenue, N .W . Washington, D .C . 20036 NCSEER NOT E The quarterly journal East European Constitutional Review, is published by th e Center for the Study of Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe at the University o f Chicago Law School, and has been delivered by the Editor in Chief to the Counci l under contract 808-05 for reproduction and supplementary distribution to it s readers who are not on the Center's subscription list . Readers who already receive a copy directly from the Center are requested to notify the Council (202) 387-0168 . PROJECT INFORMATION : " CONTRACTOR : University of Chicag o PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR : Stephen Holme s COUNCIL CONTRACT NUMBER : 808-0 5 DATE : February 16, 199 4 COPYRIGHT INFORMATIO N Individual researchers retain the copyright on work products derived from research funded b y Council Contract. The Council and the U.S. Government have the right to duplicate written reports and other materials submitted under Council Contract and to distribute such copies within th e Council and U.S. Government for their own use, and to draw upon such reports and materials fo r their own studies; but the Council and U.S. Government do not have the right to distribute, o r make such reports and materials available, outside the Council or U .S. Government without th e written consent of the authors, except as may be required under the provisions of the Freedom o f Information Act 5 U.S.C. 552, or other applicable law . The work leading to this report was supported in part by contract funds provided by the National Counci l for Soviet and East European Research, made available by the U . S. Department of State under Title VIII (th e Soviet-Eastern European Research and Training Act of 1983). The analysis and interpretations contained in th e report are those of the author. DoublIssue e East European Constitutional Review Volume 2, Number 4 Fall 1993 Volume 3, Number 1 Winter 1994 DEPARTMENT S 2 Constitution Watc h Country-by-country updates on constitutional politics in Central and Eastern Europe and the ex-USSR . 23 Special Reports David Laitin on the evolving nationality- question in northeast Estonia ; Ing a Mikhailovskaya on attitudes of the Russian public to democratic reform ; Krisztina Morvai on a "historical justice " decision of the Hungarian Constitutional Court ; Branko Smerdel on latest developments in Croatia . 126 Constitutional Review Andras Sajo on Sergio Bartole's new book on East European constitutional reform . 130 From the Center The EECR in Russian; acknowledgment of support . FEATURE S FORUM : THE EVOLVING PRESIDENCY IN EASTERN EUROP E 36 The Postcommunist Presidency Stephen Holmes 40 Lech Walesa: Profile and Interview Wiktor Osiatynski 47 Wojciech Jaruzelski: Note and Interview Wiktor Osiatynski 51 Ion Iliescu : Profile and Interview Elena Stefoi 58 Survey of Presidential Powers in Eastern Europe Alexander Lukashuk, Georgi Poshtov, Venelin Ganev, Vojtech Cepl Mark Gillis, Andras Mink, Andrzej Rzeplinski, Tibor Varady, Nenad Dimitrijevi c 81 A Comparative Chart of Presidential Powers in Eastern Europe Christian Lucky 95 Miscalculations in the Design of the East European Presidencies Jon Elste r 99 Lessons of the American Presidency Cass Sunstein, Lawrence Lessig FOCUS : CONSTITUTIONAL BREAKDOWN AND RENEWAL IN RUSSIA 107 The End of the First Russian Republic Dwight Semle r 114 Translation of the final Section of the new Russian Constitutio n 116 The Politics of Blame Edward W. Walker 120 Storm over Compatibility Stephen Holmes and Christian Lucky 123 Superpresidentialism and its Problems Stephen Holmes East European Constitutional Review . Vol . 2. No . 4. Fall 1993/ Vol . 3, No. 1 . Winter 1994 Published quarterly by the Center for the Study o f Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe in partnership with the Central European University . Editor in Chief: Stephen Holmes . Executive Editor: Dwight Semler . Editor: Scott Lyden . Managing Editor: Christian Lucky . Editorial board : Jon Elster, Wiktor Osiatynski, Cass Sunstein. Subscriptions are tree . For information, write to the CSCEE. The University of Chicago Law School . 1111 East 60th Street, Chicago, Illinois . 60637 Copyright © 1993 by The Center tor the Study of Constitutionalism in Eastern Europe . EAST EUROPEAN CONSTITUTIONAL REVIEW Country-by-country updates on constitutional politics in Central and Eastern Europe and the ex-USSR . Constitution Watch During September and October the Alba- have not found their way into the news on television or radi o Albania man constitutional process quickene d which, it seems, are strictly controlled by the most powerfu l its pace due to a warning issued by the Council of Europe . wing of the DP, a point which a recent article in Our Time ha s According to the council, Albania must adopt a new constitu- stressed . As a result, newspapers alone have reflected this ongo- tion based on democratic principles before it can be integrate d ing political feud. into the international structures of Europe, including the Coun- All this political infighting in the newspapers has had its cil of Europe itself. victims, including members of the press itself. The chairman of Recently the Albanian Constitutional Commission ha s the Party of National Unity, a minor party in Albanian politics , discussed chapters concerning Parliament and the presiden t was sentenced to 6 months in jail for calling President Berisha a and approved them. The Commission has now begun to de- "killer" in his party's newspaper . On October 22, after servin g bate constitutional provisions relating to the judiciary . Afte r a little more than four months of this sentence and after numer - approval of this final section, the full constitution will be pre- ous protests from abroad, he was abruptly released. sented to Parliament . Another journalist was recently placed under house arrest The political situation continues to be very tense, espe- because of an article he wrote in the SDP newspaper Alternativa cially between the two main political parties, the Democratic in which he criticized the newly-appointed Albanian ambassa- Party (DP) and the Socialist Party (SP) . One can see this conflict dor to Malaysia for being unable to speak English . After a few at every level and in every organ where these parties are repre- days, his case was quietly closed. sented, whether it be central institutions, such as Parliament, o r Some politicians regard the polemics of the current transi - local government organs. However, the political quarrels an d tional period as unfair. One of the reasons for such exchanges , debates between the DP, on the one hand, and two smaller they argue. is the lack of a press law. Many journalists, wh o parties, the Party of the Democratic Alliance (PDA) and th e have themselves often been turned into targets by the politica l Social-Democratic Party (SDP), on the other, are less severe . combatants, also claim that one way out of such situation s Disagreements are also raging among the MPs of the DP . might be the adoption of a press law. Two main sources of discord may be mentioned here . Th e In September, therefore, a group of MPs introduced a draft minister of foreign affairs was severely attacked by a DP mem - law on the press that was hastily adapted from a German model . ber of Parliament in the newspaper Our Time (an independen t Parliament passed it in mid-October . There has been consider- paper). The article accused the foreign minister of surroundin g able criticism (both within Albania and from outside) of its himself with a pack of "charlatans and incompetents." An- provisions, which include large fines and give governmenta l other DP member of Parliament wrote a stinging criticis m authorities many broadly-defined rights, such as confiscation (published in Alliance, the newspaper of the PDA) of a draft of publications and suspension without a court order in som e decision submitted to the Council of Ministers for approval . cases. The president delayed signing it but finally did so . Th e That draft decision would have allowed the National Informa- law has not yet been used. tion Service, the successor to "the Sigurimi" (Hoxha's security On October 25, a newspaper published by the students of police) which is now under the direct control of the president , Tirana University's department of journalism was closed dow n to disseminate false information in an attempt to shape public after its first issue included an editorial critical of the new pres s opinion . law. Three graduate students from Columbia University i n It is significant that, so far, important conflicts like these New York had been assisting the student editorial staff with a 2 FALL 1993/ WINTER 1994 small grant from the Soros Foundation and equipment sup - guards, and recommended abolishing the office or state secre- plied by the International Media Fund of Washington . D.C . tary on crime righting and national security as an unconstitu- The reasons for this shut-down are unclear . though it is re - tional body . This orrice is believed to have been the real sourc e ported that a compromise is in the offing and that the newspa - of the government s appeal on the eve or the session . per will soon be published again at the university . A new constitution was the first question on the draft The economic situation in the country has become mor e the agenda of the thirteenth session . It was the last chance fo r and more difficult. According to the president . this situatio n Parliament to keep its promise to adopt a new constitutio n by has arisen due to (1) the fact that no significant foreign invest - the end of 1993 and to hold earl' elections in spring 1994 .