The “shrinking” role of the Head of State during the years of transition

By, MSc. Besian ZOGAJ

Abstract

This paper aims to present the evolution of the role of the Head of State in the institutional and cultural context of post-communist Albania, especially in relation to his responsibility regarding the reasons of the state and as a representative and defender of the permanent interest of society (Schmitt, 1931). Dialectics and tension produced with majorities and Governments; the gradual erosion of the position of the head of state in favor of the executive; the effects on the political system and the ethical totality of the State, as well as the public opinion’s perception of the role of the Head of State (Hegel, 1998). From a theoretical stance, the various doctrines of the Theory of the State always make a clear distinction between the concept of the Head of State and the President of the Republic. Within this concept, we can distinguish the form of the state, the form of government and, as a result, the political and institutional power of the Head of State. In this context, based on a structuralist approach, in addition to the presentation of doctrine, facts and historical reasons, the article also seeks to present a perspective on the suitability of a strong or weak president in relation to the political-institutional framework as well as the hierarchy of values in their entirety. Can the democratic election of the President by the people be (re)considered or should the figure of the President be ultimately reinvented?!

How to cite: Zogaj, B. (2023). The “Shrinking” role of the head of state during the years of transition. Jus & Justicia, 17(1), 31–47.

https://doi.org/10.58944/lesz7419