2012/11/20 by Robert Elgie · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Irish and British Studies #Electoral Systems and Political Participation #Political Systems and Governance #Presidency #Irish #Presidential system #Political science #Institution #Law #Public administration #Politics
paper · doi:10.1080/07907184.2012.734445
openalex publication_date 2012/11/20 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
There is long-standing belief that the Irish presidency is a unique or at least a very unusual institution. To what extent is this interpretation correct? This article compares the Irish presidency with other presidencies. It examines the spread of direct presidential elections and the gradual diffusion of constitutions with a mix of presidential and parliamentary features. It then compares the Irish President with 42 other presidencies, including countries with a directly elected president and those with an indirectly elected president. The article compares the powers of these presidents, the process of election, and the prospects for constitutional reform. The comparison shows that Ireland is now one of a small group of countries that have a directly elected but weak presidency, and that while the Irish presidency may be unusual in almost all aspects of the electoral process, the Irish case has equivalents elsewhere. The main conclusion is that the Irish presidency is not unique. In all significant respects, the presidency exhibits and has always exhibited commonalities with equivalent institutions. That said, in a number of regards the presidency has always been and/or remains relatively unusual.