Constitutional Transitions is proud to announce the release of three reports as part of a series of thematic, comparative research reports on issues in constitutional design that have arisen in the wake of the Arab Spring. The first report, Constitutional Courts after the Arab Spring: Appointment mechanisms and relative judicial independence, discusses and analyses four models for constitutional court appointments applied in six countries (Germany, South Africa, Egypt, Iraq, Italy and Turkey), concluding with a set of recommendations for constitution drafters and policymakers in the MENA region.
The second report, Semi-Presidentialism as Power Sharing: Constitutional reform after the Arab Spring, assesses the extent to which a semi-presidential form of government can work as a tool for power sharing in new democracies, thereby minimizing the risk of the reemergence of presidential dictatorship. The report analyses the range of design options for establishing a semi-presidential system of government, including the formation of government, the day-to-day operation of the system, and the operation of the system during times of crisis.
The third report, Political Party Finance Regulation: Constitutional reform after the Arab Spring, applies comparative and academic research on political party finance law to the MENA region, with a focus on Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia as post-authoritarian states currently engaging in comprehensive reform of their political institutions, and utilizing examples from other newer and more established democracies. The report discusses five areas of political party finance regulation: the provision of public funds to parties and campaigns; limits on party income; limits on party spending; disclosure of party finances to the public; and enforcement of political party finance laws.
These reports are jointly published by Constitutional Transitions and International IDEA. They were prepared by teams of student researchers in the Constitutional Transitions Clinic, which mobilizes knowledge by providing ‘back office’ research support to constitutional advisors in the field. These reports will meet International IDEA’s need for comprehensive thematic research on comparative constitutional issues and will be used as engagement tools in support of constitution-building activities in the region
Other forthcoming reports in the series are Combating Corruption: Constitutional reform after the Arab Spring (Fall 2014), Decentralization in Unitary States: Constitutional reform after the Arab Spring (Fall 2014), and Oil and Natural Gas: Constitutional reform after the Arab Spring (Fall 2014).
An Arabic version of the reports is forthcoming and will be available online.