Beyond the Constitution: The Czech Presidency and its Extraordinariness

One of the subfields of new institutionalism argues that institutions and their operation are significantly affected by historical developments, i.e. path-dependency (Hall, Taylor 1996; March, Olsen 1984). This is particularly true when it comes to the Czech presidency. Czech presidents are often attributed irrational, even “semi-divine” characteristics, and as a result, enjoy an extraordinary position in the country. Importantly, the aura has been assigned to Czech presidents by both politicians and the general society. These attributes do not, however, correspond with the Czech Constitution, which does not provide the president with independent competences. His/her power is not an executive one. It is an echo of moral and political influence rather than a direct execution of formal powers. The aim of this paper is to describe the extraordinariness of the Czech presidency, examining its typical features and reasons behind it. The paper argues that the Czech presidency and its overall peculiarity are a result of both political and cultural circumstances rooted in Czech modern history. If we are to understand the Czech presidency, we have to analyze the historical development of this institution and put it in context of the historical development of the Czech nation.