Australia

The Politics of Becoming a Republic

Bibliographic Data

ID6288079
AuthorsJohn Higley, Rhonda Evans Case
Year2000
Volume11
Issue3
Pages136-150
Publication date2000-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of democracy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1045-5736 • E-ISSN: 1086-3214
PublisherProject MUSE (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1353/jod.2000.0058
OpenAlexW2009431417
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited2

In recent years several parliamentary democracies have considered replacing hereditary monarchs--the most visible remnant of the predemocratic era--with popularly chosen presidents and a republican form of government. This democratic reform is not easy to make, however, because it involves combining the well-established sovereignty of parliaments with presidents who may stake their own claim to sovereignty and popular support in clashes with prime ministers and their cabinets. Selecting presidents, limiting their power, and ensuring that they remain above the political fray are tricky matters. There is a risk that constitutional and power balances will be upset. Groups favoring or opposing the adoption of a presidential office often have more sweeping agendas that are not easily compromised. A constitutional referendum on the change confronts voters with complex issues about which they have little knowledge and interest, so that campaigns for and against such a referendum may readily degenerate into crude shouting matches

Democracy · Government (linguistics · Limiting · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Popular sovereignty · Power (physics · Presidential system · Prime minister · Referendum · Sociology · Sovereignty · Veto · Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism · Law · Political Systems and Governance · Public Administration