Abstract

SERRAFERO, Mario Daniel. Seven Issues about the Theory of Presidential Breakdowns. Polít. gob [online]. 2018, vol.25, n.2, pp.403-440. ISSN 1665-2037.

In the past democratic presidents were removed by military coups. Since the return of democracy in Latin America there were numerous presidential interruptions, but these took place via constitutional mechanisms. Governments fell, but the democratic regime remained. Over the last three decades, the experiences of presidential dropouts have led to the development of a theory about presidential interruptions, which attempts to explain the phenomenon of new presidential instability in Latin America. This paper touches on seven distinct issues, in order to add insights to the theoretical debate on presidential interruptions. These issues are: 1) presidential interruption’s connection with the theory of constitutional succession; 2) the alleged breach of the fixed term and independence of powers; 3) the reconsideration of the alleged new flexibility of the presidential system; 4) timing and rules of the presidential fall and the timing and rules of the president’s replacement; 5) the situation of “ruling gaps”, both in relation to the presidential interruption, and the president’s replacement; 6) the so-called “thin line” between the parliamentary coup and impeachment; 7) expectations and cycles of presidential strength and weakness that show a certain structural vulnerability of the system. These issues add to the debate by introducing new approaches to studying the phenomenon of presidential interruptions.

Keywords : presidential interruptions; presidentialism; impeachment; political instability; Latin America.