Odpowiedzialność konstytucyjna prezydentów postradzieckich republik autorytarnych

Abstract

The article tackles the issue of constitutional responsibility of the Presidents of post-Soviet authoritarian republics (Russia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan). This institution exists in the legal orders of most of them, although the complicated procedure, that involves parliaments, supreme courts, and constitutional courts makes it hardly possible to successfully impeach the President. This confirms the thesis that the institution of a democratic state of law in the case of most post-Soviet countries is just a facade. The consecutive parts of the text discuss the existing models of constitutional responsibility of the Presidents of democratic countries, the views of Russian-language legal doctrine regarding this issue, and the regulations implemented by the post-Soviet authoritarian states. The procedure is multi- stage, and the reason for impeachment may be a state treason or a serious crime, but generally not a constitutional tort.