Presidential Succession Research Articles

Understanding Kenyan Politics: The Case of Deputy Presidency from 1963 to 2022

According to Kenyan Constitution (2010, Section 147), the duties of the Deputy President (previously Vice President) include assisting the President with administrative tasks, representing the President in international forums, and filling any vacancies that may occur in the event that the current President passes away, is impeached, or is found guilty. The Deputy President is thus the second-highest political official in Kenya. Hence, the Vice President is Kenya’s second-highest elected office. He or she is the President’s assistant. Yet, since independence, there have consistently been disputes in Kenya between the State Presidents who have led the country successively and their deputies. This article attempts at finding the root that defines the disputes. The article also argues that while the Kenyans changed their constitution in 2010, the issue did not improve, instead, it became worse since the Deputy President is now being protected by the constitution from being dismissed by the President. Thus, continued friction has a serious impact on the lives of ordinary people. The article is hinged on desk review and some insights observed by the author as an “outsider” who resided in that country. The article is a modification of the essay developed and shared in public through the author’s blog in 2022 as Kenya prepared for its general elections. The feedback received from the readers further shaped the article in its current form. The article takes a historical approach as it tracks the key events from 1963 to 2022 with regard to the two offices in Kenya. It concludes that the problem emanated from ambitious deputies but was also amplified by the insecurities felt by the successive Presidents. The article recommends a review of the constitution to allow members of the public to decide on the fate of a deputy president in extreme cases.

Sukcesja na urzędzie prezydenta w republikach Azji Środkowej. Rozwiązania normatywne i praktyka

The following study is devoted to normative and practical aspects of the presidential succession in post-Soviet republics: Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan in the period of 2006–2022. In these Central Asian countries personalized, superpresidential models of government have emerged, what makes the transfer of the presidential power critically important for the further regime existence. As the following paper shows, in all mentioned states such procedure is regulated by the constitutions, but in some cases the transfer of power was not in line with the legal provisions. The paper concludes that the Central Asian republics have established some model of presidential succession what confirms, that these nations are consolidated, “militant autocracies” that guarantee themselves continuity and resistance.

Félix Ireta vs. Efraín Pineda: la contienda político electoral por la gubernatura de Michoacán y el zafarrancho de Huetamo en junio de 1940

This paper analyzes the electoral political contexts in Mexico and Michoacán during the turning point of 1940 presidential succession. It also analyzes the development of a tragic event of political violence – where fourteen peasants died – that occurred in the town of Huetamo, which reflected the dispute for power between national level candidates: Manuel Ávila Camacho of the Party of the Mexican Revolution and his contender Juan Andreu Almazán of the Revolutionary Party of National Unification. These two candidates ran an intense electoral campaign with displays, public demonstrations, reciprocal rejection, warnings, and confrontations between small groups, in addition to both naming themselves heirs of the Mexican Revolution. Based on the analysis of several documentary files of the agents of the Directorate of Political and Social Investigations of Mexico’s Ministry of the Interior (Secretaría de Gobernación) and other contemporary testimonies, an attempt is made to clarify the causes that gave rise to the Huetamo ‘zafarrancho’, whose participants clashed over political differences. In addition, we discuss some possible reasons for the historical obscurity of this crime, for which was no judicial investigation or punishment of the intellectual and material authors.

New Mexican School and the Educational Reform of 2013, the impact of educational policies in the classroom

Educational policies are actions undertaken by a government for the conservation and improvement of teaching practices and outcomes. At times, these policies act in forms of production and supply that determine the course of education of a country. Mexico is a country that every six-years, it evaluates, modifies, and updates its educational policies to try to provide quality education. With the presidential succession of Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) and the implementation of the Fourth Transformation (T4), which can be understood as a transition from one administration to a new one that gradually applies and makes changes in all educational areas. In this context, the New Mexican School, established in 2018, is subject to an educational policy created to counter the 2013 Educational Reform of former President Enrique Peña Nieto. This research is a comparative analysis between both presidential proposals in how each aim to achieve excellence in education and second, a qualitative study to verify the effectiveness and efficiency of the reforms. The purpose of the research is to reveal how much basic education teachers know, the scope of both educational proposals and the impact on schools.

The Professionalization of the International Olympic Committee Administration

Abstract After being founded in Paris in 1894, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) moved its headquarters to Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1915. It hired its first staff member in the 1920s and continued to operate with just two or three employees until the mid-1960s, even though the Olympic Games had grown substantially. Indeed, the IOC still had only about twenty staff members when John MacAloon first visited its headquarters in the mid-1970s. It now employs more than 700 people from seventy-one nationalities in Lausanne and Madrid, making it one of the world's largest and well-known NGOs. This article traces the IOC Administration's rise from its humble beginnings to the present day. It shows how, under successive presidents and heads of administration, the IOC has followed four stages of the process of professionalization described in the sport management literature.

Hyperpartisanship and the First Hundred Days

The troubled presidential transition of 2020–21 necessitates a renewed look at how rising partisanship has affected new administrations in the 21st century. Examining legislative output, confirmation votes, and executive orders during the first hundred days from 1953 to 2021, we show that there has been a decline in opposition party cooperation with newly elected presidents since the era of polarized parties and insecure majorities began. Our evidence suggests that strategic party behavior, as well as ideological polarization, has limited the ability of transition planning to foster early presidential success.

Prezydenci Republiki Włoskiej w latach 1992–2022. Dynamika zmian

The purpose of this article was to present the functioning of the office of the president in the Italian Republic in terms of personnel in the years 1992-2022, explaining the dynamics of changes in this period. In order to do this, the author formulated the main hypothesis assuming that the dynamics of changes in the office of the president was stimulated by the personal characteristics of people in this office, and not by significant systemic changes within the political system. In order to verify, research questions were established relating to the political past of the presidents, their personal characteristics and the evolution of the office over the years. In order to answer these questions and verify the hypothesis, research methods adequate to the analysis of the past and systemic inference were used, these were the following methods: historical and comparative. Thanks to this, it was presented that this dynamics of changes was shaped by the personal decisions of successive presidents. In the absence of any significant political changes, the image of the head of state was stimulated by the personal characteristics of the people in this office.

Increasing innovation in the chemical sciences requires investment and collaboration

One of the greatest joys during my time in the ACS presidential succession has been engaging with chemical scientists across the career spectrum and from around the globe. Some of these scientists have developed innovations that have transformed our fundamental understanding of the chemical sciences and have also captured global markets. It has been a delight to learn about the science and the people behind the work. I have also been impressed by the energy, enthusiasm, and potential of chemical scientists who are just beginning their career journey. The accomplishments in our field have been made with significant investments of time and resources at many levels, not only by organizations, but also by individuals. As we strive to address a plethora of global challenges, I am inspired by what I believe chemical scientists can accomplish. New legislation such as the CHIPS and Science Act and the new US National Science

“Efficiency Is Paramount in This Regard”: The Managerial Role of the ICC Presidency from Kirsch to Fernández

Abstract Since the International Criminal Court commenced its work, much has been made of the institution-building role of successive ICC Prosecutors as central to the Court’s legal framework and as ambassadors for the “fight against impunity”. Much less has been said about the role of the ICC Presidency, as the Court’s smallest organ, and its successive Presidents. Yet the Presidency operates at the apex of the Court as an international organisation, manages relations with states, coordinates internal governance issues, and acts as the “public face” of the Court globally, not to mention its judicial functions. The ICC Presidency and its first three Presidents have been particularly influential in shaping the ICC into an institution prioritising the values of efficiency and effectiveness, with deeply political and distributive implications. This article traces those influences, from the Presidency of Philipp Kirsch, until the end of the third Presidency under the leadership of Silvia Fernández de Gurmendi in March 2018.

Salt, Smurthwaite, and Smith: The Origins of the Modern Legal Identity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Salt, Smurthwaite, and Smith: The Origins of the Modern Legal Identity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Public Appeals as a Budgetary Weapon

ABSTRACT Public appeals improve presidential success in budgeting and lawmaking, but the evidence remains scarce at the state level. This study tests the influence of public appeals on gubernatorial success in the budgeting process. It posits that chief executives who choose to appeal to the public will be able to put additional pressure on the lawmakers and reduce the chances of their proposals being cut. The proposition is tested in a longitudinal study of all states from 2007 to 2019. Public discussions of budget proposals are extracted from gubernatorial speeches using computational text analysis. The findings provide strong support for the main hypothesis, which holds across different econometric specifications and operationalizations of success. This study complements the traditional view of state budgeting as a process of bargaining and negotiations between the executive and legislative branches and indicates that public involvement may have a systematic influence on the outcome.

Our challenge: Increase the diversity of the chemistry pipeline

It is wonderful to see the great efforts and achievements that are being made globally to promote a culture of inclusion and respect. For almost a decade, I have seen how the American Chemical Society has been working to create safe, inclusive environments within the organization. The addition of goal 5 to the strategic plan has catalyzed actions of the committees, divisions, and local sections to look for ways to also advance the diversity, equity, inclusion, and respect core value. Two important achievements are the establishment of the Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Respect and the inclusion of goal 5 in the presidential succession plans. However, I would like to focus my Comment on the challenge to increase the diversity of the chemistry pipeline. The 2020 US Census shows that the country’s racial and ethnic makeup is now more diverse than ever. We would then expect to see more

When incumbents do not run: presidential succession and democratization

ABSTRACT When authoritarian incumbent presidents run in elections, they have significant incumbency advantage and almost always win. When incumbents comply with term limits or do not run for other reasons, they tend to designate successors in their stead. However, their chosen successors often lose. Do they lose because they cannot command the same electoral advantage in loyalty, resources and name recognition that incumbents can, or because succession and elections that follow occur in a more liberal environment? The identification of effects of presidential succession is challenging because individual decisions to leave office, or not, depend on existing power relations. Drawing from studies on authoritarian elections and democratization by elections, I propose an explanation why many incumbents are unable to transfer their incumbency advantage to handpicked successors. I rely on the battery of statistical tests including matching and instrumental variables to isolate the effects of succession on competitive authoritarian elections in 1990–2016. Controlling for liberalization that may occur during succession, successors are still more likely to lose; however, running in a hegemonic party regime or having prior political experience and status may mitigate their electoral disadvantage. When successors lose, I find that the executive turnover that follows often leads to further liberalization.

New frontiers and opportunities for chemistry

One of the benefits of serving in the American Chemical Society presidential succession is the opportunity to listen to members, colleagues, and students. These groups, particularly students, are often curious about future opportunities in chemistry. Below, are four elements of these future opportunities. New frontiers. During the 2011 International Year of Chemistry, Nature published an editorial, stating that “Chemistry is a mature field, but its exciting, productive, and influential days are far from over.” Indeed, chemistry covers a broad spectrum of activities: emerging areas and growth areas include biochemistry, nanotechnology, sustainability, advanced materials, catalysis, drug and agrochemical development, quantum computing, electronics, and computer applications. Many research topics in these areas are promising and innovative. Some of the foremost research in biochemistry is CRISPR, modified biologics, proteomics, epigenetics, bioinformatics, therapeutics, diagnostics, and vaccine developments. Advanced materials such as metal-organic frameworks, supramolecular chemistry, smart materials, and biomaterials will likely stimulate further growth

Institutionalizing Personalism: The Russian Presidency after Constitutional Changes

Abstract The 2020 constitutional changes considerably increase presidential powers while sending mixed signals about presidential transition. The main driver of the amendments were term limits. The “zeroing” of Putin’s presidential terms enhances certainty for himself by fostering uncertainty for others. But there is more to the amendments: Numerous changes are not new, they simply align the constitutional text with subconstitutional powers the presidency had been accumulating. The embedding of term limit circumvention in a comprehensive constitutional overhaul is a risk-hedging strategy to avert resistance by weakening the signal about Putin’s intentions. Constitutional changes are therefore an instrument of elite coordination. The amendments also increase presidential flexibility. This expedited regime personalization is detrimental to governance and will make repression more prevalent. But it also creates more risks for Putin. Regardless of how presidential succession will play out, Putin’s legacy will be a highly personalized authoritarian regime with a constitutionally unconstrained presidency.

How Far Can We Learn Anything of Practical Value from Our Pioneers? Reconsidering Wu Yifang’s Legacy of Higher Education

The dilemma confronting modern university development presents a challenge to the management ability of university presidents, hence a need to review how successful presidents of the past managed. Wu Yifang, the first Chinese woman president with remarkable achievements in education, has thus come to our attention. As President of Ginling College (GC), she was confronted with a preponderance of contradictions, including the conflicts between the ideas of Western universities and Chinese traditional culture, between Christian spirit and social responsibility, between educational logic and the political environment, between traditional inheritance and innovation, and between universal university governance experience and the unique needs of GC. She eventually succeeded in balancing these contradictions with her superb management wisdom, with the management ideas in China’s classical text, the Mean playing an important role in facilitating GC’s development. Wu Yifang’s management style demonstrated a remarkable balance in prioritizing both the pursuit of talent cultivation and social services, based on carefully catering to core principles pertaining to the development of universities and students. Wu Yifang’s management practices and philosophy can thus provide important inspiration for university presidents.

Remarks: Presidential Succession and Impeachment: Historical Precedents, from Indiana Beyond

Remarks: Presidential Succession and Impeachment: Historical Precedents, from Indiana Beyond

“No sería yo”: Implicaciones del discurso citado en la sombra del caudillo

La inserción de un discurso ajeno, sea un relato o una palabra, en el discurso propio, por parte de un personaje literario, tiene importantes implicaciones de sentido tanto en el discurso citador como en el citado; pero este acto de citación influye también en el hablante o locutor y en su interlocutor. Estos fenómenos se pueden observar en La sombra del caudillo, cuando Aguirre intenta, fallidamente, convencer al Presidente –el Caudillo, su amigo y protector–, de que no tiene interés en la sucesión presidencial. Uno y otro citan discursos ajenos o pretéritos, que terminan definiendo el destino trágico de Aguirre. En este artículo se realiza un análisis narratológico para establecer las implicaciones del discurso incorporado, tanto el plano discursivo como en el plano actancial.

THE CRUMBLING KYRGYZ REPUBLIC

Although Kyrgyzstan has recently withstood two coup d'états (or so-called “revolutions”) and a bout of ethnic violence, the politicization of the legal system by successive presidents portends a troublesome future. The 2017 transition from Almazbek Atambaev to Sooronbai Jeenbekov gave way to the former's arrest and imprisonment. A series of other prior arrests and incarcerations of (former) parliamentarians indicate that Kyrgyzstan's presidents are regularly manipulating the legal system to persecute and neutralize their rivals. This article posits that the repetitive rupturing of legal institutions will usher in an era of heightened illiberalism, elite uncertainty, and the further discrediting of the political system, thereby placing the state on the brink of failure. The mass uprising in response to the October 2020 parliamentary electoral results and most recent coup d'état indicate that the prospects of the Kyrgyz Republic suffering a collapse are real.

Reflections, thanks, and an exhortation

As I write my last C&EN Comment as a member of the American Chemical Society presidential succession, I am reflecting on the past 3 years. They went by very quickly and encompassed dramatic differe...