Parliamentarization of Government Management Forms in the Post-Soviet States. The Causes and Consequences

Abstract

The article deals with the forms of government transformation in the post-Soviet states (Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia) in the direction of parliamentarization. Using neoinstitutional and comparative research methods, the author analyses the causes for this transformation and the degree of its influence on the political process.
It is shown that as a result of the changes, the presidents of Georgia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan have lost the most important powers, although they have retained the status of the heads of state. The parliamentary electoral system in all the three states was replaced by a fully proportional one. The conclusion is made that the changes in the government management forms and the electoral system were initiated by the ruling elites and are aimed not so much at improving the efficiency of public administration, as at retaining the power. However, in Armenia and Georgia  parliamentarization had an “toppling” effect on the ruling elite, but in Kyrgyzstan it can lead to the removal of the former incumbent from the channels of influence on the serving President. In general, institutional reforms in the direction of parliamentarization, combined with the transition to a proportional electoral system, lead to the development of political competition and contribute to the institutionalization of party systems in the states considered.