<p><b>Background & Problem</b>: Democracy in the Arab world has received much attention since the Kuwait war in 1991, both in academics and in the public debate. Lebanon in particular has through its history in the 20th century constantly been facing new challenges for its multicultural society of minorities. Conflicts have dominated several periods with a horrible experience of 15 years of civil war between 1975-1990. Religion and confessional belonging have large influence in the political system, giving Lebanon a character of confessional state. How the political system and civil society is related to concept of democracy is the main object of this study.</p><p><b>Purpose</b>: The main purpose of this study is to examine the political structure, civil society and democracy in Lebanon. A literature study is combined with a field study in order to deepen the understanding of the political system, civil society and process of democracy through interviews with actors within civil society, politicians and academics.</p><p><b>Method</b>: The scientific approach and method used in this study has a qualitative character with focus on hermeneutics and more specifically on the hermeneutic circle.</p><p><b>Theoretical Framework</b>: This chapter introduces the theoretical tools of the theory and concepts used in the study. Focus is on liberal democracy and deliberative democracy, and briefly on consociational democracy. Clarification of concept of state, civil society and democracy is used for further introduction in the case of Lebanon, which are also a part of this chapter. Primary and secondary sources are brought into light in the case of Lebanon, in which the interviews that are conducted during the field study are firmly a background for analysis.</p><p><b>Analysis & Conclusions</b>: In the analysis, the focus is on understanding the text (primary and secondary data) in search for fulfilling the purpose and reach for an understanding of civil society and democracy in Lebanon. This chapter deals with the interpretation of the case Lebanon in evaluation of the theoretical framework with discussion on civil society, de-mocracy and political system. Conclusions and reflection upon the study and its results are presented in a final chapter.</p>

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / Partido do Movimento DemocrÃtico Brasileiro (PMDB) criado em 1980, tem suas origens no Movimento DemocrÃtico Brasileiro (MDB), legenda que surgiu em 1966, em oposiÃÃo ao Regime Militar, instaurado no paÃs no perÃodo de 1964 a 1985. Sendo o responsÃvel pela luta em prol da redemocratizaÃÃo do Brasil, o PMDB Ã um dos mais importantes partidos polÃticos do paÃs, apesar de nÃo ter eleito nenhum Presidente da RepÃblica por meio do voto direto. O presente trabalho busca a trajetÃria e estratÃgia polÃtica do PMDB entre os anos de 1982 e 2010, levando em consideraÃÃo as seguintes variÃveis: sua origem, desempenho eleitoral e presenÃa de seus parlamentares nos governos. Mais especificamente, pretende compreender o lugar de tal legenda na dinÃmica partidÃria pÃs-redemocratizaÃÃo a partir da postura adotada pelo PMDB, o maior partido em nÃmero de cadeiras no Congresso Nacional, de se concentrar no Legislativo e na conquista de cargos no Governo Federal. / The Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), created in 1980, has its origin in the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), a political party formed in 1966 to oppose to the Military Government, which ruled the country from 1964 to 1985. Responsible for the struggle towards democracy in Brazil, PMDB is one of the most important political parties in the country, even though it hasnât elected any President through direct elections to this date. The current research seeks to understand the trajectory and the political strategy set forth by PMDB in the period of 1985 and 2010, taking into consideration the following aspects: its origins, its electoral performances and the presence of its politicians in various federal administrations. Furthermore, it intends to comprehend the place occupied by this political party within the post-redemocratization party dynamics, considering the attitude adopted by PMDB to focus on the legislative bodies and also on positions inside the federal administration.

No abstract available. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Public Law / unrestricted

In this paper, I investigated the influence of the existing political power on the economical and social development of the state. The paper went deeper into positive and negative effects, state of economy within the years since the establishment of the Republic of Belarus, dominating social tendencies and the ways of improving the existing situation. The last part of the thesis presented analysis of whether Belarus is ready to enter European Union, as some of its members have already done ( Poland, Lithuania), why/why not. I assess that my own ideas contribute by approximately 30 % to the presented text.

The topic of my thesis are parliamentary systems. For this topic I have decided mainly on the grounds that the Czech Republic ranks among countries with a parliamentary form of government, like most of European countries. The work is divided into seven chapters, which are subsequently divided into different subsections or other parts. At the beginning of my work I have engaged in the general concept of political systems. The view of this chapter is mainly to introduce readers to the topic and to acquaint them with the basic types of democratic political systems, which includes particular the parliamentary, presidential and semi-presidential systems. The second chapter is engaged in parliamentary systems and their basic definitions. This chapter contains the theoretical foundation for the whole work and especially introduces readers with the basic principles upon which these systems work. Among these principles is included especially the principle separation of powers which is not too strictly interpreted, the sovereignty of Parliament and the specific relationships between the executive and legislature. In the third chapter I have dealt with the relationships between the supreme constitutional organs, as well as their position in the constitutional system. This issue is very important, just as relations...

O objetivo desse trabalho é compreender o processo político e econômico de abertura pró-mercado do final do século passado que levou, na América do Sul, à ascensão dos atuais governos de mudança. Optou-se por fazer uma análise que levasse em conta o processo geral da região, mas sem perder de vista a especificidade de cada país. Desse modo, buscou-se compreender os limites internos desse processo na Venezuela. Isso porque, além de o país ter sido o primeiro a eleger um candidato crítico ao neoliberalismo, no caso venezuelano, essa maior abertura econômica da década de 1990 levou à falência do modelo político vigente. A hipótese desse trabalho é, portanto, a de que eleição de um candidato com discurso radical de ruptura com o status quo se faz possível em uma sociedade como a venezuelana, que, historicamente, tem uma consciência rentísta. O rentísmo venezuelano permitiu, ao longo da história, a eleição de candidatos autônomos e com projetos políticos próprios. Essa característica histórica venezuelana, associada à perda de legitimidade política e econômica do modelo de Punto Fijo permitiu a ascensão de Chávez. A discussão dessa hipótese é feita em três capítulos que procuram entender historicamente o processo regional de ascensão e crise do modelo neoliberal para, em seguida, analisar os limites internos da Venezuela. / The work aims at understanding the reasons that led to the emergence and the demise of the economic development model implemented in Venezuela in the 1990s and how such model contributed to the collapse of the political system established by the Punto Fijo Pact in 1958. It discusses the hypothesis that the rise of the Chávez Government was possible due to a regional context marked by the exhaustion of the neoliberal economic model in Latin America and the failure of the political system of Punto Fijo. The work opted to follow an analysis that took into account the overall process in the region without overlooking the specificities of the country. Consequently, it seeks to understand the internal limits of that process in Venezuela, a country characterized by an abundance of resources. That framework of analysis was adopted because Venezuela was the first country where a President with a critical approach towards neoliberalism was elected. Likewise, it was the country where a further opening of the economy led to the fall of the (then) current political system. The Venezuelan feature of a rentier society transformed the relations between the social agents and the state in such a way that a rentistic culture was firmly established. That Venezuelan historical trait, coupled with the loss of political and economic legitimacy of the Punto Fijo model, paved the way to the rise of Chávez. The discussion of the above-mentioned hypothesis is presented throughout three chapters that seek to provide a historical explanation of the rise and the crisis of the neoliberal in order to, subsequently, analyse the internal limits of Venezuela.

O objetivo desse trabalho é compreender o processo político e econômico de abertura pró-mercado do final do século passado que levou, na América do Sul, à ascensão dos atuais governos de mudança. Optou-se por fazer uma análise que levasse em conta o processo geral da região, mas sem perder de vista a especificidade de cada país. Desse modo, buscou-se compreender os limites internos desse processo na Venezuela. Isso porque, além de o país ter sido o primeiro a eleger um candidato crítico ao neoliberalismo, no caso venezuelano, essa maior abertura econômica da década de 1990 levou à falência do modelo político vigente. A hipótese desse trabalho é, portanto, a de que eleição de um candidato com discurso radical de ruptura com o status quo se faz possível em uma sociedade como a venezuelana, que, historicamente, tem uma consciência rentísta. O rentísmo venezuelano permitiu, ao longo da história, a eleição de candidatos autônomos e com projetos políticos próprios. Essa característica histórica venezuelana, associada à perda de legitimidade política e econômica do modelo de Punto Fijo permitiu a ascensão de Chávez. A discussão dessa hipótese é feita em três capítulos que procuram entender historicamente o processo regional de ascensão e crise do modelo neoliberal para, em seguida, analisar os limites internos da Venezuela. / The work aims at understanding the reasons that led to the emergence and the demise of the economic development model implemented in Venezuela in the 1990s and how such model contributed to the collapse of the political system established by the Punto Fijo Pact in 1958. It discusses the hypothesis that the rise of the Chávez Government was possible due to a regional context marked by the exhaustion of the neoliberal economic model in Latin America and the failure of the political system of Punto Fijo. The work opted to follow an analysis that took into account the overall process in the region without overlooking the specificities of the country. Consequently, it seeks to understand the internal limits of that process in Venezuela, a country characterized by an abundance of resources. That framework of analysis was adopted because Venezuela was the first country where a President with a critical approach towards neoliberalism was elected. Likewise, it was the country where a further opening of the economy led to the fall of the (then) current political system. The Venezuelan feature of a rentier society transformed the relations between the social agents and the state in such a way that a rentistic culture was firmly established. That Venezuelan historical trait, coupled with the loss of political and economic legitimacy of the Punto Fijo model, paved the way to the rise of Chávez. The discussion of the above-mentioned hypothesis is presented throughout three chapters that seek to provide a historical explanation of the rise and the crisis of the neoliberal in order to, subsequently, analyse the internal limits of Venezuela.

The aim of the work is to analyze and evaluate the ideological background of Turkish society and its influence on economic and political development of Turkey and thus to bring a new complex explanation of Turkish problems on the way to the EU and prospects of their solution. The work maps socioeconomic development of the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, the influence of specific Turkish values on this development and the political efforts to modernize the system. On the basis of this analyse, it evaluates Turkish potencial for adoption of new values and their application for modernization and democratization of society. Work also analyses values of Turkish people, discovered by various opinion polls, and compares them with the standards of the EU. Consequently, it explains the differences in values by analysis of Turkish ideologies and the cleavages between them. Eventually, the work maps ideological fundamentals of contemporary Turkish political system, their reflection in Constitution, laws and political practice. It also concentrates on ideologies and goals of Turkish political parties and movements, their influence on Turkish society and their compatibility with the standards of the EU. The principal aim of this analysis is to evaluate influence of specific Turkish ideologies on Turkish political and economic development and fulfilment of political standards of the EU.

Seit nunmehr 30 Jahren hat die Islamische Republik Iran Bestand, doch noch immer dauern Debatten über die Einordnung des politischen Systems an. Handelt es sich um ein autoritäres oder totalitäres Regime oder gar um eine neue Form islamischer Herrschaft? Die Beantwortung der Frage ist nicht nur für die Wissenschaft von Relevanz; sie ist von hoher politischer Aktualität. In zehn Beiträgen von deutschen und iranischen Autoren wird das politische System der Islamischen Republik anhand seiner Geschichte, seines Institutionengefüges, seiner gesellschaftlichen Kräfte sowie seiner Außenbeziehungen analysiert und in das regionale Gefüge eingeordnet. Ergänzt werden die Artikel durch Schaubilder und Statistiken sowie durch eine Zeittafel und ein Glossar mit den wichtigsten Begrifflichkeiten.

Wahlen sind wichtige Bestandteile demokratischer Strukturen und werfen schon im Vorfeld ihrer Durchführung ihre Schatten voraus. Die Russländische Föderation (RF) stellt hierbei keine Ausnahme dar, aber können in ihrem Falle nur selten westeuropäische Maßstäbe angewandt werden. Russischen Uhren ticken anders. Für die RF gelten keine Schablonen, keine allgemein übertragbaren Parameter. Fragen der Sozialisierung, Mentalitätsfragen und Fragen nach der politischen Kultur spielen hierbei in der Realität eine entscheidende Rolle. Es ist wichtig, die Akteure im System selbst zu untersuchen, nicht aber, wie es in der Literatur stattfindet, mit dem Blick auf die Wirkung der Einzelakteure auf das Gesamtsystem, sondern des Gesamtsystems auf einen Einzelakteur. Hierbei analysiert die Arbeit die spezifischen Eigenarten des russländischen politischen Systems, verdeutlicht die Entwicklung des politischen Lebens in der RF, besonders der politischen Vereinigungen und streicht die rechtliche Stellung sowie die politischen Lager heraus. Im vereinigungspolitischen Spektrum der RF haben sich nur wenige Konstanten herauskristallisieren können. Einer dieser Fixpunkte ist in der Kommunistischen Partei der Russländischen Föderation (KPRF) zu sehen. Die Vereinigung hatte es geschafft, wie ein Phönix aus der Asche aufzusteigen. Sich nicht nur über die Zeit des Putsches 1993 zu retten, sondern in der Folgezeit zur einzigen Vereinigung zu erwachsen, der es möglich war, sich gegen die rechtspopulistische Liberal-Demokratische Partei Russlands (LDPR), die Parteien der Macht´, aber auch gegen JABLOKO und die Jelzin-Administration zu behaupten. Keine Vereinigung dieser Zeit schaffte es, so viele Mitglieder und Wähler an sich zu binden, wie es die kommunistische Partei unter G. A. Sjuganow vermochte. Letztendlich ist es der KPRF gelungen, mit G. A. Sjuganow den aussichtsreichsten Gegenkandidaten zu B. N. Jelzin aufzubauen. Die Präsidentschaftswahl von 1996 ist, wie keine nach ihr, denkbar knapp ausgefallen und erst in der Stichwahl entschieden worden. Gleichsam stellt das Jahr 1996 für die Vereinigung eine tief greifende Zäsur dar. Für die Erfolge und Niederlagen der KPRF ist es von Vorteil, die sie beeinflussenden Faktoren in exogene, der Makroebene politische System der RF´ und in endogene, der Mikroebene KPRF´ entstammende Faktoren zu unterteilen. Auf die exogenen Faktoren, wie beispielsweise die exponierte Stellung des Präsidenten, eine fehlende Parteiengesetzgebung, die marginale Stellung der Staatsduma, die Politikverdrossenheit und Sozialisierung der Wahlbevölkerung oder die geografischen Dimensionen der Föderation, konnte die Sjuganow-Vereinigung nur geringfügig Einfluss nehmen. Die endogenen Faktoren, wie das politische Programm, das Statut oder eine fehlende innerparteiliche Homogenität, lagen in den Händen der Vereinigung und konnten von ihr aktiv, aus ihr heraus gestaltet werden. Für den angestrebten Sieg zur Präsidentschaftswahl 1996 oblag es der KPRF, geeignete Strategien zu finden. Als für das Ziel positiv kann der Schwenk von der unversöhnlichen zur konstruktiven Opposition, eine breite Koalitionsbereitschaft, das Nutzen dichter Netzwerke und ein breites Angebot programmatischer Schwerpunkte, gekoppelt an den Passus Partei leninistischen Typs´ gewertet werden. Dass G. A. Sjuganow in der Vereinigung umstritten war, der Vorwurf des fehlenden Charismas im Raum stand und es die Vereinigung nicht vermochte, ausreichend Mobilisierungspotential gegenüber Wählern außerhalb der KPRF-Stammwählerschaft zu erreichen, sind als dem Ziel abträglich zu betrachten. Ferner verfolgte die KPRF einen grauen, klassischen, aber z. T. unprofessionellen Wahlkampf, der der Kremladministration nicht gefährlich werden konnte und dem modernen, stark medialen Wahlkampf B. N. Jelzins nichts entgegenzusetzen hatte. Eine einseitige Ausrichtung auf russisch-nationale Themen kann ebenfalls als strategischer Fehler der KPRF gesehen werden, zeigten doch Umfragen, dass dem Großteil der Wahlbevölkerung mehr an der Verbesserung der sozial-ökonomischen Lage gelegen war, als an nationaler Rhetorik. Eine von exogener Seite geschürte Kommunismusangst und das Fehlen eines positiven Alternativprogramms von endogener Seite runden das Scheitern der KPRF zur Präsidentschaftswahl 1996 ab. Die Arbeit zeigt, dass die exogenen, wie auch endogenen Faktoren sowohl hemmend, als auch fördernd auf die KPRF einwirken konnten. Woran die KPRF beim Erreichen des Wahlsieges von 1996 letztendlich scheiterte, kann aus keiner der beiden Seiten eindeutig abgeleitet werden. Sowohl die endogenen, als auch die exogenen Faktoren leisteten ihren Betrag zum Scheitern der Vereinigung, doch muss festgehalten werden, dass die Einflussnahme der KPRF auf die hemmenden Faktoren im exogenen Bereich hätte stärker ausfallen können. / Elections are important elements of democratic structures and cast a cloud over transforming processes, especially in the Russian Federation. One can rarely apply Western European parameters, as there are no simple patterns fitting the political structures. Questions of socialisation, mentality and questions concerning the political culture play a decisive role in Russian reality. The thesis analyses the specific rules of the Russian political system, shows the development of the political parties and is gives review of the regulatory framework and the political situation in the Russian Federation in the period 1991 - 1996. The main focus of the thesis is on the CPRF and the fast development after 1993, which could be compared to phoenix rising from the ashes. The CPRF matured and became an invariable political part of the Russian Federation. The Communist Party lost the presidential elections in 1996, which was the main chance for the CPRF to come into power. Candidate G. A. Zyganov received 32% of the votes, just 35% short of B. N. Yeltsin. The thesis analyses the mistakes the CPRF made and divides the influences into exogenous parameters (emanate from the macroscopic political system of the Russian Federation´) and endogenous parameters (emanate from the microscopic CPRF´).