The Non-Responsibility of the Monarch and the Responsibility of the President

Abstract

The article provides a comparative analysis of the institution of responsibility as applied to the monarch and the president. The monarch is subject neither to legal nor political responsibility, as the monarch's power has a transcendent source. On the contrary, the power of the president is derived from the people-sovereign, which is his main instance of responsibility, both legal and political. In reality, however, it is not easy to hold the president accountable. The author shows some reasons for this. The problem of presidential accountability is exacerbated by the similarities between the institutions of the president and the monarch. Both theory and constitutional law often gravitate toward endowing the president with some essentially monarchical qualities.