African Democrats Look for Ways to Curb ‘Imperial Presidency’.docVIP

African Democrats Look for Ways to Curb ‘Imperial Presidency’Militaries still overthrow constitutional democracies in Africa, as seen this year in Mali. But more often, civilian dictatorships emerge without much fanfare or publicity. In recent years, they’ve been made possible by the growth of unlimited powers of the presidency and by the absence of oversight of the executive by courts and parliament.April 18, 2012 The “imperial帝国的，皇家的 presidency.” It’s the name given by many constitutional scholars学者 and opposition politicians to unchecked powers that some say practically 几乎差不多make the executive into a monarchy君主，君主国. Strong presidents are part of a long tradition in Africa, from powerful colonial 职民的governors to leaders linked to one-party rule. Scholars say nearly everyone is complicit: ?有同谋关系的,串通一气的they note many founding fathers believed that only powerful leaders could fosternational unity and development. Their authority was not to be questioned by public debate or by other branches of government. Professor of law Kwasi Prempeh, who teaches at Seton Hall Law School in Newark, New Jersey, said many African constitutions were amended in the 1990s to reflect 反射multi-party democracy. But he said they left the issue of presidential power unanswered. What is executive power? It comes from constitutional tradition, he explained, Opponents said Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade s decision to run for another term violated the constitution. Voters failed to renew his mandate in 2012. Those laws, adopted by parliaments议院，国会 and regimes in the past, give the president overwhelming 巨大的，压倒优势的powers over a broad range of areas, such as the police, internal security, the economy, land allocation, and state corporations.? Prempeh said they’ve become entrenched 确立的，确定的over time, and have come to define the president’s powers. Accumulated powers Prempeh said other modes of unchecked behavior persist坚持持续. Among them are presidential directives指令指示, which some call?“governme