Serbia in Constitutional Limbo: Democracy Without Constitutionalism

Marijana Pajvančić

Ljubica Đorđević

Abstract

The paper addresses the problem of the constitutionalisation of the Serbian polity. The analysis in the paper goes in three parts. Part one examines whether there was a “window of constitutional opportunity” in Serbia after 2000, and we examine which peculiarities of the Serbian democratic tradition have burdened the constitutionalisation process. In part two we explore the weaknesses of the constitution of 2006. We examine the strategy of the constitutional continuity, as well as the procedural and substantive defects of the constitution which have led to its low legitimacy. In the final part we outline the incapability of the constitution to frame the political process, to limit the political power and to channel it into democratic institutions. Almost 14 years after the overthrow of Milošević and the initiation of the democratization process Serbia has not manage to substantially constitutionalize the polity. Despite the adoption of a new constitution in 2006, the bad tradition of façade-constituality was not broken. The over-hasty adoption of the constitution had led to violation of the procedure and to mixed quality of the constitutional provisions. From the very start the democratic legitimacy of the constitution was low, and it showed no capacity to channel the political power. The political players have shown no willingness to submit government actions to objective and impersonal rules. Furthermore, almost every stakeholder perceives the constitution as an interim act needed to be changed, which additionally undermines the authority of the constitution. Under such circumstances, the constitutional issue remains latently opened and the state is in a latent constitutional crisis. This corresponds with the specific para-constituality of the Serbian order in which the constitution is just a façade, and the power is not rooted in the state institutions but in the political party oligarchies. The constitution has not managed to diminish this dualism (nor was this the intention of the constitutional maker) and the democratization process in Serbia got stuck in some form of a pluralistic party state.

References

1. Belančić, M. (2001) “Democratic Changes and Resistance”. In: Spasić, I., Subotić, M. (eds.) “Revolution and Order. Serbia after October 2000”, Belgrade: Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory. pp. 205-213.
2. Carothers, T. (2002) “The End of the Transition Paradigm“, Journal of Democracy, 13(1): 5-21.
3. Dimitrijević, N. (2004) “Srbija kao nedovršena država”. In: Vujadinović, D. et. al. (eds.), Izmedju autoritarizma i demokratije: Srbija, Crna Gora i Hrvatska. Knjiga II Civilno društvo i politička kultura. Beograd: Cedet. pp. 57-71.
4. Dimitrijević, N. (2007) Ustavna demokratija shvaćena kontekstualno. Beograd: Fabrika knjiga.
5. Đinđić, Z. (2010) Jugoslavija kao nedovršena država. Beograd: Narodna bibioteka Srbije – Fond Dr Zoran Đinđić.
6. European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) (2006) Opinion on the Constitution of Serbia, Opinion No. 405/2006.
7. Grimm, D. (2010) “The Achievement of Constitutionalism and its Prospects in a Changed World”. In: Dobner, P., Loughlin, M. (eds.) “The Twilight of Constitutionalism?”, New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 3-22.
8. Komitet pravnika za ljudska prava (2013) Ustav Republike Srbije- Nedostaci i potreba za reformom. Preliminarni izveštaj o nedostacima Ustava Republike Srbije i predlozi za reformu. Beograd: Komitet pravnika za ljudska prava [online]. Available at http://www.yucom.org.rs/upload/Izvestaj%20Ustav%20.pdf [Accessed 1 September 2014].
9. Linz, J., Stepan, A. (1996) “Toward Consolidated Democracies“, Journal of Democracy, April 1996: 14-33.
10. Linz, J. J./Stepan, A. (1996a): Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation. Southern Europe, South America, and Post-Communist Europe. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
11. Marković, R. (2007) “Ustav Republike Srbije od 2006. – Kritički pogled”. In: Marković, R., Brčin, D. (eds.), Ustav Srbije-kritička analiza, Beograd: Beogradski forum za svet ravnopravnih. pp. 9- 55.
12. Merkel, W., Sandschneider, E., Segert, D. (1996) “Institutionalisierung der Demokratie”. In: Merkel, W. Sandschneider, E. Segert, D. (ed.) Systemwechsel 2. Institutionalisierung der Demokratie, Opladen: Leske und Budruch. pp. 9-36.
13. Merkel, W. (2004) “Embeded and Deffective Democracies”, Democratization, 11(5): 33-58.
14. Molnar, A. (2013) Ustavni haos prve revolucionarne rotacije u Srbiji: 5. Oktobar – 27. jul 2012. Beograd: Fabrika knjiga – Fond za otvoreno društvo.
15. Orlović, S. (2008) Politički život Srbije. Između partokratije i demokratije. Beograd: Službeni glasnik.
16. Orlović, S. (2012) “Prepreke konsolidaciji demokratije u Srbiji”. In: Stojiljković, Z. (ed.), Lavirinti tranzicije, Beograd: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung/Cetar za demokratiju Fakulteta političkih nauka. pp. 215-226.
17. Pajvančić. (2005) Srbija između ustava i ustavnosti. Beograd: Helsinški odbor za ljudska prava u Srbiji.
18. Pajvančić, M. (2006) “Postupak usvajanja ustava – odsustvo demokratske legitimacije”, Srpska pravna revija, 5/2006: 16-23.
19. Pajvančić, M. (2009) Komentar Ustava Republike Srbije. Beograd: Fondacija Konrad Adenauer.
20. Pešić, V. (2007) “Nacionalizam nemoguće države – Okvir za razumevanje neuspele legitimacijske tranzicije u Srbiji“. In: Vujadinović, D., Goati, V. (eds.): Izmedju autoritarizma i demokratije. Knjiga III. Nacionalni i državni interes moderne Srbije. Beograd: Friedrich Ebert Stiftung/Cedet. pp. 65-78.
21. Pešić, V. (2012) Divlje društvo. Kako smo stigli dovde. Beograd: Peščanik.
22. Podunavac, M. (2005) “Srbija između dikatature i demokratije”. In: Mihajlović, S. (ed.): Pet godina tranzicije u Srbiji. Beograd: Socijaldemokratski klub – Fondacija Friedrich Ebert. pp. 11-24.
23. Puhle, J-H. (2005) Democratic Consolidation and “Defective Democracies”. Estudio/Working Paper 47/2005 [online]. Available at: http://portal.uam.es/portal/page/portal/UAM_ORGANIZATIVO/Departamentos/CienciaPoliticaRelacionesInternacionales/publicaciones%20en%20red/working_papers/archivos/47_2005.pdf [Accessed 25 March  2014].
24. Rüb, F. W. (1996) “Zur Funktion und Bedeutung politischer Institutionen in Systemwechselprozessen. Eine  vergleichende Betrachtung“. In: Merkel, W., Sandschneider, E., Segert, D. (eds.): Systemwechsel 2: Institutionalisierung der Demokratie. Opladen : Leske and Budrich. pp. 37-72.
25. Schwartz, H. (2004) “Building Blocks for a Constitution”, Issues of Democracy: Constitutionalism and Emerging Democracies, 9(1): 12-17.