Studia Politica. Romanian Political Science Review vol. XXVI, no. 1, 2026

ARTICULI

ŁUKASZ JAKUBIAK (Jagiellonian University)

Presidentialization of Politics in the Context of Judicial Power: The Co-Existence of the French Head of State and the Constitutional Council

The paper examines the phenomenon of presidentialization of politics in France’s Fifth Republic from the perspective of how the judicial branch functions. f The concept of presidentialization means reinforcing the position of the leaders of the executive – presidents or prime ministers. The French Constitutional Council, which is a body of constitutional adjudication – but not a typical constitutional court – usually remains outside the scope of analysis from this point of view. The aim of the paper is to discuss the strategies of French presidents, especially – in terms of influencing the composition of the Constitutional Council – in order to maximize their own political benefits. On the other hand, however, one of the effects of the Constitutional Council’s jurisprudence may be the judicialization of politics, which leads to further limitations imposed on legislative activities inspired by the executive. The hypothesis suggesting the overlapping of the two contradictory phenomena requires further investigation.

Keywords: Presidentialization, Judicialization, Constitutionalization of Politics, Constitutional Council, France, Fifth Republic

JACOPO VITI (Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Radical Without Retreat: Discursive Sophistication and Multi-Level Resilience in the Candidatura D’unitat Popular

This study examines how the Candidatura d'Unitat Popular (CUP), a Catalan radical left pro-independence party, resists the institutionalization pressures that typically drive movement parties towards moderation and eventual collapse. Through qualitative thematic content analysis of official CUP documents produced between 2023 and 2025 - stratified by institutional level (municipal, regional, national) and thematic domain (housing, climate, healthcare) - the study investigates the discursive mechanisms underpinning the party's ideological resilience. The findings reveal that the CUP does not maintain a uniform discourse across contexts but rather operates a sophisticated multi-level rhetorical strategy. It deploys pragmatic, problem-solving language at the municipal level whilst escalating towards systemic anti-capitalist and pro-independence radicalism at the national scale. Far from generating internal contradictions, this contextual variation is enabled and stabilized by the party's decentralized organizational structure. These findings challenge established movement party theory by demonstrating that discursive flexibility and organizational fragmentation, rather than constituting vulnerabilities, can function as mechanisms of long-term ideological coherence and political survival.

Keywords: Candidatura d'Unitat Popular, Radical Left, Pro-Independence, Movement Parties, Institutionalization, Thematic Content Analysis

SHIRAK SAFARYAN (University of Wrocław)

Türkiye’s Strategic Interests and Instruments in the South Caucasus after 2020

Keywords: Candidatura d'Unitat Popular, Radical Left, Pro-Independence, Movement Parties, Institutionalization, Thematic Content Analysis

THIBAULT COURCELLE (INU Champollion), SAMUEL DELÉPINE (University of Angers), DAVID GOUARD (University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès)

Romanian Workers in France and European Citizenship: A Monographic Study of the Difficulties of Electoral Participation in the Country of Residence

This article examines the obstacles to electoral participation faced by Romanians in France. Despite their status as European citizens, only seven per cent of Romanians are registered on municipal electoral rolls, compared to an average of twenty-seven per cent for Europeans as a whole. The ethnographic study conducted in a rural French commune, shows that this low turnout can be explained by several factors, including recent and precarious integration (arduous jobs, substandard housing, mistrust of the local population), an inherited civic culture (disaffection with politics, mistrust of institutions, and the transposition of Romanian practices). Community compartmentalization also limits interactions with the host society. The study reveals a utilitarian approach to politics, with priorities such as employment, housing, and health taking precedence over electoral engagement, which is perceived as ineffective. Finally, the low number of community organizations or mobilizing figures fosters self-exclusion. As a result, European citizenship is often reduced to freedom of movement rather than political participation.

Keywords: Turnout, Romanian Migration, European Citizenship, Politicization, Ethnography

HAMZA PRELJEVIĆ (International University of Sarajevo), HARUN HALILOVIĆ (International University of Sarajevo)

Legal and Foreign Policy Aspects of Investment Contracts in the Western Balkans: Exploring Alternatives to the European Union

The changing geopolitical landscape in Europe has numerous implications for the Western Balkan countries. The inability of Western Balkan countries to attract foreign direct investment from the European Union (EU), their primary economic partners, drives political leaders to seek alternatives, such as Russia and China. On the other hand, Russia and China are looking for ways to increase their influence in the region and challenge the dominance of Western countries, with investments serving as a key tool to that end. However, investments entail unavoidable legal consequences, such as a lack of transparency, allegations of corruption, and avoidance of local courts. Many investments either fail or are marred with doubts about their legality, and some are entangled in legal disputes. The most significant implication is the influence of these investments on countries with foreign policy affiliations and on their progress toward EU integration. The article employs legal and contextual content analysis, as well as case studies, to investigate the legal and political implications of investment contracts originating from Russia and China in countries of the Western Balkans, primarily Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). BiH, as a country with a complex legal and constitutional system and fragile peace, is in dire need of reforms, primarily those required for EU accession. Therefore, policies that reduce focus on EU integration may generate unintended consequences for reforming trajectories in the Western Balkans.

Keywords: Western Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina, EU Integrations, Investment, Corruption, Transparency

NATHALIE DUCLOS (University of Toulouse Jean Jaurès)

Assessing Party-Movement Interactions in the Scottish Independence Movement in Relation to Defense Matters

This article contributes to the growing field of research on party-movement interactions by studying the interactions between the Scottish National Party (SNP) and the wider Scottish independence movement in relation to defense matters, especially nuclear disarmament and NATO membership. It examines the degree to which the SNP remains a movement-based party based on Sidney Tarrow’s contention that such parties are more likely to be driven by ideological militancy. According to the categories of party-movement interactions theorized by Mildred A. Schwartz and Dieter Rucht, the paper further analyzes the degree of closeness or symbiosis between the SNP and the wider independence movement. The study argues that, despite having become a government party, the SNP inherits a strong ideological tradition of anti-nuclearism and anti-militarism, which allows it to remain close to the wider independence movement. However, recent SNP defense policy changes have created a new dividing line between party and movement in a field which had, on the contrary, served as a major source of unity until then. Such policy changes include its support for NATO membership since 2012, and for increased defense spending in the current context of European rearmament.

Keywords: Party, Movement, Scotland, Independence, Defense

YUXIANG LIN (Tianjin University)

Is the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (Dps) a Vehicle of Democratic Backsliding or Resilience? Selective Service Provision as a Clientelistic Mechanism

This article examines whether ethnic parties act as vehicles of democratic resilience or democratic backsliding, focusing on Bulgaria’s Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS). While existing scholarship offers conflicting expectations about the role of ethnic parties, it has paid limited attention to the everyday mechanisms through which these parties sustain support and shape democratic outcomes. Drawing on original fieldwork and interview evidence, the article identifies selective service provision as a key mechanism linking ethnic party organization to democratic quality. In contexts of weak state capacity, DPS compensates for gaps in public service delivery by mobilizing local networks and providing targeted, often informal, solutions. While such practices can enhance short-term satisfaction, inclusion, and local stability, they also personalize access to public goods, reinforce dependency on party networks, and weaken impersonal, rule-based accountability. At the same time, ethnic identity becomes embedded in patterns of resource allocation, functioning as a channel through which access to services is structured and political support is sustained. By shifting the focus from national-level institutions to everyday governance practices, the article reconceptualizes ethnic parties as ambivalent actors whose organizational strategies can simultaneously sustain and erode democracy.

Keywords: Ethnic Politics, Democratic Backsliding, Democratic Resilience, DPS, Bulgaria

NINO MACHURISHVILI (European University)

Youth Policy and Democratic Governance in Georgia: A Survey-Based Analysis of Civic Engagement

This study examines the effectiveness of youth policy frameworks in Georgia and their implications for democratic governance and state institutional development. Through a comprehensive mixed-methods approach incorporating theoretical analysis and empirical survey data from a hundred participants with ages between eighteen and twenty-nine years old, from across multiple Georgian regions, the research employs purposive non-probability sampling to ensure geographic, gender, and socioeconomic diversity. While the sample size of N=100 limits external validity, findings are treated as indicative and are triangulated with document analysis to strengthen validity. The analysis identifies significant gaps between policy implementation and youth engagement outcomes. Despite comprising twenty-nine point-eight percent of Georgia’s population, young people demonstrate limited awareness of state youth initiatives (thirty-two percent) and minimal participation in civic activities (sixty-eight percent report no volunteer experience). Statistical analysis indicates strong correlations between institutional trust and engagement willingness, while economic constraints emerge as the primary barrier to participation (sixty-four percent of respondents). The study contributes to understanding youth policy effectiveness and offers analytical insights into the conditions shaping youth civic engagement in post-Soviet transitional democracies.

Keywords: Youth policy, Democratic Governance, Civic Engagement, Georgia, Post-Soviet Transition, State Structure, Institutional Trust

ANNALES

***Chronology of the Romanian Political Life

October 01, 2025 – March 31, 2026

Under the coordination of Domnica Gorovei, Alexandru-Cristian Găzdaru, Mihai Niculache, Luca Tulvan, Diana-Elena Ștefan and Andrei-Laurențiu Zepiși, the following students of the Faculty of Political Science, University of Bucharest, have contributed to the chronology: Giovanni Patric Bușteanu, Rafael Neagu, Alexandra Polcovnicu, George-Deian Primejdie-Ianculovici, Ștefania-Vali Sterian, Bianca-Maria Șoșoacă, Ancuța Zaharia.

RECENSIONES

CORNELIA ULBERT, MARCUS KAPLAN (EDS.), Global Trends: Prospects for Development and Peace. Multilateral Cooperation for People and Planet, Verlag Barbara Budrich Berlin, 2026 (IULIA ARMENCEA, University of Bucharest)

Studia Politica. Romanian Political Science Review, Vol. 26, No. 1 (2026)

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