Southern European Parliaments in Democracy

200 Pages·2015·2.201 MB·English

by  Cristina Leston-Bandeira

Southern European Parliaments in
Democracy
Southern European Parliaments in Democracy analyses the development
of the parliaments of Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey since
the mid-1980s. This book considers the challenges of the transition to
democracy and outlines how theParliamentsof Southern Europe have
adapted to the pressures of a democratic polity. Its focus is an
assessment ofthemain changes that have takenplace since theperiods
of transition to democracy right up to the present day. Chapters are
country specific and consider a variety of indicators, from legislation
and scrutiny to the social background of MPs.
This book was previously published as a special issue of The Journal of
Legislative Studies.
Cristina Leston-Bandeira is a Lecturer in Legislative Studies at the
University of Hull.
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THE LIBRARY OF LEGISLATIVE STUDIES
General Editor: Philip Norton
ISSN 1460-9649
A series of new and recent books exploring the role of legislature in
contemporary political systems.
The volumes typically draw together a team of country specialist to
provide in-depth analysis.
Parliaments in Contemporary Western Europe
Edited by Philip Norton
Volume 1: Parliaments and Governments in Western Europe
Volume 2: Parliaments and Pressure Groups in Western Europe
Volume 3: Parliaments and Citizens in Western Europe
Second Chambers
Edited by Nicholas D.J. Baldwin and Donald Shell
Delegation and Accountability in European Integration
The Nordic Parliamentary Democracies and the European Union
Edited by Torbjo¨rn Bergman and Erik Damgaard
The Uneasy Relationships between Parliamentary Members and Leaders
Edited by Lawrence D. Longley and Reuven Y. Hazan
Parliaments in Asia
Edited by Philip Norton and Nizam Ahmed
Conscience and Parliament
Edited by Philip Cowley
The New Roles of Parliamentary Committees
Edited by Lawrence D. Longley and Roger H. Davidson
Members of Parliament in Western Europe
Roles and Behaviour
Edited by Wolfgang C. Mu¨ller and Thomas Saalfeld
Parliaments in Western Europe
Edited by Philip Norton
The New Parliaments of Central and Eastern Europe
Edited by David M. Olson and Philip Norton
National Parliaments and the European Union
Edited by Philip Norton
Southern European
Parliaments in Democracy
Edited by
Cristina Leston-Bandeira
Firstpublished 2005byRoutledge
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#2005Cristina Leston-Bandeira
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ISBN0-415-35888-4
Contents
1 Introduction: Southern European
Parliaments in Democracy Cristina Leston-Bandeira 1
2 The Italian Parliament: InSearch GilibertoCapano
of aNew Role? and MarcoGiuliani 8
3 Much Ado about Something?
Parliamentary Politics inItaly Amidthe
Rhetoric ofMajorityRule andan
Uncertain Party System Luca Verzichelli 35
4 Internalising the Lessons of
Stable Democracy: ThePortuguese CristinaLeston-Bandeira
Parliament and Andre´ Freire 56
5 The HellenicParliament: TheNew Rules
of the Game Penelope Foundethakis 85
6 The SpanishParliament ina
TriangularRelationship,1982–2000 Jordi Capo Giol 107
7 Parliament andCitizenship inSpain:
Twenty-Five Yearsofa Mismatch? PabloOn˜ate 130
8 Volatilityin Politics, Stability inParliament:
An ImpossibleDream?The TurkishGrand
National Assemblyduring the Last Two Decades I˙lter Turan 151
9 Conclusion: The Impact ofDemocratic
Practiceon the Parliaments of Philip Norton
SouthernEurope and Cristina Leston-Bandeira 177
Index 186
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Southern European Parliaments
in Democracy
CRISTINA LESTON-BANDEIRA
THE STUDY OF SOUTHERN EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTS
TheemergenceofnewdemocraciesinSouthernEuropeinthe1970sledtoa
proliferation of literature on theories of transition to and consolidation of
democracy. Here were several countries with geographical, cultural and his-
torical similarities going through a concomitant experience of introducing
democracyafteraperiodofauthoritarianregimes.Thisprovidedanexcellent
opportunity to develop and deepen theories on democratisation, leading to
prolific and seminal literature.1 However, not only did this literature neglect
thestudyofinstitutions,2butalsothe successfulconsolidation ofdemocracy
and the emergence of new democracies elsewhere3 has resulted since the
beginningofthe1990sinadiminishedinterestinthese countries; oratleast
intheirstatusasdevelopingdemocracies.Havingoncelostthelabelof‘new
democracies’,thesecountriesacquiredthestatusofestablisheddemocracies,
being grouped together with old democracies such as the United Kingdom.
Geoffrey Pridham and Paul Lewis allude tothiswhenthey say that‘at some
moment when consolidation is well advanced, new democracies cease to be
called “new” and are regarded as established’.4 This lack of interest has
been particularly notable in the case of parliamentary institutions, as their
study in a framework of ‘consolidation of democracy’ was never deepened
in Southern Europe (SE).5 As a consequence, there is no adequate study of
how institutions, notably parliaments, have developed as democracy has
become established inSouthernEurope.
Rather than looking at two separate moments (new versus established
democracy), it is important to ascertain how parliaments adapt to the
process of democratisation. The values of legitimacy and representation are
verydeartonewlydemocraticparliaments,butasthepractice ofdemocracy
settlesin,thevaluesofefficacyandstabilitybecomemoreandmoreimport-
ant. The purpose of this special issue is to ascertain how the parliaments of
Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Turkey have adapted to the pressures of a
democratic polity.
The only book to date entirely dedicated to the parliaments of Southern
EuropewastheoneeditedbyUlrikeLiebertandMaurizioCotta:Parliament
and Democratic Consolidation inSouthern Europe,6a comparativestudy on