Sposoby uregulowania kwestii zastępstwa głowy państwa w razie opróżnienia urzędu lub przejściowej niemożności jego sprawowania we współczesnych republikach. Rozwiązania „typowe” i „oryginalne”

Abstract

The Smolensk air disaster in 2010, acts as a pointed reminder to the importance of constitutional regulations in preparing for the occurrence of emergencies and maintaining functionality of the supreme organs of state. The purpose of this article is to present the solutions adopted by modern-day republics to replace the head of state in situations where the office becomes vacant in mid-term, or where the head of state, for whatever reason, is no longer able to exercise the functions of office. The article identifies normative regulations contained in the constitutions of various republics connected with this issue. Special attention is devoted to identifying similarities between countries sharing the same circle of legal culture. The article also analyses constitutional provisions on this issue which are unusual in the context of global and regional norms.