Calls for a strong president and support for autocracy: exploring semi-presidential regimes in Central and Eastern Europe

Do people favour a strong presidency because they support theincumbent president, or do such attitudes reflect endorsement ofnon-democratic regimes and strongman rule? We examine thisresearch question among seven semi-presidential democracies inCentral and Eastern Europe. Our findings from Bulgaria, Croatia,Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia showthat public support for a strong presidency with broad executivepowers is associated with support for autocratic governance,rather than simply with general support for the presidentialoffice. This highlights the potential for illiberal shifts towardstrongman rule in semi-presidential democracies where thepresident holds capacity for significant power.