Parliamentarism as a phenomenon and category of modern constitutional law
Authors: Batanov Oleksandr 
Published: September 2022

The conceptual problems of the formation of the national doctrine of parliamentarism are highlighted. Stating the fact that the most multifaceted and complex problem is the establishment of representative democracy in Ukraine and the optimal form of organization of state power, it is proposed to strengthen the doctrinal foundations of modern parliamentarism in the national constitutional science and education.
Analyzing the complex of essential and substantive characteristics of parliamentarism as a phenomenon of modern constitutional law, promising directions for the development of the doctrine of parliamentary law and process are determined. The synergistic relationship between the theory of modern parliamentarism, the principles of representative democracy and the fundamental institutions of the constitutional system is shown. It is proved that parliamentarism as a socio-political phenomenon is one of the most important achievements of civilization. Parliamentarism is directly related to the recognition and realization of the values and principles of constitutionalism and people’s sovereignty, the priority of human rights, the constitution of institutions of representative democracy and the idea of parliamentary supremacy in the system of public authorities.
It is argued that in order for parliamentarism to function eff ectively, effi ciently and effectively, it is necessary not only to form but also consistently implement a system of legal principles and norms, functionally teleologically oriented and structurally defined and designed for its material and procedural support. This task is assigned primarily to constitutional law as a fundamental branch of national law, substantively formalized and functionally implemented in one of its subsectors, which is traditionally parliamentary law, which, in turn, is rightly considered the legal basis of parliamentarism. It is stated that parliamentarism is not an attribute, criterion or result of a purely
parliamentary form of government. As a result of democratic organization of sociopolitical life, a form of realization of the principles of people’s sovereignty, democracy, separation of powers and rule of law, political and ideological pluralism, parliamentarism in the synergistic unity of its axiological, ontological, functionalteleological, institutional and other components. (so-called parliamentary-presidential or presidential-parliamentary), and the presidential form of republican organization of the state, as well as parliamentary or dual monarchies. Given this, parliamentarism is a unique phenomenon and a universal phenomenon in the system of modern constitutionalism and democratic statehood, inherent in various forms of government.
The author draws attention to the civilizational and historical context of parliamentarism. Understanding both the historical and modern experience of the organization and activities of state power, its interaction with civil society, through the prism of a civilizational approach allows us to understand the prospects of parliamentarism in Ukraine in the distant future. Without exaggeration, the civilizational approach allows us to understand the meaning of the national experience of parliamentarism and compare it with the experience of democratic reforms in the West, where parliamentarism has long been a stable civilizational tradition.

Key words: parliamentarism, parliament, democracy, state, political regime, popular representation