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 the incumbent president, or do such attitudes reflect endorsement of non-democratic regimes and strongman rule? We examine this research question among seven semi-presidential democracies in Central and Eastern Europe. Our findings from Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, and Slovakia show that public support for a strong presidency with broad executive powers is associated with support for autocratic governance, rather than simply with general support for the presidential office. This highlights the potential for illiberal shifts toward strongman rule in semi-presidential democracies where the president holds capacity for significant power.