What happens to a governance system if structural pillars like the presidency and high courts are completely abolished?

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Abolishing structural pillars such as a presidency and a top court does not eliminate power; it redistributes it, and often in destabilizing ways unless strong replacement institutions are built at the same time. In practice, the presidency centralizes executive authority and accountability. If it is removed, a system must decide who executes laws, commands the bureaucracy, handles emergencies, and speaks for the state externally. In parliamentary systems, those functions can shift to a prime minister and cabinet responsible to parliament. But where legislatures are weak or dominated by one faction, executive power can simply reappear in another form, sometimes with fewer checks. A high court serves a different function: it provides a final legal referee. Without it, constitutional disputes do not disappear; they are pushed into legislatures, lower courts, the military, or the street. Comparative experience shows that when no trusted arbiter exists, conflicts over elections, executive authority, and rights can become prolonged institutional crises. Guinea-Bissau’s struggles without a constitutional court illustrate how rival actors can become the effective interpreters of the law. The broader lesson from constitutional design is that checks and balances matter more than labels. The U.S. system separates legislative, executive, and judicial power so no branch easily dominates. Weakening or abolishing one pillar without credible substitutes risks concentrating power elsewhere,…

DSA Liberation Caucus Rejects AOC for 2028 Bid as Polls Put Her atop Democrats

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DSA Liberation Caucus Rejects AOC for 2028 Bid as Polls Put Her atop Democrats

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