Rúni Rasmussen

English Summary
This article describes the historical and the philosophical origin of the separation of powers doctrine. From ancient political thoughts on mixed constitutions to the political philosophies of John Locke and Charles de Montesquieu, the separation of powers doctrine is traced up to our day. The two great models, the parliamentary and presidential systems are compared and discussed. It is underlined that there is a fundamental difference between the parliamentary and presidential systems in relation to separation of powers. There is no separation of powers between the legislative and the executive branch in a parliamentary government system. The Faroese government system is described and analyzed in this context. The author concludes that there is no real separation of powers between the legislative and the executive branch in the Faroese system even though the Frame of Government proclaims the separation between the legislative, the executive and the judicial branch. This has to be taken into account in the Faroese constitutional process so that lessons are learned from history and the study of other government systems becomes part of creating a good and enduring constitution for the Faroe Islands.