Legislative Branch

Legislative Branch Compared with Other Legislative Systems

Introduction to Legislative Branch

Many of the world’s legislatures follow the design of the British Parliament, the so-called Westminster model. In the Westminster system, legislative power resides in a popularly elected parliament, composed of one or two chambers. The majority party, or a coalition of parties, agree to form a government, known as the government of the day. Executive power is exercised by a cabinet headed by a chief minister-usually called prime minister, premier, or chancellor-who is typically drawn from the membership of the legislature. Such systems are found throughout western Europe and in countries such as India that were once part of the British Empire.

In systems based on separation of powers (sometimes mistakenly called presidential systems), legislative and executive powers are divided between two branches whose principal officers are elected. The United States is the purest example of a separated system. However, countries such as Colombia and Mexico follow formal constitutions modeled on that of the United States.

A new, hybrid type of political system has appeared in the second half of the 20th century. This system resembles a traditional parliamentary system, except that the prime minister and cabinet share executive power with an independently elected president. In 1958 France created such a system, which is known as France’s Fifth Republic. More recently, countries in central and eastern Europe, such as Poland and Lithuania, adopted this arrangement after the collapse of Communist regimes.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Legislative Branch in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Legislative Branch