There are several basic forms of government inmodern world that have been shaped historically. This article will discuss a political system such as a parliamentary republic. Examples of countries you can also find in this article.
What it is?
Parliamentary Republic (examples of countries of thisforms of government can be found below) - this is a form of government in which all power belongs to a special legislative body - the parliament. In different countries it is called differently: the Bundestag - in Germany, the Landtag - in Austria, the Sejm - in Poland, etc.
Form of government "parliamentary republic"it is primarily distinguished by the fact that it is the parliament that forms the government, which is fully accountable to it, and also elects the president of the country (in most cases). How does all this happen in practice? After the parliamentary elections, the winning parties create a coalition majority, on the basis of which a new government is formed. In addition, each of the parties receives the number of "portfolios" in accordance with its weight in this coalition. So, in a few sentences, it is possible to describe the functioning of such an entity as a parliamentary republic.
Examples of countries - "clean" parliamentary republics- The following can be cited: these are Germany, Austria, Ireland, India (these are the most classic examples). Since 1976, Portugal has been added to their number, and since 1990 - the African state of Cape Verde.
Do not confuse such things as parliamentarymonarchy and parliamentary republic, although they are very similar. The main similarity lies in the fact that here and there the predominating authority is the parliament, and the president (or the monarch) performs only representative functions, that is, is only a certain symbol of the country. But the main difference between these forms of government is that in a parliamentary republic the president is re-elected each time by parliament, and in the monarchy this position is inherited.
Republic: presidential, parliamentary, mixed
Today, there are three types of republics.Depending on the size and breadth of the powers of the head of state - the president - presidential and parliamentary republics are distinguished. The classic example of a presidential republic is always called the United States, the traditional examples of a parliamentary republic — Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, and others.
Also highlighted is the third type of republic - socalled mixed. In such states, both branches of government are endowed with approximately the same powers and control each other. The most striking examples of such countries are France, Romania.
Main characteristics of a parliamentary republic
All states of the parliamentary republic have similar features that should be listed:
- executive power is entirely vested in the head of government, it can be the prime minister or the chancellor;
- the president elects for the post not the people, but the parliament (or a special board);
- the head of government is appointed by the president, although the candidature is proposed from among the leaders of the formed coalition by a majority;
- all responsibility for the actions of the government is borne by its leader;
- all acts of the president are valid only if they are signed by the prime minister or the corresponding minister.
Parliamentary republics: list of countries
The prevalence in the world of this form of governmentbig enough. Today there are about thirty parliamentary republics, while it is worth noting that there is no single figure on this issue. The fact is that some countries are very difficult to attribute to one type or another. Examples of a parliamentary republic are given below (they are distributed in parts of the world):
- in Europe - Austria, Albania, Greece, Bulgaria,Italy, Estonia, Ireland, Iceland, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Malta, Lithuania, Latvia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Finland, Slovenia and Slovakia;
- in Asia - Turkey, Israel, Nepal, Singapore, India, Bangladesh, Iraq;
- in Africa, Ethiopia;
- in America - Dominica;
- in Oceania - Vanuatu.
As we can see, parliamentary republics, the listwhich includes over 30 countries, prevail in the European region. Another feature that immediately catches the eye is that the majority of these countries (above all, if we speak about Europe) belong to economically developed successful states with a high level of development of democracy.
If we take into account the ranking of countries bydemocracy (organization of the Economist Intelligence Unit), it can be noted that of the 25 states that have been granted the highest status of “full democracy”, 21 countries are parliamentary republics and monarchies. Also, these countries are leaders in the IMF rating in terms of GDP per capita of the country. Thus, we can safely say that the most effective and successful form of government (at this time) are precisely the parliamentary republics.
The list of countries listed above can also be represented as the following map, on which parliamentary republics are marked in orange:
"Pros" and "cons" of this form of government
The main advantages of this political system include the following:
- parliamentary system ensures the unity of the legislative and executive branches of government;
- All government initiatives, as a rule, receive the full support of parliament, which ensures the stable operation of the entire system of government;
- This management system fully allows you to comply with the principle of popular representation in government.
Есть, однако, в парламентских республиках и свои shortcomings that partly go beyond the merits of this political system. First of all, it is the instability of coalition unions, which often leads to political crises (vivid examples are Ukraine or Italy). Also, very often the coalition government has to abandon actions useful to the country in order to adhere to the ideological line of the coalition agreement.
Another major drawback of parliamentaryrepublics are the danger of usurpation of power in a state by the government, when the parliament, in fact, turns into the usual “stamping machine” for laws.
Next, we consider the features of the political structure of the most popular parliamentary republics on the planet: Austria, Germany, India and Poland.
Federal Republic of Austria
The Austrian Parliament is called the Landtag, anddeputies are elected to it for a four-year term. The central parliament of the country - the Federal Assembly of Austria - consists of two chambers: the National Walter (183 deputies) and the Bundesrat (62 deputies). In addition, there is a Landtag in each of the nine federal states of Austria.
Only about 700 parties are registered in Austria, but at the moment there are only five of them in the Austrian parliament.
Federal Republic of Germany
Немецкий парламент также избирается на четыре of the year. It consists of two chambers: the Bundestag, which includes 622 deputies, and the Bundesrat (69 deputies). Deputies of the Bundesrat are representatives of all 16 lands of the country. Each of the federal lands has from 3 to 6 representatives in the state parliament (depending on the size of a particular land).
German parliament elects to officethe federal chancellor, who heads the executive branch and, in fact, is the main person in the state. Since 2005, this position in Germany has been held by Angela Merkel - the first woman in the Federal Chancellor position in the entire history of the country.
Republic of Poland
The Polish Parliament is called the Sejm, it alsois bicameral. The Parliament of Poland consists of two parts: it is the Seimas proper, which consists of 460 deputies, and the Senate, consisting of 100 deputies. The Saeima is elected according to the proportional system, according to the D'Andt method. At the same time, only those candidates who won at least 5% of the votes in the nationwide voting can get deputy seats (the only exception are representatives of ethnic minority parties).
Republic of India
India is also a parliamentary republic,which all power belongs to the Parliament and the government, which they formed. The Indian Parliament includes the People’s Chamber and the Council of States, a body that represents the interests of individual states.
Deputies are elected to the People’s Chamber (Lok Sabha)universal popular vote. The total (maximum under the Constitution of India) number of members of the People's Chamber is 552 people. The term of one convocation of the Chamber is 5 years. However, the Lok Sabha may be dissolved by the President of the country ahead of time, and in certain situations, Indian legislation provides for the extension of the term of the House for one year. The Speaker of the People’s Chamber of India, who, after his election to this position, is obliged to leave his party, leads the People’s Chamber of India.
The Council of States (Rajya Sabha) is formed through indirect elections and includes 245 deputies. Every two years, the composition of Rajya Sabha is renewed by a third.
Finally...
Now you have an idea of whatparliamentary republic. Examples of countries are also given by us in this informational article: these are Austria, Germany, Italy, Poland, India, Singapore, the Czech Republic and other countries (there are about 30 countries in total). In conclusion, we can say that this political system of government has its advantages and disadvantages. However, today the parliamentary republic is the most optimal and effective form of government in the world.
