Parliament

Parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. The term is similar to the idea of a senate, synod or congress, and is commonly used in countries that are current or former monarchies, a form of government with a monarch as the head. Some contexts restrict the use of the word parliament to parliamentary systems, although it is also used to describe the legislature in some presidential systems, even where it is not in the official name.

History

The term parliament comes from Old French parlement, the action of speaking (parler: to speak), discussion, conference, court. It was first used in a medieval context around the 13th century in reference to the English Parliament and has been used to describe many different kinds of deliberative and decision-making bodies since then.

Functions

Parliaments have four main functions: legislation (making laws), representation (representing voters), scrutiny (examining the government), and formation of government.

Legislation

In addition to enacting laws, parliaments also often have authority to amend or repeal existing legislation.

Representation

Parliaments represent the views of the electorate. They provide a forum for public debate on issues of national importance.

Scrutiny

Parliaments scrutinize government actions. This is done through questioning ministers, debating policies, and conducting inquiries.

Formation of government

In parliamentary democracies, the government is formed by the party or coalition that has the most members in the lower house of parliament.

Types of parliaments

There are two main types of parliaments: unicameral and bicameral. Unicameral parliaments have one house. Bicameral parliaments have two houses.

See also

• Bicameralism
• Unicameralism
• List of legislatures by country

References

Parliament Resources
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