US and British Political System
The Constitution of the United States designates three mainstructures of government. The judiciary is charged with the country'slegal system, interpreting and upholding the country's laws. Thelegislature, composed of the Lower House and the Senate, is composed ofrepresentatives who write the laws of the country. Finally, the executivebranch runs the country's administrative needs. In the United States, the executive branch is headed by a president,who is elected directly by the American people. These elections are heldseparately from the elections for representatives in Congress.Furthermore, while the president is not vested with any direct legislativepower by the Constitution, he or she may veto any laws that have beenpassed in Congress. This system of separate elections dates back to thepresidential elections in 1789 (Brinkley A30). It is through this electoral period that the American governmentpursues a common "general will" of its constituents. In contrast to directdemocracies such as Switzerland, where people vote in national referendums,the American people elect Congressional representatives and the Presidentin two separate elections. This separation
helps to maintain the system ofchecks and balances that prevents abuse on the part of either the executivegovernment or the legislature. As stated earlier, the UnitedStates is a presidential democracy, where a president is voted into officein elections separate from those for representatives in Congress. Comparison between United States and United Kingdom government Though they have the same general type of democratic representationalgovernments, the United States and the United Kingdom differ markedly intheir history and forms of representation. The United Kingdom, onthe other hand, relies on a parliamentary system for a more cohesive andconsensus-based government. United Kingdom The British government could be classified as a parliamentarydemocracy that is currently ruled by Elizabeth II, the constitutionalmonarch. At the helm is the Prime Minister, who is elected by the MPs andwho traditionally comes from the House of Commons. The main power of the British government is vested inParliament, the country' legislature. The Senate, on the other hand, is composed of 100 members, with tworepresentatives from each state. Parliament is charged with creatingthe country's laws. The legislative body also debates issues of interestto British citizens, approves plans for government spending and acts as awatchdog over the executive branch (Goldsworthy 200). Second, because of the large numberof representatives in the Lower House, groups such as the Committee onAppropriates and the House Ways and Means Committee wield a great deal ofinfluence (Pious 84). Thus, while the majority party composition of the UnitedStates Congress would have a great effect on the types of laws that arepassed in session, party dominance in Congress does not necessarilytranslate to a corresponding dominance in the executive branch. In contrast to the American presidential system, the BritishPrime Minister is appointed by the party that dominates the House ofCommons. Inaddition, Queen Elizabeth II is also the head of the English judiciary andof the Church of England (Goldsworthy 89). In the United Kingdom, on the other hand, the legislature orParliament is the most powerful political body in the United Kingdom.
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