EXPOSE D'ANGLAIS: The Parliament of the United Kingdom

« INTRODUCTION Democracy is a system of government in which power is overseen and exerted (ideally) by the people as a whole as opposed to a singular governing figure or party.

The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy based on universal adult suffrage.

It is also a constitutional monarchy.

Ministers govern in the name of the sovereign, who is the head of state and government, commander-in-chief of all the armed forces of the Crown and the supreme governor of the established Church of England.

So in the following lines we will give more details about the main features (12 features) democracy of Britain. I- THE PARLIAMENT The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories.

It alone possesses legislative supremacy and thereby ultimate power over all other political bodies in the UK and the overseas territories.

Parliament is bicameral but has three parts, consisting of the sovereign (King-in-Parliament), the House of Lords, and the House of Commons (the primary chamber).

Both houses of Parliament meet in separate chambers at the Palace of Westminster in the City of Westminster, one of the inner boroughs of the capital city, London. The House of Lords includes two different types of members: the Lords Spiritual, consisting of the most senior bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords Temporal, consisting mainly of life peers, appointed by the sovereign and of 92 hereditary peers, sitting either by virtue of holding a royal office, or by being elected by their fellow hereditary peers.

Prior to the opening of the Supreme Court in October 2009, the House of Lords also performed a judicial role through the Law Lords. The House of Commons is an elected chamber with elections to 650 single-member constituencies held at least every five years under the first-past-the-post system.

By constitutional convention, all government ministers, including prime minister, are members of the House of Commons or, less commonly, the House of Lords and are thereby accountable to the respective branches of the legislature.

Most cabinet ministers are from the Commons, whilst junior ministers can be from either house. With the global expansion of the British Empire, the UK Parliament has shaped the political systems of many countries as ex-colonies and so it has been called the "Mother of Parliaments". In theory, the UK's supreme legislative power is officially vested in the King-in-Parliament. However, the Crown normally acts on the advice of the prime minister, and the powers of the House of Lords are limited to only delaying legislation; thus power is actually vested in the House of Commons. II- LEGISLATION The legislatures of the United Kingdom are derived from a number of different sources. The parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body for the United Kingdom and the British overseas territories with Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each having their own devolved legislatures.

Each of the three major jurisdictions of the United Kingdom (England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) has its own laws and legal system. III- ELECTIONS AND VOTING There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: elections to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom (commonly called 'general elections' when all seats are contested), elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, local elections, mayoral elections, and Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

Within each of those categories, there may also be byelections.

Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday, and under the provisions of the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 the timing of general elections can be held at the discretion of the Prime Minister during any five-year period.

All other types of elections are held after fixed periods, though early elections to the devolved assemblies and parliaments can occur in certain situations.

The five electoral systems used are: the single member plurality system (first-past-the-post), the multi-member plurality system, the single transferable vote, the additional member system, and the supplementary vote. Elections are administered locally: in each lower-tier local authority, the polling procedure is operated by the acting returning officer or returning officer, and the compiling and maintenance of the electoral roll by the electoral registration officer (except in Northern Ireland, where the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland assumes both responsibilities).

The Electoral Commission sets standards for and issues guidelines to returning officers and electoral registration officers, and is responsible for nationwide electoral administration (such as the registration of political parties and directing the administration of national referendums). IV- POLITICAL PARTIES Before the 19th century, the political landscape in the UK was dominated by the Whigs and the Tories.

The Whigs were made up of most of the prominent aristocratic dynasties agitating for Protestant succession and subsequently enjoyed the support of the wealthy merchants and emerging industrial interests.

The Tories were mostly associated with the Church of Scotland ; the landed gentry and the Church of England.

Towards the mid 19th century, the Whigs evolved into the Liberal Party while the Tories became the Conservative Party.

The Labour Party emerged in the place of the Liberal Party in the 1920s.

The Conservative and Labour Parties are the major political players in the UK although they are other many parties. Conservative Party : The Conservative Party has a centre-right position in UK's politics.

The party garnered the largest number of seats in the House of Commons at.... »