parliamentary democracy
Representatives run government
A parliamentary democracy is a system of government in which citizens elect representatives to a parliament, which then selects the executive leadership—typically a prime minister—from among its members.
The executive remains accountable to parliament and can be removed by a vote of no confidence.
Most European democracies follow this model: The UK is a parliamentary democracy where the prime minister leads the majority party in the House of Commons.
- prime ministerLeader of a parliamentary state
- bicameralHaving two chambers
- general electionNationwide voting for office
- first past the postHighest vote count wins
- backbenchersOrdinary members of parliament
constitution · coalition government · prorogation · by-election · minority government · vote of confidence · hansard · speaker of the house · proportional representation · question time · opposition leader · loyal opposition · shadow cabinet · crossing the floor · rule of law · legislative debate · cabinet ministers · quorum
- democracyvote, voting, election, elections, ballot
- governmentsmonarchy, autocracy, oligarchy, republic, tyranny
- Canadian GovernmentHouse of Commons, Senate, Prime Minister, federal government, Bank of Canada
- British GovernmentHouse of Commons, House of Lords, Westminster, Whitehall, Downing Street
- European PoliticsEU, European Union, EU Commission, eurozone, European Commission
- Post-1989 PolandSolidarity, free elections, shock therapy, democratic transition, regime change
parliamentary democracydictatorship
Unchecked single-ruler government
autocracy · totalitarianism · absolute monarchy · authoritarian regime · tyranny
parliamentary democracypresidential system
Executive independent from legislature