A Pillar of Democracy
The form of government in any country is that a part of the state apparatus that's responsible of the legislature and therefore the executive. It is the practice in democracies to appoint politicians within the legislature and executive to administer the country.
The form of government is one among the pillars of recent democracies and without it, there are often no mechanism through decisions affecting the lives of the citizenry are often taken. In other words, without an efficient form of government, the fashionable democracies cannot function.
Further, the politicians are usually elected by the people directly or indirectly and hence, the form of government is representative of the desire of the people. This means that the politicians derive their power from popular support and draw their legitimacy from the people.
This is the rationale elections are held periodically in democracies in order that the desire of the people prevails and a representative form of government takes shape.
Decline in Legitimacy in Recent Times:
In recent times, there has been an intense debate about the efficacy of political systems because it has been found that democracy is in retreat everywhere the planet . This is the case in countries that are ruled by Army Juntas and Cabals whose primary role is to require over the democratic structures and impose dictatorship.
What has added fuel to the talk is additionally the very fact that politicians in many countries have lost credibility and trust among people and hence, the dictatorships are welcomed.
Of course, this is not to say that political systems are useless or are in decline because ultimately, a well functioning modern state needs the political system to be effective both to represent the desire of the people and to supply the constitutional checks and balances that are integral to the fashionable nation state.
Political Systems Around the World:
The political systems are often two party like within the us or multiparty democracies like within the case of the united kingdom and India. Further, the form of government can elect the rulers directly as happens within the US or through a mixture of direct and indirect methods as happens within the UK and in India where the elected representative are directly elected by the people and they in turn elect the Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers.
Talking about these countries, there has been a concerted effort in these countries to guage how far the form of government is effective, as policy paralysis and bad governance have undermined the popular support for politicians. Of course, at election time, the people still need to choose between the pools of candidates and hence, it's the case that the system should be changed from within rather than without.
Final Thoughts
Finally, as the saying goes, as is the King so are the people, and as are the people so is the King, the symbiotic relationship between the people and the politicians is what characterizes the nature of the democracy and hence the two way exchange is vital for a healthy democracy.
Different Political Systems Around the World
There are many different types of political systems around the world. Whereas the form of government within the us follows a mix of direct and indirect election, the united kingdom with its Westminster sort of democracy is another sort of form of government .
Most of the former colonial countries follow the UK model including India and many countries in Asia whereas the African countries follow the European model which is a mixture of the American and the British model. The American sort of democracy is characterized by the devolution of powers between the federal and therefore the State Governments.
The President of the us is elected directly by the body though the division of electoral votes follows a pattern that's unique within the world. For instance, the American President takes all the electoral votes during a particular state if he or she wins the bulk of the votes cast.
To take an example, California has 52 Electoral Votes and whoever is that the winner within the state (who secures the foremost votes) has 52 votes in his or her kitty. There is no division of seats as is completed within the UK and India where each state or district has constituencies and hence, the election is decided constituency wise.
The American Political System and the British Model
The American form of government is additionally notable because each state has Two Senators regardless of its size and population whereas each state has congressional representatives supported its size and population. This distinction is crucial because a smaller state like Wyoming sends two senators whereas it has less than 10 congressional seats.
The states follow their own patterns of democracy with each state having a legislature and a governor who is directly elected. As mentioned earlier, the American form of government is exclusive within the world due to these characteristics.
On the other hand, the Westminster model of democracy is based on proportional representation as well as the first past the post principle. For instance, within the UK and in India, the constituency winner is that the one that secures more votes than the closest opponent does and hence, there's no concept of absolute majority in each constituency.
Further, these seats are for the lower house, which is that, the House of Commons within the UK and therefore the Lok Sabha in India. The members of the upper house are elected indirectly and the Rajya Sabha (in India) and the House of Lords in the UK are the upper houses of parliament.
The European Model
In contrast, the ecu system of democracy is different with many countries in Europe having a president who is elected directly or nominated and therefore the members of parliament who are elected consistent with the Westminster model. the purpose here is that within the united kingdom , the Queen (or the King) is that the ceremonial head of state and in India; the President is that the ceremonial head of state .
The president in some European countries and in India is elected indirectly whereas in other European countries, both the president and therefore the members of parliament are elected directly.
Closing Thoughts: Reasons for Variety of Political Systems
The reason for the variability and therefore the different sorts of political systems round the world is especially that the evolution of democracy round the world has been a process that has been influenced by the political systems of the US and therefore the UK.
Since they were among the primary countries to possess established procedures for elections and democracy, once the opposite countries became independent after the Second war and have become democratic following the Westphalian model of sovereign states within the 19th century, they chose to possess political systems that had elements drawn from these two countries.
Therefore, one finds variants of those models across the planet within the quite political systems that individual countries selected for themselves.
Written by: Sanjana
Edited by: Nidhi Verma
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