Power Sharing - Belgium and Sri Lanka

Vocabulary terms and definitions covering ethnic compositions, power-sharing models in Belgium and Sri Lanka, and the types and reasons for power sharing in democracies.

Ethnic

A social division based on shared culture, customs, religion, or origin, where people belong to a group with a culture different from the main culture of a country.

Civil War

A violent conflict between opposing groups within a country that becomes so intense that it appears like war.

Community Government

An elected body by people belonging to one language, culture, or common property, having power over cultural, educational, and language-related issues.

Federal Government

A system of government under which two or more than two levels of government govern the same citizens.

Reserved Constituency

A constituency which is reserved for a particular section of the society.

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam

A Tamil Militant Organisation based in northeastern Sri Lanka that aimed to secure an independent state in the north and east.

Flemish

The region in Belgium where $59\%$ of the total population lives and speaks the Dutch language.

Wallonia

The region in Belgium where $40\%$ of the people live and speak French.

Brussels

The capital city of Belgium where $80\%$ of people speak French and $20\%$ are Dutch speaking.

Sinhala-speakers

The major social group in Sri Lanka, making up $74\%$ of the population, most of whom are Buddhists.

Sri Lankan Tamils

Tamil natives of Sri Lanka who make up $13\%$ of the population, concentrated in the North and Eastern parts of the country.

Indian Tamils

A subgroup of Tamils ($5\%$) in Sri Lanka whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during the colonial period.

Majoritarianism

A belief that the majority community should be able to rule a country in whichever way it wants, by disregarding the wishes and needs of the minority.

Tamil Eelam

A demanded independent state in the North and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka sought by political organizations since the $1980\text{s}$.

Prudential Reasons

Reasons for power sharing based on careful calculations of gains and losses, aimed at reducing social conflict and ensuring political stability.

Moral Reasons

Reasons for power sharing based on moral considerations, asserting that power sharing is the 'very spirit of democracy'.

Horizontal Distribution of Power

A system where power is shared among different organs of government (legislature, executive, and judiciary) placed at the same level.

Vertical Distribution of Power

A division of power among governments at different levels, such as a general government for the entire country and provincial or regional governments.

System of Checks and Balances

An arrangement where each organ of government checks the others to ensure none can exercise unlimited power, resulting in a balance of power.

Unitary Government

A government structure where all the powers rest with the national government only.