unit 2: political institutions

political systems: the branches of government

• executive, legislative, and judicial

  • essential for checks and balances

    • more democratic

• these branches are universal no matter if the government is democratic of authoritarian

3 types of institutional structures:

• parliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential ***** (IMPORTANT)

  • ultimately deciding who is the leader of the executive branch of government

parliamentary system: the citizens vote for the legislature; then the legislature votes for the executive

• ex. UK

presidential system: the citizens vote separately for the executive and the legislature

• ex. Mexico or Nigeria

semi-presidential system: the citizens vote separately for the executive and legislature yet the legislature and president also nominate a prime minister

• ex. Russia

head of state: ceremonial leader of a state

head of government: the leader of a state that actually has control and makes descision in government

6 countries executive branches:

• China:

  • the president serves as:

    • commander in chief

    • chair of military commission

    • head of state

  • president nominates the premier (NPC)(head of governmen)

  • quasi-semi presidential government

  • the changes in president and other head governmental roles are elected internally

• Iran:

  • supreme leader who serves as:

    • person who set political agenda

    • commander and chief

    • religious figure

    • head of state

  • serves for two 4-year terms

  • oversees civil service (government agencies that employ common people)

  • conducts foreign policy

• Mexico:

  • president serves as:

    • head of state

    • head of gov

    • commander in chief

    • leader of the bureaucracy

  • restricted to one 4-year term

• Nigeria:

  • president serves as:

    • head of state

    • head of government

    • chief executive

    • commander in chief

    • head of civil service

  • can approve domestic legislation

  • conducts foreign policy

• Russia:

  • president serves as:

    • head of government

    • head of state

    • commander in chief

  • selects top ministers

  • head of Duma (Russia’s legislative branch)

  • conducts foreign policy

  • two 6-year terms (Putin is an exception for some reason)

• UK:

  • monarch: head of state

  • prime minister: head of government

    • leader of the house of commons

  • prime minister serves as:

    • de facto commander in chief

    • chief executive of the civil service

executive term limits:

• how long a person serves and how many times they canc serve as head of the executive branch

pros and cons of executive term limits

focus countries term limits:

• China: 5 year terms, no limits

• Iran: 4 year terms, 2 time limit

• Mexico: 6 year term, no re-election

• Nigeria: 4 year terms, 2 time limit

• Russia: 6 year terms, 2 time limit (not rll rn)

• UK: None-ish (dependent on parliament)

removal of executives:

• usually, executives are removed by voters during elections (in democratic systems of government

  • however, sometimes non-electoral removal occurs

ways countries enact removal:

• China: NPC removal

• Iran: Assembly of Experts; Maijis/ Supreme Leader

• Mexico: 2/3 congress impeach

• Nigeria: 2/3 congress impeach

• Russia: 2/3 federal assembly; vote of no confidence from duma

• UK: vote of no confidence; MP leadership vote in commons

legislative systems:

• China:

  • one party state

    • unicameral: one chamber

  • consists of a national people’s congress

    • elected by the people

  • the legislation elects the president and approves the president’s appointed premier

• Iran:

  • theocracy

    • unicameral

  • legislation is the Majles

    • approves legislation

    • oversees budget

    • confirms president

  • supervised by the Guardian Council

    • to ensure guidence by Islam and Sharia Law

• Mexico:

  • congressional-presidential system

    • bicameral

  • lower house: Chamber of Dequites

    • approves legislation

    • levies taxes

    • verifies outcomes of elections

  • upper house: the senate

    • confirms presidential apoointsment ot the Supreme Court

    • approve treaties

    • approve federal intervention into state matters

• Nigeria:

  • congressional-presidential system

    • bicameral

  • lower house: House of Representatives

  • upper house: the Senate

    • both approve legislation

    • senate posseses unique impeachment and confirmation power

• Russia:

  • semi presidential (hybrid system)

    • bicameral

  • lower house: Duma

    • passes legislation

    • confirms the prime minister

  • upper house: Federation Council

    • approves budget legislation

    • approves treaties

    • approves judicial nominees

    • appreoves troop deployment

• UK:

  • parlimentary system:

    • bicameral

  • lower house: House of Commons

    • approves legislation

    • leader of party becomes PM

      • officially appointed by monarch

  • upper house: House of Lords

    • hereditary

    • reviews and amends bills from the Commons

    • can delay implementaion of laws (power check)

independent legislatures: a legilature that is free from influence of the other legislatures but can participate in and recieve checks and balances

non-independent legilatures:

• China:

  • China’s Politburo Standing Committee

    • center of power in Chinese state

    • assumes legislative power when the NPC is not in power

      • can set legislative agendas

      • supervise leislative agenda

      • interprets Constitution and laws

    • composed of members of the NPC

• Iran:

  • Iran’s Expediency Council

    • selected by Supreme Leader as an advisory committee

    • resolves dispputes between Majles and Guardian Council

  • Iran’s Guardian Council

    • vets candidates for Majles

    • oversees Majles

    • ensures that Majles’s laws comply with Sharia Law

ways that legislatures can maintian independence:

• responding to public demand

• facilitatiing compromise between factions

• extending civil liberties

• applying checks on the executive branch

judicial systems:

judicial review: the power of the supreme court of a country to determine if a law is constitutional or not

rule of law: non- arbitary interpretation of laws

rule by law: arbitrary interpretation of the laws

common law: descisions that set presidence for the future and is not written down

• based on interpretation

code law: written laws that are enshrined in text

• literal

judiciaries per country:

• china:

  • rule by law (not rule of law)

  • judicial system is not independent

    • subservient to communist party

  • tiered court system

  • no judical review

• iran:

  • used to ensure legal system is based on religious law

  • trained in Sharia Laws

  • head is appointed by supreme leader

• mexico:

  • has the power to use judicial review

  • goal is effectiveness

  • now directly elected by the people

    • 12 year term

    • cannot be re-elected

  • former format:

    • nominated by president

    • term of 15 years

• nigeria:

  • judicial review

  • islamic sharia courts have been established in the north

    • not federal

  • judges are recommended by judicial council

    • are appointed by president

      • confirmed by senate

• russia:

  • targets opposition

  • judicial review (not used often)

  • judges are nominated by president

    • approved by Federation Council

  • not really an independence judiciary

• uk:

  • common law is used to enforce rule of law

  • final court of appeals

  • protects civil liberities

independent judiciaries:

• the degree of judiciary independence from other branches depends on:

  • the court’s authority to overrule executiive and legislative descisions

  • the process by which judges obtain their jobbs

  • the length of judicial terms

  • the professional and academic backgrounds of the judges

  • the process of removal

• independent judiciaries maintain democracy by:

  • maintaining checks andd balances

  • protecting rights and liberties

  • establishing rule of law

  • maintaining seperation of powers

do these countries have an independence judiciary?

• china: no

• iran: no

• mexico: sort of

  • cartels

• nigeria: sort of

  • there have been instances were the executive branch has overpowered the legislative branch

• russia: no

• uk: yes