Direct Democracy | Public participates directly in governance and policy-making; historically found in small communities such as ancient Athens. |
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Indirect Democracy | Public participates indirectly through its elected representatives; the prevalent form of democracy in the modern age. |
Branch | Functions, Attributes, and Powers |
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Executive | Head of state/head of governmentParliamentary, presidential, and semi-presidential systemsTerm length may be fixed (president) or not (prime minister) |
Legislative | LawmakingUnicameral or bicameral |
Constitutional Court | Determines the constitutionality of laws and actsJudicial review (abstract and concrete) |
Type | Executive Powers and Relationships |
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Parliamentary | Indirectly elected prime minister holds executive power as head of government. Directs cabinet, formulates legislation and domestic and international policies. Serves for an unfixed term and may be removed by a vote of no confidence. Head of state (president or monarch) is largely ceremonial. |
Presidential | Directly elected president holds majority of executive power as head of state and government. Directs cabinet and formulates legislation and international and domestic policies. Serves for a fixed term and cannot be easily removed from office. |
Semi-Presidential | Directly elected president and indirectly elected prime minister share power. President helps set policy, while prime minister executes it. President also manages foreign policy. Which office holds more power depends on the country. |
Type | Benefits | Drawbacks |
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Parliamentary | Prime minister can usually get legislation passed. Prime minister may also be more easily removed by the legislature through a vote of no confidence. | Public does not directly select prime minister and may feel that it has less control over the executive and the passing of legislation. |
Presidential | President is directly elected and can draw on a national mandate to create and enact legislation. | President and legislature may be controlled by different parties, leading to divided government. Office does not allow for power sharing, and president may not be easily removed from office except through elections. |
Semi-Presidential | Directly elected president and indirectly elected prime minister share power and responsibilities, creating both a public mandate (presidency) and an indirectly elected office that may be supported by a coalition of parties (prime minister). | Conflict possible between prime minister and president over powers and responsibilities. |
Type | Voter Choice | Outcome | Effect |
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Single-Member Districts | Votes cast for individuals | Candidate with the largest share wins seat or majority | Fewer and larger parties |
Proportional Representation (Multimember Districts) | Votes cast for parties | Seats divided among parties on basis of share of vote | More smaller parties |
Mixed System | Votes cast both for parties and for individuals | Some seats filled by individual races, some by party outcome | Mixed outcome |
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