The term "parliament", derived from the French "parler" ("to speak"), denotes the highest legislative body of power in the overwhelming majority of countries in the world, including Russia. What should parliament do in general, what are its functions?
What is the legislative function of parliament
The main function of any parliament is legislative. That is, it is he who considers the draft laws, amendments and additions to them. Parliament adopts laws, changes their content or completely repeals if necessary.
As part of its legislative function, parliament also exercises control over the executive branch. He considers the issue of confidence in the government, and also in certain cases provided for by law, carries out the procedure for early removal from office of the head of state (monarch, president). As a rule, this happens when this senior official is not able to perform his duties for a long time - for example, for health reasons, or at his own request, or in view of a criminal charge brought against the head of state. From very recent examples, one can recall the voluntary abdication of the throne of the Spanish king Juan Carlos II in favor of his eldest son. This abdication was approved by the Spanish Parliament - the Cortes.
What functions can parliament perform, besides legislative
The parliament, if necessary, can create commissions to investigate the activities of both an individual official and entire institutions, ministries. He can summon (or invite, depending on the laws of a particular country) to his meetings to report any official, for this he sends him a letter. These sessions are held either openly, with the participation of representatives of public organizations and the media, or closed, if the issue under consideration concerns state secrets.
Finally, the parliament carries out another important function - the representative one. In the overwhelming majority of cases, all of its members (or at least members of the lower house, if the parliament is bicameral) receive their mandates from voters by secret ballot. Thus, the parliament is composed of people who have been delegated powers by representatives of the widest sections of the population, adhering to different political views.
Without a feedback function, the parliament will not be able to provide social support for the course being pursued. Also, the function of the parliament can be attributed to the formation of the budget, for example, some countries describe in detail all items of expenditure of budget funds.
