The bicameral parliamentary system is inherent in many states of the world. For the most part, the division of parliament into upper and lower chambers is inherent in successful, developed countries.
Instructions
Step 1
A bicameral parliament is a structure of parliament in which this representative body consists of two chambers. There are other names for this term - Bicamerism, Bicameralism, Bicameral system. In addition, different states have different names for each chamber.
Step 2
There are more than 70 countries with a bicameral parliamentary system in the world today. Among them there are both unitary states and federations, both republics and monarchies. As a rule, these are states with positive economic and social indicators. These include countries such as the United States, Germany, Australia, France, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Canada, the Netherlands and many others. In addition, the parliament of the Russian Federation is also bicameral. It is called the Federal Assembly and consists of the State Duma and the Federation Council.
Step 3
The chambers of parliament are not equal in composition, terms of reference, and formation procedure. There is a division into lower and upper chambers. Often, laws are reviewed and adopted by representatives of the lower house, and then submitted to the upper house for approval. In turn, its representatives can either accept or reject the law without amending it.
Step 4
The main function of the upper house in parliament is stabilizing. It minimizes conflict situations between the branches of government in the state, does not allow the adoption of dubious and contradictory laws that have not been confirmed financially and personnel. Thanks to this, the president practically does not use his right to veto the bill. In part, the upper house relieves the Constitutional Court of many tasks, since it carefully analyzes every legislative norm that has emerged from the walls of the lower house of parliament. Thus, the people trust the authorities more. In addition, the bicameral system allows for proportional representation of the population of each region of the country.
Step 5
The upper house is often formed in a less democratic way than the lower one: the age limit for representatives is higher, deputies can be elected not by all residents of the country, but by regional authorities. In addition, the upper house may not be an elected body at all. Thus, the bicameral system provides more conservatism in decision-making of national importance, and less likelihood of sudden changes.
