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A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a system of democratic government where the head of government (who may also be the head of state) derives their democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of the legislature, typically a parliament, to which they are accountable.
parliamentary system, democratic form of government in which the party (or a coalition of parties) with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister or chancellor.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 22, 2021 · A parliamentary government is a system in which the powers of the executive and legislative branches are intertwined as opposed to being held separate as a check against each other's power, as the Founding Fathers of the United States demanded in the U.S. Constitution.
5 days ago · Parliament, the original legislative assembly of England, Scotland, or Ireland and successively of Great Britain and the United Kingdom; legislatures in some countries that were once British colonies are also known as parliaments.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries.
Parliamentary systems also vary in the role performed by the head of state. In constitutional monarchies the monarch occupies office by virtue of heredity. In parliamentary republics the head of state is usually a president.
Most contemporary research on parliaments focuses on systems in which elected representatives occupy most seats in parliament, and the parliament has dominant or nearly dominant authority over public policy decisions. Such parliamentary systems are relatively new in history.
