How does the political system work
How does the political system work
US political system: How does it work? Senate, House of Representatives and more explained
AS Americans vote in the US election today, here is a look at the complex political system in the US.
The US has a complex political system
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The US Government is divided into three clearly defined branches – the president and his cabinet (the executive), the US Congress (the legislature) and the courts (the judiciary).
The separation of powers is designed to provide a system of checks and balances which prevent any individual or group from gaining too much control.
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What is the US Congress and how does it work?
Like the British Parliament, the US Congress decides and makes the laws that govern America. It also has the power to impeach the President and remove them from office.
The US Congress is made up of an upper chamber, known as the Senate, and a lower chamber known as the the House of Representatives.
Both houses are based at the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.
Americans will elect members to both houses as as well as electing a President and Vice President on the election day tomorrow.
What is the Senate and how does it work?
The Senate is formed of 100 senators – two for each state – and its main role is to approve legislation suggested by the House of Representatives.
Once approved by the Senate, the President must then pass any legislation – although Congress can re-pass legislation if there is a two-thirds majority.
A Senate term is six years, but unlike the presidency there is no limit to the number of terms an individual can serve.
US elections: How do they work?
What is the House of Representatives and how does it work?
The House of Representatives is made up of 435 voting members, with an additional six non-voting Representatives.
The House has the exclusive power to initiate revenue bills and to impeach officials who are then tried in the Senate.
If there is a dead heat in the presidential election, the House will decide who becomes President and the Senate elects the Vice President.
Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be elected President
What powers does the US President have?
The President has the power to veto laws passed by Congress and nominate a cabinet which is approved by the Senate.
Upon inauguration, either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton will become the head of state, leader of the Government, and commander-in-chief of the US army.
As well as approving laws from Congress, the President can also propose legislation for the houses to approve.
He or she will usually set out a legislative agenda at the annual State of the Union adress, which both houses attend.
The president is limited to two four-year terms in office.
Donald Trump is neck-and-neck with his rival in the polls
What powers do the courts have?
The US court system is made up of the Supreme Court and Federal Courts.
The President appoints nine Supreme Court judges, with the Senate giving final approval.
The justices of the Supreme Court can overturn laws they rule are unconstitutional.
The System of Power in the USA.. How does the political system work? * Who is the head of the executive branch in the USA? * Which officials in the USA.
Published byReynard Allen Modified over 6 years ago
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Presentation on theme: «The System of Power in the USA.. How does the political system work? * Who is the head of the executive branch in the USA? * Which officials in the USA.»— Presentation transcript:
1 The System of Power in the USA.
2 How does the political system work? * Who is the head of the executive branch in the USA? * Which officials in the USA are elected and which are appointed? * Is the head of the state elected directly by the people in the USA? * Can the people exercise their power through their representatives? * What activities are two branches of power involved in?
3 HOW MUCH POWER DOES THE USA PRESIDENT HAVE? The United States of America is a federal (or presidential) republic. The head of state is the President.
4 Which institutions represent the legislative and executive branches of power? CONGRESS The HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES 435 members The SENATE 100 members The ADMINISTRATION The PRESIDENT The VICE PRESIDENT The CABINET Secretaries as heads of the most Important Departments in The Administration THE PEOPLE All men and women over 18
7 The System of Checks and Balances. How does it work? There are three branches of power in the USA. They are involved in the system of checks and balances. Executive branch PRESIDENT Legislative branch CONGRESS Judicial branch The SUPREME COURT
11 Americans say, “ The President proposes, but Congress disposes”. According to the US Constitution Congress and the Supreme Court control the president’s power. According to the US Constitution Congress and the Supreme Court control the president’s power.
12 Questions about political systems of Britain and the USA? 1. Who is the Head of State in Britain? 2. Who is the Head of State in the USA? 3. What are the Houses of the British Parliament? 4. What are two parts of the Congress of the USA? 5. Who does the British elect? 6. Who does the Americans elect? 7. Which institutions represent the legislative and executive branches of power in the UK? What are they functions? 8. Which institutions represent the legislative and executive branches of power in the USA? What are they functions? 9. Which political system is more democratic?
How the British political system works
British politics can seem very confusing – there are lots of different political parties and branches of government, and even though we have a monarchy we are also a democracy. We’ve put together this handy guide to answer some common questions about the British political system.
Is the Queen in charge of the UK?
Sort of. The United Kingdom is a parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. This means that while a monarch – in this case, Queen Elizabeth II – is the head of state, she is not the head of government. She does not get to make most of the decisions about how the government is run; that job belongs to the Prime Minister, or PM.
The English monarchy used to have absolute power, but that was a long time ago – over 800 years in fact. 2015 was the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, or the Great Charter. This document spelled out the rights and responsibilities of King John of England and the ruling class in 1215. The Magna Carta is regarded as the first statement of citizen rights in the world.
The Bill of Rights of 1689 – which is still in effect – lays down limits on the powers of the crown and sets out the rights of Parliament and rules for freedom of speech in Parliament, the requirement for regular elections to Parliament, and the right to petition the monarch without fear of retribution.
Nowadays the Queen’s role is mostly ceremonial.
Do England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland each have their own governments?
Yes and no. England is the most powerful country of the four and the British Government works for the Queen, who is an English monarch. Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are all ultimately beholden to English law. However, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland all have governing bodies that work exclusively on issues in their own countries.
Scotland is the most politically independent country. The Scottish National Party (SNP) have 56 seats in the House of Commons and the Scottish Government is responsible for running day-to-day matters in Scotland such as education, transport, and health.
Wales has the Welsh Government and the National Assembly for Wales, which are in charge of things like making laws for Wales and agreeing Welsh taxes.
At the moment Northern Ireland does not have a sitting government but Northern Ireland does have the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly which has powers closer to those already devolved to Scotland.
Who makes the laws in the UK?
The UK’s government has three basic types of power: legislative, executive, and judiciary.
Legislative power is the power to make new laws or remove old ones. This power is held by Parliament, which is made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly, and the Northern Irish Assembly also have legislative powers; however, they do not have as much authority as Parliament.
Executive power – the power to implement and enforce laws – is controlled by the British government, which works on behalf of the Queen, as well as the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive.
Judiciary power, which is the power to prosecute those who break the law, is kept independent of the legislature and the executive. The highest court in the UK is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.
What are the different political parties and how are their members elected?
People vote in elections for Members of Parliament (MPs) to represent them. The party that gets the most seats in Parliament forms the Government. For example, right now the Conservatives have the most seats in Parliament, so the UK has a Conservative Government. If, in the next election, Labour wins more seats, we will have a Labour Government.
There are lots of political parties in the UK, but the big ones are:
Who can vote in the UK?
Members of the UK Parliament are elected in General Elections, which typically take place every five years. To vote in a General Election you must be:
How does the voting system in the UK work?
The UK voting system operates on a majority vote system. The political party that wins the most votes wins the election. For a political party in the UK to form a government they need an overall majority.
If the winning party does not have an overall majority then there is a hung parliament. If this happens, one large party will join up with a smaller party to form a coalition. By doing this, they exclude the main opposition and still have power – although it is now shared between the two coalition parties.
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