Section 4 (Political Institutions) – 1000-1500 words
Target Completion Date: March 28th April 4th
Legislative Systems
Is the Legislative system in your country bicameral, or unicameral? What is each chamber called (“House of Representatives”, “Chamber of Deputies”, “House of Lords”, “Senate”, etc)?
Is there some sort of Premier, Prime Minister, or Chancellor in your country (i.e. a “Parliamentary” system)? How is she/he selected?
Are terms fixed in length in your country’s legislative system, or can elections be called early? If that’s possible, how does this happen? Does that country use “votes of confidence” (or “no confidence”)? Can the Head of State call early elections, or does that need approval of the Prime Minister/Premier/Chancellor and/or the majority of the members themselves? Does this system of early elections apply to BOTH chambers (in bicameral systems), or only one?
If your system is bicameral, how are the members of the upper chamber selected? How does this differ (if at all) from the method of selection for the lower chamber?
In bicameral systems, does either chamber have some unique powers that can’t be exercised by the other?
Executive Systems
What title is given to the Head of State in your country’s system? How long has that office existed? How is the Head of State selected? If elected, how long is the term? Is there a limit as to how many terms a person can serve in that office?
If there is a Parliament or Legislature in your country, does the Head of State play any role in the selection of the Prime Minister/ Premier/ Chancellor?
What powers does the Head of State have? Describe, if relevant, how the Legislature (or the Cabinet/Government, if there’s a form of Parliamentary “government” in your country) can limit the authority of the Head of State.
If your country has a Parliamentary form (where the Prime Minister/Premier/Chancellor is “Head of Government”), how are Cabinet/Government ministers (such as the Finance Minister, Foreign Secretary, Interior Minister, etc) selected? Can they be removed by either the Head of Government or the Head of State?
Judicial Systems
If your country is a federal system, does each Region/State/Province have its own judicial system?
Related to the previous point, if your country is a federal system (rather than unitary), are there areas of law where the federal government is supreme (such as in Canada)?
This question ONLY pertains to judges in the national court system (if you have a federal country, and there are Region/State/Provincial courts, ignore those lower courts). How are judges in the NATIONAL court system selected? Do they serve for life, or are there term lengths?
Can Appellate Courts in your country actually change verdicts in your system (make sure you read the Notes to understand what is being asked here)?
Do the Appellate Courts in your system ALSO serve as the Constitutional Court, or are there different courts for those functions?
When it comes to questions of Constitutional law, does your country use concrete review, or can they conduct abstract review?
Which legal tradition does your system use (British Common Law, Continental Code Law, religious texts, etc)?
