General Terms Flashcards
Head of state
Chief public representative of a country. Queen Elizabeth and Emperor Akihito
Head of government
Leader of the administration at that time. Highest official in the executive branch
Presidential political system
Legislature and executive branches are independent. Different political agendas. Different constituencies. Stalemates are common
Parliamentary System
Prime ministers are connected with the legislation. The party works together more since executive branch and legislature are the same.
Dual legitimacy problems
Two branches have equal power and are voted in separately. They do not necessarily have to agree with each other
SMPD
Single Member Plurality District. Single member per district. Only need the most votes to win a seat
PR
A certain number of spots are open to vote for in each district. Vote for parties. Proportion of vote party gets equals the amount of seats they win
Electoral Thresholds
Minimum share of vote a party needs to be represented in some way
District magnitude
Primary proponent on how votes get in from districts
Vote of no confidence
Where a PM checks to see if the parliament is backing them up. I’d succeeded, a minority Government can be put into place
Coalition government
When two parties work together to achieve power in the government
Grand coalition
Two largest political parties of opposing ideologies unite
Minority government
When a cabinet is formed when a political party does not have majority seats in parliament
Qualified majority
Number of votes required for something to be passed. Used in EU politics
Ideology
Beliefs and values on someone’s political views
