Isabella Carter
Constitutional democracy is a form of government that combines constitutionalism and democracy, with a constitution that controls the exercise of political power and accords primacy to the will of the majority of the people expressed in free elections. The two major types of constitutional democracies in the modern world are exemplified by the United States and Great Britain. The United States is the leading example of the presidential system of constitutional democracy, while Britain, with its cabinet system, is the classic example of the parliamentary system. Other countries with constitutional democracies include France, which has a hybrid presidential-parliamentary system, and New Zealand, which is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | Constitutional government is defined by the existence of a constitution that controls the exercise of political power. |
| Control of Power | Power is distributed among several state organs or offices, which are subjected to reciprocal controls and forced to cooperate in formulating the will of the state. |
| Political Parties | Political parties are key institutions in a constitutional democracy, acting as a link between the rulers and the ruled. |
| Types | The two major types of constitutional democracy are the presidential system (exemplified by the United States) and the cabinet system (exemplified by Great Britain). A third type is the hybrid presidential-parliamentary system, seen in France. |
| Oldest Continuous Democracy | The United States is the only country with a continuous democracy for more than 200 years. |
| Oldest Democratic Institutions | Iceland and the Isle of Man have parliamentary bodies that are over 1,000 years old, making them the longest-standing democratic institutions in the world. |
| Oldest Universal Suffrage | New Zealand allowed all women and ethnicities to vote in elections by 1893. |
| Post-World War II Democracies | Many countries became democracies after World War II, including Japan and Tunisia. |
| Constitutional Monarchies | Examples include the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Japan, and Thailand. |
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What You'll Learn
The United States
Constitutional democracy is defined by the existence of a constitution that controls the exercise of political power. In the contemporary world, constitutional governments are generally democracies, and they are referred to as constitutional democracies or constitutional-democratic systems.
The US's court system is built differently from other countries, with hundreds of lower-court federal judges with lifetime tenure who have the power to invalidate executive actions nationwide. The strength of American civil society also has a long history, with high rates of citizen engagement and a dense network of nonprofit organizations.
However, the US has faced some challenges in maintaining its democratic status. In 2016, The Economist Intelligence Unit downgraded the United States from a "full democracy" to a "flawed democracy" in its Democracy Report, citing the American public's declining trust in the government as a key factor. Additionally, in 2021, the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) classified the United States as a "backsliding democracy" for the first time. Despite these concerns, the United States remains a prominent example of a constitutional democracy with a long history of democratic traditions and institutions.
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Great Britain
Constitutional democracy is defined by the existence of a constitution that controls the exercise of political power. In the contemporary world, most constitutional governments are also democracies, and they are referred to as constitutional democracies or constitutional-democratic systems.
Over time, Britain's democratic system evolved through various events, including the Puritan Revolution, the English Civil War, and the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688. By the mid-15th century, voting was restricted to landholders, and in the 18th century, Parliament began to exercise greater power over the monarch. The Reform Act of 1832 is considered a historic threshold in the development of parliamentary democracy in Britain, extending suffrage to about 7% of the adult population. However, it was not until after World War II that Britain fully embraced federalism within its empire.
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France
The political system of France consists of an executive branch, a legislative branch, and a judicial branch. Executive power is exercised by the president of the republic and the Government, which includes the prime minister and ministers. The prime minister is appointed by the president and is responsible to Parliament. The constitution outlines foundational principles, including the equality of all citizens before the law, the rejection of special class privileges, presumption of innocence, freedom of speech and opinion, the guarantee of property against arbitrary seizure, and the accountability of government agents to the citizenry.
The constitutionality of statutes is checked by the Constitutional Council, whose members are appointed by the president of the republic, the president of the National Assembly, and the president of the Senate. The independent judiciary is based on civil law, which evolved from the Napoleonic Codes. It is divided into the judicial branch, dealing with civil and criminal law, and the administrative branch, dealing with appeals against executive decisions. Each branch has its own supreme court of appeal: the Court of Cassation for the judicial courts and the Conseil d'Etat for the administrative courts.
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Japan
The Japanese Constitution of 1947 established sovereignty in the people and limited the emperor's role to that of a symbolic figurehead. It emphasised fundamental human rights and gender equality, and notably included Article 9, which renounced war and prohibited the maintenance of offensive military forces. The constitution aimed to foster democratisation and prevent the resurgence of militarism, but it also sparked debates within Japan regarding the influence of foreign powers and the integrity of national sovereignty.
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New Zealand
A constitutional democracy is a system of government where the exercise of political power is controlled by a constitution. In most cases, constitutional governments are also democracies, with political power being exercised through a democratically elected parliament.
The Constitution Act 1986 is the principal statement of New Zealand's constitutional arrangements and outlines the three branches of government: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. The Act also establishes that the country is a constitutional monarchy, with the reigning monarch as the head of state. The current head of state is King Charles III, who is represented in New Zealand by the Governor-General, Dame Cindy Kiro.
The Governor-General exercises prerogative powers, including the appointment and dismissal of members of the Executive Council and Ministers of the Crown. These powers are part of the common law and exist independently of statutes. New Zealand's legislative, executive, and judicial branches function in accordance with the Constitution Act 1986 and various unwritten conventions, derived from the Westminster system.
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Frequently asked questions
A constitutional democracy is defined by the existence of a constitution that controls the exercise of political power. In most cases, they are referred to as constitutional democracies or constitutional-democratic systems.
The two major types of constitutional democracy are the presidential system, exemplified by the United States, and the cabinet system, exemplified by Great Britain. A third type is the hybrid presidential-parliamentary system, exemplified by France.
The United States, Great Britain, and France are the most well-known examples of constitutional democracies. Other constitutional democracies include Japan, Thailand, New Zealand, and many Western European countries such as the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Liechtenstein.
A constitutional democracy is a system of government in which the power is distributed among several state organs or offices, and the will of the majority of the people is expressed in free elections. On the other hand, a constitutional monarchy is a system in which a monarch acts as a ceremonial head of state under the constitution, and the prime minister holds the day-to-day powers of governance. While the monarch in a constitutional monarchy may retain some powers, they are bound by convention to act on the advice of the cabinet.
