Parliamentary republic
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A parliamentary republic or parliamentary constitutional republic is a form of a republic which operates under a parliamentary system of government.
In contrast to a presidential republic and the Semi-presidential system, the head of state usually does not have broad executive powers as a Executive president would, because much of those powers have been granted to a "head of government" (usually called a prime minister). However, the head of government and head of state may form one office in a parliamentary republic (such as South Africa and Botswana), but the president is still elected in much the same way as the prime minister in most Westminster systems. In some instances, the President may legally have executive powers granted to them to undertake the day-to-day running of government (as in Finland or Ireland) but by convention they do not use these powers. Some parliamentary republics could therefore be seen as following the semi-presidential system but operating under a parliamentary system.
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[edit] Historical development
Typically, parliamentary republics are states that were previously constitutional monarchies, with the position of head of state hitherto a monarch (and, in the case of some Commonwealth republics, formerly represented by a Governor General) being replaced by an elected non-executive president. There is also a large number of parliamentary republics that were once one-party states, being part of the Eastern bloc or the Soviet Union.
[edit] List of current Parliamentary republics
Country | Formerly | Parliamentary republic adopted | Head of state elected by |
---|---|---|---|
Albania | One-party state | 1991 | Parliament, by three-fifths majority |
Austria | One-party state | 1955 | Direct, by second-round system |
Bangladesh [1] | Presidential republic (Part of Pakistan) | 1971 | Parliament |
Botswana | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1967 | Parliament |
Bulgaria | One-party state | 1947 | Parliament |
Croatia | One-party state (Part of Yugoslavia) | 1991 | Directly, by second-round system |
Czech Republic | One-party state (Part of Czechoslovakia) | 1993 | Parliament, by majority |
Dominica | British overseas territory | 1978 | Parliament, by majority |
East Timor | Military junta (Occupied by Indonesia) | 1999 | Directly, by second-round system |
Estonia | One-party state (Part of Soviet Union) | 1992 | Parliament, by two-thirds majority |
Ethiopia | One-party state | 1991 | Parliament, by two-thirds majority |
Finland | Constitutional monarchy (Part of Russian Empire) | 1919 | Directly, by second-round system |
Germany | One-party state | 1949 | Federal assembly (Parliament and state delegates), by two-thirds majority |
Greece | Military junta | 1974 | Parliament, by majority |
Hungary | One-party state | 1990 | Parliament, by absolute majority |
Iceland | Constitutional monarchy (Part of Denmark) | 1944 | Direct, by transferable vote |
India | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1950 | Parliament and state legislators, by single transferable vote |
Iraq | One-party state | 2005 | Parliament, by two-thirds majority |
Ireland | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1949 | Direct, by single transferable vote |
Israel | Protectorate (Part of British Mandate of Palestine) | 1949 | Parliament, by two-thirds majority |
Italy | Constitutional monarchy | 1948 | Parliament, by majority |
Latvia | One-party state (Part of Soviet Union) | 1991 | Parliament |
Lithuania | One-party state (Part of Soviet Union) | 1990 | Direct, by second-round system |
Macedonia | One-party state (Part of the Yugoslavia) | 1991 | Directly, by second-round system |
Mauritius | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1992 | Parliament, by majority |
Poland | One-party state | 1990 | Directly, by second-round system |
Portugal | Military junta | 1976 | Directly, by second-round system |
Serbia | One-party state (Part of Yugoslavia) | 1992 | Directly, by second-round system |
Singapore | Constitutional monarchy (Part of Malaysia) | 1965 | Directly, by second-round system |
Slovakia | One-party state (Part of Czechoslovakia) | 1993 | Parliament |
Slovenia | One-party state (Part of Yugoslavia) | 1991 | Directly, by second-round system |
Switzerland | Military junta (Occupied by France) | 1802 | Parliament [2] |
Turkey | Absolute monarchy (Part of Ottoman Empire) | 1923 | Parliament, by two-thirds majority |
Vanuatu | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1947 | Parliament and regional council presidents, by majority |
South Africa | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1961 | Parliament, majority |
Malta | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1974 | Direct, by second-round system |
Trinidad and Tobago | Constitutional monarchy (Commonwealth Realm) | 1976 | Parliament |
[edit] List of former Parliamentary republics
Country | Year became a Parliamentary republic | Year status changed | Changed to | Status changed due to |
---|---|---|---|---|
French Fourth Republic | 1946 | 1958 | Semi Presidential republic (French Fifth Republic) | Political instability |
Fiji | 1987 | 2006 | Military junta | Military coup (2006) |
[edit] Notes
- ^ In Bangladesh, a Caretaker government takes over for three months during parliamentary elections. The Caretaker government is headed by a Chief advisor (the last Chief Justice to retire), and a group of neutral, non-partisan advisors chosen from the civil society. During this time, the president has jurisdiction over the Ministry of defense and the Ministry of foreign affairs.
- ^ There is neither a prime minister nor a president of Switzerland. The President of the Swiss Confederation is merely primus inter pares in the Swiss Federal Council, the seven-member executive council which constitutes the government as well as the head of state of Switzerland.