Hemicycle (chamber)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. |
In legislatures, a hemicycle is a term for a semicircular, or horseshoe shaped, debating chamber where deputies sit to discuss and pass legislation.
This is designed to encourage consensus among political parties rather than confrontation, such as the Westminster system where the government and opposition parties face each other on opposing sets of benches.
 The European Parliament refers to its chamber as the hemicycle, parties are arranged according to the political spectrum and do not directly form governments |
 The Scottish Parliament split from the UK's Westminster style by having a hemicycle, with the largest party sitting in the centre of the chamber |
 The German Bundestag, a much older Parliament which has always used the hemicycle format |
 The Westminster system, here the British House of Commons, clearly differs in its adversarial layout |
 |
This architecture-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
