AP®︎ Comparative Government: Unit 2 Flashcards

A fused system in which the parliamentary majority forms a prime minister-led government that remains in office only while it retains legislative confidence; the United Kingdom is the course example

A separated system in which voters elect the president and legislature separately for fixed terms; the president is both head of state and head of government, and the cabinet is mainly responsible to the president; Mexico and Nigeria are the course examples

A system with separately elected president and legislature in which the president nominates a prime minister approved by the legislature and the cabinet is accountable to both; Russia is the course example

The official who formally represents the country and the continuity and authority of the state

The official who directs the government and ordinarily leads domestic policymaking and the bureaucracy

An arrangement in which executive and legislative authority are intertwined because the executive is formed from and depends on the legislature

An arrangement in which the executive and legislature have distinct electoral origins and independent terms in office

An executive structure that divides senior executive roles between two offices, although their actual power may be highly unequal

Elections held according to legally established terms and deadlines rather than solely at the executive’s discretion

The official or institution to which cabinet ministers are politically accountable and from which they derive their authority

The parliamentary convention that cabinet ministers publicly support government decisions and share responsibility for them or resign

Institutions or stages in the policymaking process whose approval is required and that can block or alter a proposed action

A legislative declaration that a parliamentary government has lost majority support, normally requiring resignation, formation of a new government, or an election

A formal legislative expression of disapproval that may politically weaken or pressure a minister or government but does not automatically remove anyone from office

Parliamentary questioning requires the executive and cabinet ministers to answer publicly for their decisions, providing scrutiny and information

The formal ending of a parliament’s term, normally followed by a general election

An election called earlier than the ordinarily scheduled or legally required election date

A formal accusation of serious wrongdoing that begins a possible removal process; impeachment itself does not necessarily remove the official

The senior official who directs the executive functions of government, such as a president, prime minister, premier, or Supreme Leader

The group of senior executive officials usually responsible for major ministries or policy areas

China’s head of state, who nominates the premier and ordinarily also serves as CCP general secretary and Central Military Commission chair, making the officeholder the senior political leader and commander in chief

The leader of the Chinese Communist Party and the party office that provides the president's authority over China's ruling political organization

China’s party-state body that controls the armed forces and is chaired by the country’s commander in chief

China's head of government, nominated by the president, who directs the State Council and oversees the civil service and daily administration beneath top party leadership

Iran’s unelected head of state and dominant authority, who sets the political agenda, commands the military, and appoints top ministers, the head of the judiciary, the Expediency Council, and half of the Guardian Council

A popularly elected executive who may serve two consecutive four-year terms, oversees the civil service, appoints ministers subject to Majles confirmation, and conducts foreign policy within limits set by the Supreme Leader

Mexico’s popularly elected head of state and government, commander in chief, and leader of the federal bureaucracy who leads foreign policy and may sign, promulgate, or veto legislation passed by Congress

Mexico's single six-year presidential term; the incumbent may not seek reelection

Nigeria’s popularly elected head of state and government, commander in chief, and head of the federal civil service who conducts foreign policy and may sign or veto legislation passed by the National Assembly

Russia’s elected head of state and dominant executive, who commands the military, nominates the prime minister, appoints senior officials and ministers, directs security and foreign policy, issues decrees, and may dissolve the State Duma under specified circumstances

Russia's head of government, nominated by the president, who chairs the government, oversees the civil service, and administers economic and domestic programs under presidential dominance

The largely ceremonial head of state who formally appoints the prime minister, grants royal assent, and performs constitutional acts on ministerial advice

The head of government and chief executive who directs the cabinet, sets policy, supervises the civil service, acts as de facto commander in chief, and can initiate an early election

Institutional rules restricting the number of terms or total time a chief executive may serve

Term limits encourage leadership turnover, restrain personal entrenchment, and guarantee opportunities for peaceful succession

Term limits remove experienced leaders, weaken accountability during final terms, and may encourage manipulation or succession through loyal proxies

An officeholder whose departure is known and whose limited remaining time in office can weaken political influence

A form of rule in which political power centers on an individual leader rather than durable institutions or impersonal laws

China removed the state presidency’s former two-consecutive-term limit in 2018, allowing service beyond the previous ten-year maximum

The president may serve two consecutive four-year terms and return after an intervening term, while the Supreme Leader has no fixed term limit

The president serves four-year terms and may be elected no more than twice; in 2006, the Senate rejected a constitutional change permitting a third term

Russia formally limits presidents to two six-year terms, but office-switching and the 2020 reset of Putin’s prior terms have enabled extended rule

The prime minister has no formal personal term limit and remains in office while able to lead the government and retain Commons confidence

Iran's elected but candidate-vetted body that formally selects a new Supreme Leader when the office becomes vacant

A legislature with one chamber, concentrating legislative responsibility in a single body

A legislature with two chambers, commonly an upper and lower house, that may have different powers or constituencies

China’s party-controlled unicameral legislature and constitutionally highest organ of state power; it elects the president, approves the premier and laws, and legitimizes Communist Party and executive policies

The NPC’s permanent organ, which legislates while the full NPC is out of session, sets its agenda, supervises member elections, and interprets the constitution and laws

The Chinese Communist Party’s top collective leadership body and the actual center of power whose decisions guide the Chinese state and NPC.

A legislature that chiefly gives formal approval and legal effect to decisions already made by the ruling leadership

Iran’s elected unicameral legislature; it approves legislation and the budget and confirms cabinet nominees under Guardian Council supervision

Iran’s unelected supervisory body that reviews Majles legislation for compatibility with the constitution, Islam, and Sharia law and vets electoral candidates

The process by which an institution screens prospective candidates and permits or bars them from competing in an election

A body selected by and advising Iran’s Supreme Leader that resolves persistent disputes between the Majles and the Guardian Council

Mexico’s elected bicameral national legislature, consisting of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate

Mexico’s elected lower house; it approves legislation, levies taxes, and verifies election outcomes

Mexico’s elected upper house; it confirms Supreme Court appointees and approves treaties and federal intervention in state matters

Nigeria’s elected bicameral national legislature, consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate

Nigeria’s elected lower chamber, which participates with the Senate in approving legislation

Nigeria’s elected upper chamber; it approves legislation and possesses distinctive confirmation and impeachment powers

Russia’s bicameral national legislature, consisting of the elected State Duma and appointed Federation Council

Russia’s elected lower chamber; it passes legislation and confirms the prime minister

Russia’s appointed upper chamber; it approves budget legislation, treaties, judicial nominees, and troop deployment

The United Kingdom’s bicameral legislature, consisting of the elected House of Commons and unelected House of Lords

The United Kingdom’s elected and dominant lower chamber; it approves legislation and determines which party or coalition forms the government

The United Kingdom’s appointed or unelected upper chamber; it reviews, amends, and temporarily delays bills from the Commons

The principle that the UK Parliament is legally supreme, so courts generally cannot invalidate its primary legislation

The extent to which a legislature can control its membership, agenda, deliberations, decisions, and oversight without another institution routinely controlling or overriding it

The public belief that a legislature has the rightful authority to represent citizens, deliberate, and make laws

A court’s authority to determine whether laws or government actions conflict with a constitution or other superior law

The capacity of courts and judges to decide cases according to law and facts without improper control, retaliation, or direction from powerful political actors

The principle that officials and ordinary people are equally subject to law and that courts can enforce lawful limits on government

The use of laws and courts by rulers to administer society and control opponents without meaningfully constraining the rulers themselves

A legal tradition in which judicial precedents and earlier court decisions help establish legal rules

Islamic religious law that underlies Iran’s national legal order and is also applied by Sharia courts in northern Nigeria

A Communist Party-controlled hierarchy of people’s courts headed by the Supreme People’s Court that resolves cases but cannot independently invalidate national laws or constrain Party leadership

A court system led by a Supreme Leader appointee in which judges trained in Sharia safeguard a legal order based on Islamic law

Mexico’s highest federal court, with authority to review laws and government actions for consistency with the Constitution

Nigeria’s highest court and final court of appeal, with authority to interpret the constitution and exercise judicial review

State-level courts in northern Nigeria that apply Islamic law as one component of the country’s federal and legally plural system

A politically constrained court system that reinforces governing authorities and is used to target political opposition

The final appellate court that protects rights, reviews executive legality, and resolves devolution disputes but generally cannot invalidate acts of Parliament

Appointment and removal procedures, secure tenure and salaries, professional norms, resources, political competition, and officials’ willingness to obey court decisions determine judicial independence

An independent judiciary protects rights, enforces constitutional limits, resolves disputes impartially, and strengthens accountability and the rule of law