What type of government is currently in power

Except for one state, Nebraska, all states have a bicameral legislature made up of two chambers: a smaller upper house and a larger lower house.

Together the two chambers make state laws and fulfill other governing responsibilities. Nebraska is the lone state that has just one chamber in its legislature. The smaller upper chamber is always called the Senate, and its members generally serve longer terms, usually four years. The larger lower chamber is most often called the House of Representatives, but some states call it the Assembly or the House of Delegates.

Its members usually serve shorter terms, often two years. State judicial branches are usually led by the state supreme court, which hears appeals from lower-level state courts. The Supreme Court focuses on correcting errors made in lower courts and therefore holds no trials. Rulings made in state supreme courts are normally binding; however, when questions are raised regarding consistency with the U. Constitution, matters may be appealed directly to the United States Supreme Court.

Major policy and legislative proposals are decided by the Cabinet. The Prime Minister selects Ministers for Cabinet positions. Ministers are selected by the Prime Minister. Legislation currently allows for up to 30 Ministers.

About 20 or so senior Ministers administer the major departments and are, usually, members of Cabinet. Other Ministers are responsible for particular areas of administration within a major department, or may be in charge of a small department.

Ministers are appointed from both Houses of Parliament, although most about two thirds are Members of the House of Representatives. Up to 12 Members and Senators are appointed by the Prime Minister as Parliamentary Secretaries also referred to as Assistant Ministers to assist or represent Ministers in their administrative responsibilities.

The role of the Governor-General. The Governor-General performs the ceremonial functions of head of state on behalf of the Queen. The Governor-General also has executive powers under many Acts of Parliament—for example, the power to proclaim legislation that is, bring it into effect and to make regulations and other kinds of delegated legislation that is, legislative powers that the Parliament has delegated to the Executive Government.

Most of the executive actions taken by the Governor-General are of this kind. In practice, except when reserve powers are involved—see below—these functions are exercised as advised by the Prime Minister and Ministers. In some matters the Constitution gives the Governor-General powers to act independently.

These include the power to dissolve the House of Representatives and, in certain situations, both Houses see Infosheet No.

However, in other than exceptional circumstances, the Governor-General will follow the advice of a Prime Minister who retains the confidence of the House. Constitutional experts do not agree on their precise extent or on the nature of the exceptional circumstances in which they may be exercised.

The Federal Executive Council. The Federal Executive Council is the constitutional mechanism for providing ministerial advice to the Governor-General. It is not a forum for policy debate or deliberation and its proceedings are entirely formal.

In practice the minimum number of Ministers or Parliamentary Secretaries that is, two in addition to the person presiding are rostered to attend.

Meetings of the Council are presided over by the Governor-General or a deputy appointed by the Governor-General usually the Minister with the title Vice President of the Executive Council. The matters dealt with at each meeting are recommendations by Ministers, for the approval of the Governor-General in Council, that something be done—for example, that a regulation be made, a treaty be ratified, or a person be appointed to a position. The role of the Queen.

Australia is a constitutional monarchy. A monarchy is a country where the position of head of state is inherited. A constitutional monarchy is one where the powers of the monarch or sovereign—the King or Queen—are limited by law or convention, and generally exercised only according to the advice of an elected government.

The head of state is a formal, symbolic and ceremonial position, as opposed to the position of head of government, which has the administrative power to govern the country. In some systems of government the head of state and head of government are the same person—for example, in the United States the President has both functions.

Queen Elizabeth is also Queen of the United Kingdom and several other countries which used to be part of the former British Empire. In Australia the powers of the Queen have been delegated by the Australian Constitution to her representative in Australia, the Governor-General. The Constitution gives the Queen the power to disallow an Australian Act of Parliament, but this has never been done and it is extremely unlikely that it would ever be done.

The Judiciary. The judicial function typically is independent of the legislative and executive components of the system. In a parliamentary system, laws are made by majority vote of the legislature and signed by the head of state, who does not have an effective veto power. In most parliamentary democracies, the head of state can return a bill to the legislative body to signify disagreement with it. In most parliamentary systems, there is a special constitutional court that can declare a law unconstitutional if it violates provisions of the supreme law of the land, the constitution.

In a few parliamentary systems, such as Great Britain, New Zealand, and the Netherlands, there is no provision for constitutional or judicial review, and the people collectively possess the only check on the otherwise supreme legislature, which is to vote members of the majority party or parties out of office at the next election.

A parliamentary democracy is directly and immediately responsive to popular influence through the electoral process. In other words, dictatorship concerns the source of the governing power and totalitarianism concerns the scope of the governing power.

The wave of military dictatorships in Latin America in the second half of the twentieth century left a particular mark on Latin American culture. In Latin American literature, the dictator novel challenging dictatorship is a significant genre.

There are also many films depicting Latin American military dictatorships. Some nondemocratic governments can be classified into categories such as monarchies, oligarchies, theocracies and technocracies. Governments tend to fall between traditionally democratic and non-democratic forms. These forms of government are usually distinguished based on who controls the state, how that authority is justified, and in what ways leaders and governments are structurally organized based on these justifications.

A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual, the monarch. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and rules for life or until abdication.

Monarchs may be autocrats absolute monarchy or ceremonial heads of state who exercise little or no power or only reserve power, with actual authority vested in a parliament or other body such as a constitutional assembly. Monarchs have various titles — king or queen, prince or princess, Malik or Malikah, emperor or empress, duke or grand duke, and Shah.

Monarchy is associated with political or sociocultural hereditary rule; most monarchs, both historically and in the modern day, have been born and brought up within a royal family and trained for future duties. However, some monarchies are non-hereditary. In an elective monarchy, the monarch is elected but otherwise serves as any other monarch.

Historical examples of elective monarchy include the Holy Roman Emperors and the free election of kings of the Polish—Lithuanian Commonwealth. In a monarchy, the state is controlled by an individual who usually inherits the throne by birth. Monarchies have existed throughout the world, although in recent centuries many states have abolished the monarchy and become republics. Advocacy of republics is called republicanism, while advocacy of monarchies is called monarchism.

As of in Europe, there are twelve monarchies: seven kingdoms, one grand duchy, one papacy, and two principalities, as well as the diarchy of Andorra. Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with a small number of people.

These people could be distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, education, corporate, or military control. Such states are often controlled by a few prominent families who pass their influence from one generation to the next. Forms of government and other political structures associated with oligarchy usually include aristocracy, meritocracy, plutocracy, military junta, technocracy, and theocracy.

Aristocracy is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. In the origins in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy. In later times, aristocracy was usually seen as rule by a privileged group, the aristocratic class, and contrasted with democracy.

Similarly, plutocracy is rule by the wealthy. Unlike systems such as democracy, plutocracy is not rooted in a political philosophy and has no advocates; the term is only used in a pejorative sense. Ali Khamenei, depicted here, current holds the position of Supreme Leader in Iran. The Supreme Leader is a religious figure who has arguably the most political power in Iran.

Technocracy is a form of government in which experts in technology would be in control of all decision making. Scientists, engineers, and technologists who have knowledge, expertise, or skills, would compose the governing body instead of politicians, businessmen, and economists. In a technocracy, decision makers would be selected based upon how knowledgeable and skillful they are in their field.

Theocracy is a form of government in which official policy is governed by immediate divine guidance or by officials who are regarded as divinely guided, or is pursuant to the doctrine of a particular religion or religious group. An Islamic state is a state that has adopted Islam, specifically Sharia Islamic Law , as its foundations for political institutions, or laws, exclusively, and has implemented the Islamic ruling system and is therefore a theocracy.

Although there is much debate as to which states or groups operate strictly according to Islamic Law, Sharia is the official basis for state laws in the following countries: Yemen, Afghanistan, Somalia, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Mauritania, Oman and Iran.

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