In a democracy, parliament is the highest legislative body. National parliaments of individual states have a different structure. These representative institutions may consist of one or two independent chambers. A bicameral parliament makes it possible to balance the interests of participants in the political process.
Instruction manual
1
Bicameral is the parliament, which consists of two separate parts (chambers), each of which is formed in a special order and according to special procedures. A similar system arose during the period of bourgeois-democratic revolutions. The need for a bicameral structure of the legislative body is caused by the desire of legislators to restrain opposing trends and maintain a balance of political forces.
2
Under a bicameral parliamentary system, the legislative body is built of two houses, which have different competencies. The members of the lower house, as a rule, are directly elected by the population vested with the right to vote. Various methods are used to form the upper chamber, for example, indirect or mixed elections. Sometimes members of the upper house are appointed by the head of state.
3
In a bourgeois state, the upper house represents the interests of the privileged sections of society. Usually its members are elected for a longer term and have pre-emptive rights, for example, they can veto bills passed by the lower house. Those who apply for membership in the upper house of parliament have to go through a more serious and less democratic selection system.
4
Traditionally, laws are passed in the lower house of parliament, after which they are approved by the upper house, which has no right to amend draft laws. The upper house has the right to adopt the bill or reject it. Therefore, the main part of legislative work (discussion of laws, adoption of amendments to them, etc.) is carried out by the lower house, therefore it is considered more important politically.
5
In modern parliaments, the importance and political weight of the upper house is gradually lost. It is increasingly starting to play the role of a community of qualified experts who participate in the discussion of laws and make their recommendations to the lower house. This practice can significantly improve the quality of bills that pass through parliament.
6
In states with a federal structure, the principle of double representation of the masses in a parliament with two chambers is often applied: on the basis of direct suffrage and by choosing an equal number of deputies from each of the subjects of the federation. For this reason, federal states have precisely a bicameral, and not unicameral, parliament. Parliaments of unitary states most often consist of one chamber.
