Chapter 22: Comparative Political Systems Section 4
Chapter 22: Comparative
Political Systems
Section 4
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 2 Chapter 22, Section 4
Objectives
1. Examine elements of the United
Kingdom’s parliamentary democracy.
2. Describe regional and local government
in the United Kingdom.
3. Analyze the federal government of
Mexico.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 3 Chapter 22, Section 4
Key Terms
• coalition: a temporary alliance of parties to form a government
• ministers: the members of the cabinet of the United Kingdom
• shadow cabinet: members of the opposition party who watch the real cabinet and are ready to take its place
• devolution: the delegation of authority from the central government back to regional governments
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 4 Chapter 22, Section 4
Introduction
• What form does democratic government take in
the UK and in Mexico?
– The UK has a unitary, parliamentary government with
power concentrated in a legislative branch that
appoints executive officials and rules in the name of
the monarchy.
– Mexico has a federal government with a judiciary, a
strong executive, and a weak legislature. It also has
individual state governments.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 5 Chapter 22, Section 4
The United Kingdom
• The UK is a democracy with a unitary
parliamentary government that rules in the
name of the monarchy.
• The UK has no one written constitution.
– The written “law of the constitution” consists of
historical documents and the acts of Parliament.
– The unwritten “conventions of the
constitution” include both common law based
on court decisions and centuries of customs.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 6 Chapter 22, Section 4
The United Kingdom, cont.
• Form of Government - Constitutional Monarchy
• Constitution - Unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
• Chief of State - Queen Elizabeth II
• Head of Government - Prime Minister David Cameron
• Executive Branch - Prime Minister is head of majority party in House of Commons
• Legislative Branch - Bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords and House of Commons
• Judicial Branch - The Crown Courts
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 7 Chapter 22, Section 4
• Parliament is the key representative body in British government.
• The monarch cannot veto acts of Parliament nor dismiss its members.
• Parliament is divided into the House of Commons (the lower house) and the House of Lords (the upper house) .
Parliament
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 8 Chapter 22, Section 4
Parliament, cont.
• The House of Commons has 646 elected MPs—members of Parliament.
– The majority party controls the House of Commons, choosing the prime minister and cabinet. Bills are voted on by the entire House.
• Most members of the House of Lords are appointed by a special commission.
– This house can reject bills passed by the lower house and serves as the final court of appeals for civil and criminal cases.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 9 Chapter 22, Section 4
The Prime Minister
• The prime minister, or PM, is the executive leader who represents either the majority party or the ruling coalition of Parliament.
• There are no term limits on this post.
• The PM selects the ministers of the cabinet, who each head an executive department, such as Defense. – Each opposition party appoints a shadow cabinet ready to
replace the main cabinet if the opposition party wins
power.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 10 Chapter 22, Section 4
The Courts
• The UK has separate court systems for England and Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
• Serious criminal cases are tried in the Crown Court and other cases are tried in the magistrates’ courts.
– Judges and juries try serious cases, while judges or magistrates hear most civil and minor criminal cases.
– Courts cannot overrule Parliament, and they decide most cases based on common law, precedent, and Parliament’s laws.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 11 Chapter 22, Section 4
The Election Process
• Checkpoint: How are governments formed in the UK?
– A general election for all seats in the House of
Commons is held at least every five years.
– If the current government loses the support of the House of Commons, Parliament is dissolved and a new general election called.
– Otherwise, the PM calls for an election when it favors his or her party.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 12 Chapter 22, Section 4
Political Parties
• MPs are elected from single-member districts. Voters tend to vote along straight party lines.
• The Conservative Party has strong support from the middle and upper class. It favors less government involvement in the economy.
• The Labour Party favors more government involvement and is supported by the working class.
• The Liberal Democratic Party blends views from both sides.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 13 Chapter 22, Section 4
Regional and Local Government
• All power belongs to the central government, which may grant powers to lower governments.
• Through devolution, the central government has given some power back to regional governments like Scotland.
• Local governments handle many functions.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 14 Chapter 22, Section 4
Mexico’s Federal System
• Mexico has a federal
government with an
executive, judicial, and
legislative branch.
• The president appoints
judges, officials, and
top military officers and
can propose
constitutional
amendments.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 15 Chapter 22, Section 4
Mexico, cont.
• Form of Government - Federal Republic
• Constitution - Adopted February 5, 1917
• Chief of State - President Felipe Calderón
• Head of Government - President Felipe Calderón
• Executive Branch - President elected by popular vote for single six-year term
• Legislative Branch - Bicameral National Congress consists of Senate and Federal Chamber of Deputies
• Judicial Branch - Supreme Court of Justices
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 16 Chapter 22, Section 4
The General Congress
• Mexico’s legislature consists of the 64-
member Senate and the 500-member
Chamber of Deputies.
– Two senators serving six-year terms represent
each of Mexico’s 31 states and the federal
district.
– Deputies serve one three-year term. Some are
directly elected from districts and the rest are
appointed by parties.
– The legislature meets only four months a year
and is weaker than the U.S. Congress.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 17 Chapter 22, Section 4
Judiciary and Local Governments
• Mexico’s judiciary has state and federal court systems, with a federal and state Supreme Courts.
– Most criminal trials have judges but no juries.
• Each Mexican state has a governor, a unicameral legislature, and state courts.
– Governors serve six-year terms and appoint state judges.
– Legislators serve three-year terms.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 18 Chapter 22, Section 4
National Politics
• Checkpoint: What are Mexico’s main political parties?
– Mexican politics was once dominated by the
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), but economic problems undercut its power in the 1980s.
– In the 1990s, the conservative National Action Party (PAN) and the leftist Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD) won political offices.
– In 2000, PAN candidate Vicente Fox won the presidency, the first presidential defeat for the PRI since 1929.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 19 Chapter 22, Section 4
National Politics, cont.
• In 2006, PAN candidate Felipe Calderón narrowly won the presidency over the PRD candidate, leading to protests of election fraud.
• Unfair elections have been a problem in Mexican politics dating back to the era of PRI rule.
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc. Slide 20 Chapter 22, Section 4
Review
• Now that you have learned about what
form democratic government takes in the
UK and in Mexico, go back and answer
the Chapter Essential Question.
– How should you measure different
governments?