Bicameralism

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In the government, bicameralism (Latin bi, two + camera, Le gislature

chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or This series is part of the Politics series
parliamentary chambers. Thus, a bicameral parliament or
bicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of two Legislature
chambers or houses. Bicameralism is an essential and defining Legislatures by country
feature of the classical notion of mixed government. Bicameral P arliament
legislatures tend to require a concurrent majority to pass
Member of P arliament
legislation.
P arliamentary group
P arliamentary group leader

Congress
Contents Congressperson

Unicameralism
1 Theory of bicameral congress
Multicameralism
2 Types
B icameralism
2.1 Federal
Tricameralism (historical)
2.2 Aristocratic
Tetracameralism (historical)
2.3 Unitary states
Chambers of parliament
3 Subnational entities
Upper house (Senate)
3.1 United States
Lower house
3.2 Australia
3.3 India P arliamentary system

3.4 Germany City council

Councillor
4 Reform
4.1 Arab political reform Politics Portal ·
4.2 Romania
5 Examples
6 See also
7 References

Theory of bicameral congress

Although the ideas on which bicameralism is based can be traced back to the theories developed in Ancient
Sumer and later ancient Greece, ancient India, and Rome, recognizable bicameral institutions first arose in
medieval Europe where they were associated with separate representation of different estates of the realm. For
example, one house would represent the aristocracy, and the other would represent the commoners. The
Founding Fathers of the United States also favored a bicameral legislature. The idea was to have the Senate be
wealthier, and (apparently) wiser. "The Senate was created to be a stabilizing force, elected not by mass
electors, but selected by the State legislators. Senators would be more knowledgeable and more deliberate—a
sort of republican nobility—and a counter to what M adison saw as the 'fickleness and passion' that could
absorb the House. He noted further, 'The use of the Senate is to consist in its proceeding with more coolness,
with more system and with more wisdom, than the popular branch.' M adison's argument led the Framers to
grant the Senate prerogatives in foreign policy, an area where steadiness, discretion, and caution were deemed
especially important".[1] The Senate was chosen by state legislators, and senators had to possess a significant
amount of property in order to be deemed worthy and sensible enough for the position. In fact, it was not until
the year 1913 that the 17th Amendment was passed, which "mandated that Senators would be elected by
popular vote rather than chosen by the State legislatures".[1]

As part of the Great Compromise, they invented a new rationale for bicameralism in which the upper house
would have states represented equally, and the lower house would have them represented by population.

In subsequent constitution making, federal states have often

adopted bicameralism, and the solution remains popular when
regional differences or sensitivities require more explicit
representation, with the second chamber representing the
constituent states. Nevertheless, the older justification for
second chambers—providing opportunities for second
thoughts about legislation—has survived.[citation needed]

Growing awareness of the complexity of the notion of

T he bicameral legislature of the United
representation and the multifunctional nature of modern
States is housed in the Capitol, a building
legislatures may be affording incipient new rationales for
with two wings. T he north wing (left) houses
second chambers, though these do generally remain contested
the Senate, while the south wing (right)
institutions in ways that first chambers are not. An example of
houses the House of Representatives.
political controversy regarding a second chamber has been the
debate over the powers of the Canadian Senate or the election
of the Senate of France.[2]

The relationship between the two chambers varies; in some cases, they have equal power, while in others, one
chamber is clearly superior in its powers. The first tends to be the case in federal systems and those with
presidential governments. The latter tends to be the case in unitary states with parliamentary systems.

There are two main streams. One critics that bicameralism makes meaningful political reforms more difficult to
achieve and increases the risk of gridlock (particularly in cases where both chambers have similar powers). The
other argues strongly for the merits of the "checks and balances" provided by the bicameral model, which they
believe helps prevent the passage into law of ill-considered legislation.

Types
Federal

Some countries, such as Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, M alaysia,
M exico, Pakistan, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States, link their bicameral systems to their federal
political structure.

In the United States, Australia, and M exico, for example, each state is given the same number of seats in the
legislature's upper house. This takes account of population differences between states — it is designed to ensure
that smaller states are not overshadowed by larger states, which have more representation in the lower house. In
Canada, the country as a whole is divided into a number of Senate Divisions, each with a different number of
Senators, based on a number of factors. These Divisions are Quebec, Ontario, Western Provinces, and the
M aritimes, each with 24 Senators, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, each with 1 Senator, and
Newfoundland and Labrador has 6 Senators, making for a total of 105 Senators. Senators in Canada are not
elected by the people but are appointed by the Governor General on the advice of the Prime M inister. The
Senate does not originate most legislation (although a small fraction of government bills are introduced in the
Senate and Senators may introduce private members' bills in the same way as M Ps) but merely acts as a sort of
rubber stamp to legislation passed by the House of Commons that is made up of M embers of Parliament (M Ps)
who have been elected by the people. The Senate must pass legislation before it becomes law and can therefore
act as a wise facilitator or engage in filibuster. The Senate does not have to endure the accountability and
scrutiny of parliamentary debate nor elections. Therefore, the bicameral structure of Canadian parliament is
more de jure than de facto.

In the German, Indian, and Pakistani systems, the upper houses (the Bundesrat, the Rajya Sabha, and the
Pakistani Senate respectively) are even more closely linked with the federal system, being appointed or elected
directly by the governments of each German Bundesland, Indian State, or Pakistani Province. (This was also the
case in the United States before the 17th Amendment.) The Indian Upper House does not have the states
represented equally, but on the basis of their population. Same holds for German Bundesrat, although less
populated states still have a stronger voting power than would be the case in a system based purely on
population.

There are also instances of bicameralism in countries that are not federations, but which have upper houses with
representation on a territorial basis. For example in South Africa, the National Council of Provinces (and before
1997, the Senate) has its members chosen by each Province's legislature. "

In Spain the Spanish Senate functions as a de facto territorial-based upper house, and there has been some
pressure from the Autonomous Communities to reform it into a strictly territorial chamber.

The European Union maintains a bicameral legislative system which consists of the European Parliament, which
is elected in general elections on the basis of universal suffrage, and the Council of the European Union which
consists of members of the governments of the M ember States which are competent for the relevant field of
legislation. Although the European Union is not considered a state, it enjoys the power to legislate in many areas
of politics; in some areas, those powers are even exclusively reserved to it.

Norway had a kind of semi-bicameral legislature with two chambers, or departments, within the same elected
body, the Storting. These were called the Odelsting and Lagting and were abolished after the general election of
2009. According to M orten Søberg, there was a related system in the 1798 constitution of the Batavian
Republic.[3]

Aristocratic

In a few countries, bicameralism involves the juxtaposition of democratic and aristocratic elements.

The best known example is the British House of Lords, which includes a number of hereditary peers. The House
of Lords represents a vestige of the aristocratic system which once predominated in British politics, while the
other house, the House of Commons, is entirely elected. Over the years, there have been proposals to reform the
House of Lords, some of which have been at least partly successful — the House of Lords Act 1999 limited the
number of hereditary peers (as opposed to life peers, appointed by the government) to 92, down from around
700. The ability of the House of Lords to block legislation is curtailed by the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949.
Further reform of the Lords is planned.
Another example of aristocratic bicameralism was the Japanese House of Peers, abolished after World War II
and replaced with the present House of Councillors.

Unitary states

M any bicameral countries like the Netherlands, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Ireland and
Romania are examples of bicameral systems existing in unitary states. In countries such as these, the upper
house generally exists solely for the purpose of scrutinising and possibly vetoing the decisions of the lower
house.

In some of these countries, the upper house is indirectly elected. M embers of France's Senate, Ireland's Seanad
Éireann are chosen by electoral colleges consisting of members of the lower house, local councillors, the
Taoiseach, and graduates of selected universities, while the Netherlands' Senate is chosen by members of
provincial assemblies.

Subnational entities
In some countries with federal systems, individual states (like those of the United States, Australia and a few
States of India) may also have bicameral legislatures. Only three such states, Nebraska in the US, Queensland in
Australia and Bavaria in Germany have later adopted unicameral systems.

United States

During the 1930s, the Legislature of the State of Nebraska was reduced from bicameral to unicameral with the 43
members that once comprised that state's Senate. One of the arguments used to sell the idea at the time to
Nebraska voters was that by adopting a unicameral system, the perceived evils of the "conference committee"
process would be eliminated.

A conference committee is appointed when the two chambers cannot agree on the same wording of a proposal,
and consists of a small number of legislators from each chamber. This tends to place much power in the hands of
only a small number of legislators. Whatever legislation, if any, the conference committee finalizes must then be
approved in an unamendable "take-it-or-leave-it" manner by both chambers.

During his term as Governor of the State of M innesota, Jesse Ventura proposed converting the M innesotan
legislature to a single chamber with proportional representation, as a reform that he felt would solve many
legislative difficulties and impinge upon legislative corruption. In his book on political issues, Do I Stand Alone?,
Ventura argued that bicameral legislatures for provincial and local areas were excessive and unnecessary, and
discussed unicameralism as a reform that could address many legislative and budgetary problems for states.

Australia

In Australian states, the lower house was traditionally elected based on the one-vote-one-value principle,
whereas the upper house was partially appointed and elected, with a bias towards country voters. In
Queensland, the appointed upper house was abolished in 1922, while in New South Wales there were similar
attempts at abolition, before the upper house was reformed in the 1970s to provide for direct election.
Nowadays, the upper house is elected using proportional voting and the lower house through preferential
voting, except in Tasmania, where proportional voting is used for the lower house, and preferential voting for
the upper house.
India

Few Indian States - Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, M aharashtra, Jammu-Kashmir & Bihar - have
Bicameral Legislatures, these are called legislative councils (Vidhan Parisad), one third of who get elected every 5
years, there are graduate constituencies (members elected exclusively by graduates), teachers constituencies
(members elected exclusively by teachers), municipal constituencies (members elected exclusively by M ayors
and council members of the city Governments)

Germany

The German state of Bavaria had a bicameral legislature from 1946 to 1999, when the Senate was abolished by a
referendum amending the state's constitution.

Reform
Arab political reform

A 2005 report (http://www.cfr.org/pdf/Arab_Democracy_TF.pdf) on democratic reform in the Arab world by

the US Council on Foreign Relations co-sponsored by former Secretary of State M adeleine Albright urged Arab
states to adopt bicameralism, with upper chambers appointed on a 'specialised basis'. The Council claimed that
this would protect against the 'Tyranny of the majority', expressing concerns that without a system of checks
and balances extremists would use the single chamber parliaments to restrict the rights of minority groups.

In 2002, Bahrain adopted a bicameral system with an elected lower chamber and an appointed upper house.
This led to a boycott of parliamentary elections that year by the Al Wefaq party, who said that the government
would use the upper house to veto their plans. M any secular critics of bicameralism were won round to its
benefits in 2005, after many M Ps in the lower house voted for the introduction of so-called morality police.

Romania

A referendum on introducing a unicameral Parliament instead of the current bicameral Parliament was held in
Romania on 22 November 2009. The turnout rate was 50.95%, with 77.78% of "Yes" votes for a unicameral
Parliament.[4] This referendum had a consultative role, thus requiring a parliamentary initiative and another
referendum to ratify the new proposed changes.

Examples
Nations with bicameral legislatures.
Nations with unicameral legislatures.
No legislature.
No data.

Afghanistan - The National Assembly consists of M asharano Jirga and Wolesi Jirga

Argentina - The National Congress consists of Senate and Chamber of Deputies. Of the twenty-three
provincial legislatures, eight are bicameral, while the remaining fifteen and the legislature of the
Autonomous City of Buenos Aires are unicameral.

Australia - The Parliament consists of House of Representatives and Senate; all of the state parliaments
except Queensland's are also bicameral.

Austria - The Parliament consists of the Nationalrat and the Bundesrat; all of the Bundesländer have
unicameral parliaments.

Brazil - The National Congress consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies; all of the 26 state
legislatures and the Federal District legislature are unicameral.

Canada - The Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the Senate; all of the provincial
legislatures are unicameral.

France - The Parliament in the Fifth French Republic consists of the National Assembly and the Senate

Germany - The Bundestag and Bundesrat in Germany, which form two distinct bodies not framed by a
comprehensive institution; all of the Länder today have unicameral parliaments.

India - The Parliament in India, which consists of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya
Sabha (Council of States); some of the states also have bicameral legislatures namely Vidhan Sabha
(Legislative Assembly) and Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council).

Ireland - The Oireachtas consists of Dáil Éireann (the House of Representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the
Senate).

Italy - The Parliament consists of two chambers that have same role and power: the Senate (Senate of
the Republic, commonly considered the upper house) and the Chamber of Deputies, considered the lower
house) with twice as many members as the Senate.

Japan - The Diet is bicameral, consisting of the House of Representatives ( ; Shūgi-in) as the
lower house and the House of Councillors ( ; Sangi-in) as the upper house.

M alaysia - The Parliament consists of the Dewan Rakyat (House of Representatives) and the Dewan
Negara (Senate); all of the state legislatures are unicameral.

M exico - The Congress consists of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies; all the 31 State Congresses
and the Legislative Assembly of the Federal District are unicameral.

Netherlands - The S tates-General of the Netherlands consists of the Tweede Kamer (House of
Representatives, literally Second Chamber) and the Eerste Kamer (Senate, literally First Chamber)

Pakistan - The Parliament consists of the National Assembly and the Senate; all of the provincial
assemblies are unicameral.

Philippines - The Congress consists of a Senate and a House of Representatives; all local legislatures are
unicameral.

Russian Federation - The Federal Assembly consists of the State Duma and the oh yeahFederation
Council; all of the provincial parliaments are unicameral.

South Africa - The Parliament consists of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces;
all of the provincial legislatures are unicameral.

Spain - The Cortes Generales consists of a lower house, the Congress of Deputies and an upper house,
the |Senate (Senate). M oreover, each Spanish autonomous region has its own unicameral regional
parliament, with wide-ranging legislative powers on their own.

Switzerland - The Federal Assembly consists of the National Council and the Council of States; all of the
cantons have unicameral parliaments.

United Kingdom - The Parliament consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords

United States - The Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives; all of the state
legislatures except Nebraska are also bicameral.