Responsible government

Common card · No. 239116

Responsible government is a conception of a system of government that embodies the principle of parliamentary accountability, the foundation of the Westminster system of parliamentary democracy. Governments (the executive branch) in a Westminster democracy are responsible (politically accountable) to their parliament (the legislative branch) rather than to a monarch, president (in a republican context), or imperial government (in a colonial context). If the parliament is bicameral, then the government is usually primarily responsible to the lower house, which is more representative than the upper house, as it usually has more members and they are always directly elected. Responsible government and the principle of parliamentary accountability manifests itself in several ways. Firstly, ministers must account to parliament for their decisions and for the performance of their departments. This requirement to make announcements and to answer questions in parliament means that ministers must...

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