Master10
World Politics & Governance Module

Global Parliaments & Legislative Assemblies

National legislative assemblies embody representative democracy and exercise legislative oversight, budgetary approval, and constitutional scrutiny across the globe. Prominent legislative bodies include the United States Congress (comprising the Senate and House of Representatives meeting on Capitol Hill), the Parliament of the United Kingdom at Westminster (House of Lords and House of Commons), the Federal Assembly of Germany (Bundestag and Bundesrat), and the National Diet of Japan (House of Representatives and House of Councillors). Other notable unicameral or bicameral legislatures include Israel's Knesset, Russia's Federal Assembly (State Duma and Federation Council), and the European Parliament in Strasbourg/Brussels, which serves as the directly elected transnational legislative arm of the European Union.

Key Concepts & Examination Highlights

  • The United Kingdom's Westminster Parliament is historically referred to as the 'Mother of Parliaments', establishing bicameral parliamentary traditions.
  • The European Parliament is the world's only directly elected supranational legislative assembly, representing citizens across the 27 EU member states.
  • The National Diet of Japan (Kokkai) consists of the House of Representatives (lower house) and the House of Councillors (upper house).
  • The Knesset is the 120-member unicameral national legislature of Israel, elected through nationwide proportional party-list representation.
  • The Knesset is the unicameral national legislature of Israel, consisting of 120 members elected through party-list proportional representation.
  • The National Diet is the bicameral legislature of Japan, consisting of the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors.
  • The Federal Assembly of Russia consists of two chambers: the State Duma (Lower House, 450 seats) and the Federation Council (Upper House).
  • The Bundestag is the federal parliament of Germany, while the Bundesrat represents the sixteen federal states (Länder) at the national level.
  • The Cortes Generales is the bicameral parliament of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate.
  • The Majlis is the term used for the parliament in several Islamic countries, including Iran (Islamic Consultative Assembly) and Maldives (People's Majlis).
  • The Riksdag is the unicameral national legislature and supreme decision-making body of Sweden, comprising 349 members.
  • The Cortes Generales is the bicameral parliament of Spain, consisting of the Congress of Deputies (lower house) and the Senate (upper house).
  • The Storting is the supreme legislature of Norway, functioning as a modified unicameral parliament located in Oslo.
  • The Riksdag is the unicameral national legislature of Sweden, consisting of 349 members elected by proportional representation every four years.
  • The Folketing is the unicameral national parliament of Denmark, comprising 179 members including representatives from the Faroe Islands and Greenland.
  • The Eduskunta is the unicameral parliament of Finland, consisting of 200 members elected every four years.
  • The States General (Staten-Generaal) is the bicameral parliament of the Netherlands, consisting of the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) and the Senate (Eerste Kamer).
  • The Federal Parliament of Australia is bicameral, consisting of the King (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate (76 senators), and the House of Representatives (151 members).
  • The Parliament of Canada consists of the Monarch, the appointed Senate (105 members), and the elected House of Commons (338 members).
  • The Jatiya Sangsad is the unicameral national parliament of Bangladesh, consisting of 350 members including 50 reserved seats for women.
  • The Sansad is the bicameral supreme legislative body of India, comprising the President, the Rajya Sabha, and the Lok Sabha.
  • The Parliament of South Africa is bicameral, consisting of the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), situated in Cape Town.
  • The National Assembly of France (Assemblée Nationale) meets at the Palais Bourbon in Paris, while the Senate sits at the Luxembourg Palace.
  • The Sejm is the lower house of the Polish parliament, which forms the National Assembly when sitting jointly with the Senate (Senat).
  • The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), founded in 1889 by Frédéric Passy and William Randal Cremer, is the global organization of national parliaments headquartered in Geneva.
  • The Althing of Iceland, founded at Thingvellir in 930 CE, is widely recognized as the oldest active national parliamentary institution in the world.
  • The Tynwald of the Isle of Man claims the title of the oldest continuously operating parliament in the world, founded in 979 CE.
  • The Parliament of the United Kingdom, often called the 'Mother of Parliaments', consists of the Monarch, the House of Lords (Upper House), and the House of Commons (Lower House).
  • The British House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker, who renounces all political party affiliations upon election to maintain complete impartiality.
  • The Congress of the United States is the bicameral federal legislature, comprising the Senate (100 Senators, two per state) and the House of Representatives (435 voting members).
  • The Vice President of the United States acts as the ex-officio President of the Senate, possessing only a tie-breaking vote under Article I of the US Constitution.
  • The National People's Congress (NPC) of the People's Republic of China is the largest parliamentary body in the world, consisting of nearly 3,000 elected deputies.
  • The National Diet of Japan is bicameral, consisting of the House of Representatives (Lower House) and the House of Councillors (Upper House), established under the 1947 Constitution.
  • The Federal Assembly of Germany consists of the Bundestag (Federal Parliament, elected by the people) and the Bundesrat (Federal Council, representing state governments).
  • The Parliament of South Africa is bicameral, comprising the National Assembly and the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), situated in Cape Town.
  • The Knesset is the unicameral national legislature of Israel, consisting of 120 members elected through nationwide proportional representation for four-year terms.
  • The Majlis is the historical term used for parliamentary bodies across several Islamic countries, including the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran and the People's Majlis of Maldives.
  • The Federal Parliament of Australia is bicameral, comprising the Senate (76 Senators, 12 from each of the six states) and the House of Representatives (151 members), located in Canberra.
  • The Parliament of Canada consists of the Monarch, the Senate (105 members appointed by the Governor General on PM advice), and the House of Commons (338 elected MPs), meeting on Parliament Hill, Ottawa.
  • The Oireachtas is the bicameral national parliament of Ireland, consisting of the President of Ireland and two Houses: Dail Eireann (House of Representatives) and Seanad Eireann (Senate).
  • The Storting is the supreme legislature of Norway, which transitioned from a modified bicameral system to a fully unicameral parliament in 2009.
  • The Riksdag is the unicameral national legislature of Sweden, comprising 349 members elected by proportional representation.
  • The European Parliament is the directly elected legislative body of the European Union, with 720 Members (MEPs) elected across the 27 EU member states, sitting in Strasbourg and Brussels.
  • The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), established in 1889 by Frederic Passy and William Randal Cremer, is the global organization of national parliaments, headquartered in Geneva.
  • International Day of Parliamentarism is celebrated globally on June 30 every year to commemorate the establishment of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
  • The State Duma is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, consisting of 450 deputies, while the Federation Council serves as the upper house.
  • The Jatiya Sangsad is the unicameral parliament of Bangladesh, consisting of 350 members, including 50 reserved seats for women, meeting in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban in Dhaka.
  • The National Assembly of Pakistan and the Senate of Pakistan form the bicameral federal legislature meeting in the Parliament House in Islamabad.
  • The Sansad of India comprises the President of India and the two Houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the People).
  • India's new Parliament House in New Delhi, designed by architect Bimal Patel under the Central Vista Redevelopment Project, was inaugurated on May 28, 2023.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Parline Database, Official Portals of World Parliaments, Library of Congress.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.EASY

The bicameral national legislature of the United States is officially called what?

Q2.EASY

The official lower house of the British Parliament is known by which name?

Q3.EASY

What is the official name of the national parliament of Japan?

Q4.EASY

What is the official name of the parliament of Israel in Jerusalem?

Q5.EASY

The national parliament of Germany in Berlin is called what?

Q6.EASY

What is the official name of the Russian federal parliament?

Q7.EASY

The official parliament of Spain is known as what?

Q8.MEDIUM

The national parliament of Norway in Oslo is named what?