Power Sharing in Government

Power Sharing

Checks and Balances

• A system in which power is distributed among three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
• Each branch has some authority over the actions of the other two branches
• Prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful
• Ensures that power is shared and not concentrated in one hand
• Examples:
  • The President (Executive) appoints judges (Judicial), but the Senate (Legislative) must approve the appointments
  • Congress (Legislative) makes laws, but the President (Executive) can veto them
  • The Supreme Court (Judicial) can declare laws passed by Congress as unconstitutional

Belgium: An Example of Power Sharing

• A federal state with a complex system of power sharing
• Power is divided between the central government and three regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and the Brussels-Capital Region
• Each region has its own government and parliament
• The central government has authority over matters such as defense, foreign policy, and social security
• Regions have authority over matters such as education, culture, and language
• Community governments (Flemish, French, and German-speaking) have authority over matters such as language and culture
• A system of checks and balances ensures that power is shared and no one region or community dominates the others

Sri Lanka: An Example of Power Sharing

• A unitary state with a system of power sharing between the central government and nine provinces
• The central government has authority over matters such as defense, foreign policy, and finance
• Provinces have authority over matters such as education, healthcare, and agriculture
• The 13th Amendment to the Constitution (1987) established provincial councils with limited powers
• The system of power sharing is designed to address the concerns of minority communities, particularly the Tamil minority
• However, the system has been criticized for being ineffective and not providing sufficient autonomy to provinces.

Power Sharing

Checks and Balances

• A system of power distribution among three branches of government: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial
• Each branch has authority over the actions of the other two branches, preventing any one branch from becoming too powerful
• Examples of checks and balances:
  • President appoints judges, but Senate approves appointments
  • Congress makes laws, but President can veto them
  • Supreme Court can declare laws passed by Congress as unconstitutional

Belgium: A Federal System of Power Sharing

• A federal state with a complex system of power sharing between central government and three regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels-Capital Region
• Each region has its own government and parliament, with authority over matters such as:
  • Education
  • Culture
  • Language
• Central government has authority over matters such as:
  • Defense
  • Foreign policy
  • Social security
• Community governments (Flemish, French, and German-speaking) have authority over matters such as:
  • Language
  • Culture

Sri Lanka: A Unitary System of Power Sharing

• A unitary state with a system of power sharing between central government and nine provinces
• Central government has authority over matters such as:
  • Defense
  • Foreign policy
  • Finance
• Provinces have authority over matters such as:
  • Education
  • Healthcare
  • Agriculture
• The 13th Amendment to the Constitution (1987) established provincial councils with limited powers
• The system aims to address the concerns of minority communities, particularly the Tamil minority

Learn about the system of checks and balances in government, where power is distributed among three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Understand how this prevents any one branch from becoming too powerful.