The political system in the U

Britain is a parliamentary democracy. It's governed by representatives of people, so it guarantees them the equality of rights & freedom in all aspects. Britain is also a monarchy. Although the queen is an official head of the Presbyterian and English Church, the state, the legal system and commander-in-chief of all armed forces, but practically she is dependent to parliament decisions.

The authority

The authority is divided to three parts:

1. Legislative authority

The British Parliament has two houses, or chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is the most powerful and decides national policy, but the House of Lords can ask the House of Commons to rewrite certain parts of a bill before it becomes a new law. The House of Commons consist of Members of Parliament, MPs. Each MP is elected by voters in one constituency. There are 651 MPs, or seats, in the House of Commons (524 for England, 72 for scotland, 38 for Wales and 17 for Northen Ireland). In 1994, there were only 59 women MPs. The 1203 members of the House of Lords are not elected. Some are life peers: they are members of the House, but their sons and daughters cannot be members. Life peers are usually former members of the House of Commons. There are also a number of judges or bishops. The majority (774), however, are hereditary peers, the heads of aristocratic families. The head of both Houses of Parliament is the Queen, but she has very little power. 2. Executive branch

The party that wins most MPs forms the government. The leader of the winning party automatically becomes Prime Minister and appoints the Cabinet. The members of the Cabinet are the leading government ministers and have a legislative initiative. The Prime Minister is the most improtant person in Parliament. The party who comes second is the Opposition and forms its own Shadow Cabinet. 3. Judical branch Structure of justice system is not extended. On the lowest level are Justice of the Peace, where public nonprofessional judge allege. Higher levels are Country Courts and the highest court is called the Supreme Court. There are neither public prosecutors nor the Minister of Justice. Indictments are made by the public lawyers. 3. The Parties

The poewr is based on the dual-party system which have existed since XVII century. There were two parties: Whigs and Tories which have developed into the left-wing Labour Party and the right-wing Conservative Party. There were big differences between them some time ago, but now parties fight for the power, not for the change of political system. Every five years, British people over the age of 18 can vote in a general election. People vote for the candidate they want in their region. The candidate who wins becomes the MP in the House of Commons.