Executive Powers

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Executive Powers

Within the constitution of a nation, powers are delegated to certain institutions of that nation?s government. Although in many cases similar, nations can vary drastically when defining the organizational structure from which they operate. Some democratic constitutions delegate more power to the executive branch while in other nations more power is given to the legislature. This point can be illustrated when the same branch of a nation?s government is compared with that of another. An example of differing executive powers can be viewed between the Russian Federation and Japan.

Japan?s democracy was developed by General Macarthur alongside U.S. occupation authorities after WWII. It is that of a typical parliamentary system, similar in many ways to those of Europe. The prime minister is elected by the members of the Diet, or parliament, and serves until he or she losses the confidence of the House of Representatives or until the four year term is up (Palmer 264).

The Russian democracy came about a half a century down the road. When communism ultimately fell in the Soviet Union, a popular figure under Gorbachev came into power under a fresh, democratic framework. His name was Boris Yeltsin. He put together a new constitution, based on the Constitution of France, that gave many formal powers to the executive branch. It allows for a dual executive; a president and a prime minister. The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces and is empowered to rule by decree in a state of emergency (Palmer 334). He is also tied into the bureaucracy with the power to nominate and remove other bureaucrats and department heads from office. He nominates a prime minister and must approve the Cabinet.

Behavioral Comparison

From 1955 to 1993, Japan?s legislature, or House of Representatives, was dominated by the Liberal Democratic Party. This meant that the president of the party was guaranteed to become prime minister. That element should have ensured the office of prime minister to be one of the

strongest of that of the First World. Instead, it was among the weakest (Palmer 264).

The function of Japan?s prime minister is very similar to that of Russia?s. However, the power of the executive branch in Russia resides in the office of the president. He nominates the prime minister and must approve the members of the cabinet (Palmer 334). The president, under the Yeltsin Constitution, has direct control over the major processes of government.

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