Coalition government - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCoalition government From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search The Politics seriesList of politics topics Consent of the governed Politics by country Politics by subdivision Political economy Political history Political philosophy Political science International relations International relations theory Political scientists Comparative politics Public administration Bureaucracy Street-level bureaucracy Separation of powers Executive Judiciary Legislature Sovereignty Theories of political behavior
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Politics Portal This box: view • talk • editA coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. The usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve a majority in the parliament. A coalition government might also be created in a time of national difficulty or crisis, for example during wartime, to give a government the high degree of perceived political legitimacy it desires whilst also playing a role in diminishing internal political strife. In such times, parties have formed all-party coalitions (national unity governments, grand coalitions). If a coalition collapses a confidence vote is held or a motion of no confidence is taken. Contents [hide] 1 In practice 2 Coalition Governments Worldwide 2.1 Coalitions composed of few parties 2.2 Coalitions composed of many parties 3 Arguments for and against coalition government 4 References 5 See also
[edit] In practice To deal with a situation in which no clear majorities appear through general elections, parties either form coalition cabinets, supported by a parliamentary majority, or minority cabinets which may consist of one or more parties. Cabinets based on a coalition with majority in a parliament, ideally, are more stable and long-lived than minority cabinets. While the former are prone to internal struggles, they have less reason to fear votes of non-confidence. Majority governments based on a single party are typically even more stable, as long as their majority can be maintained. Coalition cabinets are common in countries in which a parliament is proportionally representative, with several organized political parties represented. It does not appear in countries in which the cabinet is chosen by the executive rather than by a lower house (such as in the United States). In semi-presidential systems such as France, where the president formally appoints a prime minister but the government itself must still maintain the confidence of parliament, coalition governments occur quite regularly. [edit] Coalition Governments Worldwide Countries which often operate with coalition cabinets include: the Nordic countries, the Benelux countries, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Israel and India. Switzerland has been ruled by a loose coalition of the four strongest parties in parliament since 1959, called the "Magic Formula". [edit] Coalitions composed of few parties In Germany, for instance, coalition government is the norm, as it is rare for either the CDU/CSU or SPD to win an unqualified majority in a national election. Thus, at the federal level, governments are formed with at least one of the smaller parties. For example, Helmut Kohl's CDU governed for years in coalition with the FDP and from 1998 to 2005, Gerhard Schröder's SPD was in power with the Greens. A similar situation exists in Israel with its dozens of different parties (only once in its electoral history has one party managed to gain a majority of seats in the Knesset). The centre-right, Likud, thus forms coalitions with far-right and orthodox groups, while Labour allies itself with the more leftist and pacifist parties, while various centrist parties can and do join either party. In both countries, grand coalitions of the two large parties also occur, but these are relatively rare and large parties usually prefer to associate with small ones (though ironically, currently both Israel's and Germany's governments include the two largest parties). However, if none of the larger parties can receive enough votes to form their preferred coalition, a grand coalition might be their only choice for forming a government. This is the current situation in Germany: in early elections, the CDU/CSU did not garner enough votes to form a majority coalition with the FDP; similarly the SPD and Greens did not have enough votes to continue on with their formerly ruling coalition. A grand coalition government was subsequently forged between the CDU/CSU and the SPD. Partnerships like these typically involve carefully structured cabinets. The CDU/CSU ended up holding the Chancellory while, the SPD took the majority of cabinet posts. [edit] Coalitions composed of many parties A coalition government may consist of any number of parties. In Germany, the coalitions rarely consist of more than two parties (where CDU and CSU, two non-competing parties which always form a single caucus, are in this regard considered a single party), while in Belgium, where there are separate Dutch and French parties for each political grouping, coalition cabinets of up to six parties are quite common. India's present governing coalition, the United Progressive Alliance, consists of 14 separate parties. In Finland, no party has had an absolute majority in the parliament since independene, and multi-party coalitions have been the norm. Finland experienced its most stable government (Lipponen I and II) since independence with a five-party governing coalition, so called "rainbow government", established during the 1990s, and the current government (Vanhanen II) is a four-party coalition. Japan is experiencing coalition governments since 1990s, which came into existence in 1993 after the defeat of Liberal Democratic Party, and it is present till today. Israel's governing coalitions meanwhile can include up to nine parties and are notoriously unstable as a result. In Australia, the conservative Liberal and National parties are united in an effectively permanent coalition. This coalition has become so stable, at least at the federal level, that Australia, in effect, has become a two-party system. In the United Kingdom, coalition governments (known as National Governments) have since 1915 only been appointed in times of national crisis. The most prominent was the National Government of 1931-1940. There was also an all party coalition during World War II. In other circumstances, when no party has found themselves in possession of a majority, minority governments have been the rule. [edit] Arguments for and against coalition government Advocates of proportional representation suggest that a coalition government leads to more consensus-based politics, in that a government comprising differing parties (often based on different ideologies) would need to concur in regard to governmental policy. Another stated advantage is that a coalition government better reflects the popular opinion of the electorate within a country. Those who disapprove of coalition governments believe that such governments have a tendency to be fractious and prone to disharmony. This is because coalitions would necessarily include different parties with differing beliefs and who, therefore, may not always agree on the correct path for governmental policy. Sometimes the results of an election are such that the coalitions which are mathematically most probable are ideologically infeasible, such as in Flanders or Northern Ireland. A second difficulty might be the ability of minor parties to play "kingmaker" and particularly, in close elections, gain far more for their support than their vote would otherwise indicate. Coalition governments have also been criticized of sustaining a consensus on issues when disagreement and the consequent discussion would be more fruitful. To forge a consensus, the leaders of ruling coalition parties can agree to silence their disagreements on an issue to unify the coalition against the opposition. The coalition partners, if they control the parliamentary majority, can collude to make the parliamentary discussion on the issue irrelevant by consistently disregarding the arguments of the opposition and voting against the opposition's proposals — even if there is disagreement within the ruling parties about the issue. Powerful parties can also act in an oligocratic way to form an unholy alliance to stifle the growth of emerging parties. Of course, such an event is rare in coalition governments when compared to two-party systems, which typically exists because of stifling the growth of emerging parties, often through discriminatory ballot access regulations and plurality voting systems, etc. A single, more powerful party can shape the policies of the coalition disproportionately. Smaller or less powerful parties can be intimidated to not openly disagree. In order to maintain the coalition, they will have to vote against the party's platform in the parliament. If they do not, the party has to leave the government and loses executive power. [edit] References This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
[edit] See also List of democracy and elections-related topics cohabitation (government) First Past the Post electoral system Electoral fusion Popular Front Category:Coalition of parties Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_government" Categories: Articles lacking sources from May 2007 | All articles lacking sources | Coalition governments ViewsArticle Discussion Edit this page History Personal toolsSign in / create account Navigation Main Page Contents Featured content Current events Random article interaction About Wikipedia Community portal Recent changes Contact Wikipedia Donate to Wikipedia Help Search Toolbox What links here Related changes Upload file Special pages Printable version Permanent link Cite this page Languages Български Dansk Català Deutsch Español Français 한국어 עברית Nederlands 日本語 Norsk (bokmål) Suomi Svenska West-Vlams ייִדיש 中文 粵語
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Coalition government - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaCoalition government
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This box: view • talk • editA coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a
cabinet of a parliamentary government in which several parties cooperate. The
usual reason given for this arrangement is that no party on its own can achieve
a majority in the parliament. A coalition government might also be created in a
time of national difficulty or crisis, for example during wartime, to give a
government the high degree of perceived political legitimacy it desires whilst
also playing a role in diminishing internal political strife. In such times,
parties have formed all-party coalitions (national unity governments, grand
coalitions). If a coalition collapses a confidence vote is held or a motion of
no confidence is taken.
Contents [hide]
1 In practice
2 Coalition Governments Worldwide
2.1 Coalitions composed of few parties
2.2 Coalitions composed of many parties
3 Arguments for and against coalition government
4 References
5 See also
[edit] In practice
To deal with a situation in which no clear majorities appear through general
elections, parties either form coalition cabinets, supported by a parliamentary
majority, or minority cabinets which may consist of one or more parties.
Cabinets based on a coalition with majority in a parliament, ideally, are more
stable and long-lived than minority cabinets. While the former are prone to
internal struggles, they have less reason to fear votes of non-confidence.
Majority governments based on a single party are typically even more stable, as
long as their majority can be maintained.
Coalition cabinets are common in countries in which a parliament is
proportionally representative, with several organized political parties
represented. It does not appear in countries in which the cabinet is chosen by
the executive rather than by a lower house (such as in the United States). In
semi-presidential systems such as France, where the president formally appoints
a prime minister but the government itself must still maintain the confidence of
parliament, coalition governments occur quite regularly.
[edit] Coalition Governments Worldwide
Countries which often operate with coalition cabinets include: the Nordic
countries, the Benelux countries, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Turkey, Israel and
India. Switzerland has been ruled by a loose coalition of the four strongest
parties in parliament since 1959, called the "Magic Formula".
[edit] Coalitions composed of few parties
In Germany, for instance, coalition government is the norm, as it is rare for
either the CDU/CSU or SPD to win an unqualified majority in a national election.
Thus, at the federal level, governments are formed with at least one of the
smaller parties. For example, Helmut Kohl's CDU governed for years in coalition
with the FDP and from 1998 to 2005, Gerhard Schröder's SPD was in power with the
Greens.
A similar situation exists in Israel with its dozens of different parties (only
once in its electoral history has one party managed to gain a majority of seats
in the Knesset). The centre-right, Likud, thus forms coalitions with far-right
and orthodox groups, while Labour allies itself with the more leftist and
pacifist parties, while various centrist parties can and do join either party.
In both countries, grand coalitions of the two large parties also occur, but
these are relatively rare and large parties usually prefer to associate with
small ones (though ironically, currently both Israel's and Germany's governments
include the two largest parties). However, if none of the larger parties can
receive enough votes to form their preferred coalition, a grand coalition might
be their only choice for forming a government. This is the current situation in
Germany: in early elections, the CDU/CSU did not garner enough votes to form a
majority coalition with the FDP; similarly the SPD and Greens did not have
enough votes to continue on with their formerly ruling coalition. A grand
coalition government was subsequently forged between the CDU/CSU and the SPD.
Partnerships like these typically involve carefully structured cabinets. The
CDU/CSU ended up holding the Chancellory while, the SPD took the majority of
cabinet posts.
[edit] Coalitions composed of many parties
A coalition government may consist of any number of parties. In Germany, the
coalitions rarely consist of more than two parties (where CDU and CSU, two
non-competing parties which always form a single caucus, are in this regard
considered a single party), while in Belgium, where there are separate Dutch and
French parties for each political grouping, coalition cabinets of up to six
parties are quite common.
India's present governing coalition, the United Progressive Alliance, consists
of 14 separate parties. In Finland, no party has had an absolute majority in the
parliament since independene, and multi-party coalitions have been the norm.
Finland experienced its most stable government (Lipponen I and II) since
independence with a five-party governing coalition, so called "rainbow
government", established during the 1990s, and the current government (Vanhanen
II) is a four-party coalition. Japan is experiencing coalition governments since
1990s, which came into existence in 1993 after the defeat of Liberal Democratic
Party, and it is present till today. Israel's governing coalitions meanwhile can
include up to nine parties and are notoriously unstable as a result.
In Australia, the conservative Liberal and National parties are united in an
effectively permanent coalition. This coalition has become so stable, at least
at the federal level, that Australia, in effect, has become a two-party system.
In the United Kingdom, coalition governments (known as National Governments)
have since 1915 only been appointed in times of national crisis. The most
prominent was the National Government of 1931-1940. There was also an all party
coalition during World War II. In other circumstances, when no party has found
themselves in possession of a majority, minority governments have been the rule.
[edit] Arguments for and against coalition government
Advocates of proportional representation suggest that a coalition government
leads to more consensus-based politics, in that a government comprising
differing parties (often based on different ideologies) would need to concur in
regard to governmental policy. Another stated advantage is that a coalition
government better reflects the popular opinion of the electorate within a
country.
Those who disapprove of coalition governments believe that such governments have
a tendency to be fractious and prone to disharmony. This is because coalitions
would necessarily include different parties with differing beliefs and who,
therefore, may not always agree on the correct path for governmental policy.
Sometimes the results of an election are such that the coalitions which are
mathematically most probable are ideologically infeasible, such as in Flanders
or Northern Ireland. A second difficulty might be the ability of minor parties
to play "kingmaker" and particularly, in close elections, gain far more for
their support than their vote would otherwise indicate.
Coalition governments have also been criticized of sustaining a consensus on
issues when disagreement and the consequent discussion would be more fruitful.
To forge a consensus, the leaders of ruling coalition parties can agree to
silence their disagreements on an issue to unify the coalition against the
opposition. The coalition partners, if they control the parliamentary majority,
can collude to make the parliamentary discussion on the issue irrelevant by
consistently disregarding the arguments of the opposition and voting against the
opposition's proposals — even if there is disagreement within the ruling parties
about the issue.
Powerful parties can also act in an oligocratic way to form an unholy alliance
to stifle the growth of emerging parties. Of course, such an event is rare in
coalition governments when compared to two-party systems, which typically exists
because of stifling the growth of emerging parties, often through discriminatory
ballot access regulations and plurality voting systems, etc.
A single, more powerful party can shape the policies of the coalition
disproportionately. Smaller or less powerful parties can be intimidated to not
openly disagree. In order to maintain the coalition, they will have to vote
against the party's platform in the parliament. If they do not, the party has to
leave the government and loses executive power.
[edit] References
This article does not cite any references or sources. (May 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources.
Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.
[edit] See also
List of democracy and elections-related topics
cohabitation (government)
First Past the Post electoral system
Electoral fusion
Popular Front
Category:Coalition of parties
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalition_government"
Categories: Articles lacking sources from May 2007 | All articles lacking
sources | Coalition governments
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This page was last modified 22:02, 25 December 2007. All text is available
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for
details.)
Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S.
registered 501(c)(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers
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