Government

Types of Constitution

len Alfred Ajibola -31st December, 2019 @ 12:48 PM

Topics in Government

Political power: Sources of political power Concept of power in government Functions of the executive arm of government Facts on Abraham Lincoln and John Kennedy One-party system explained with its advantages and disadvantages What is Democracy? Definitions of Democracy Types of Government Functions of the Legislature and Judiciary Scheme of Work for Government, SS1, First Term Scheme of Work for Government, SS1, Second Term Scheme of Work for Government, SS1, Third Term Concept, Advantages and Disadvantages of Multi-Party System Concept, Advantages and Disadvantages of Two-Party System What are pressure groups? Types of pressure group Characteristics of Pressure Group Types of Constitution Scope of Government Characteristics of Government Importance of Government One-party system explained with its types and characteristics


Academic Questions in Government

Please click here to see all Questions and Answers

Which of the following is not a function of government?

  • A. Government provides all the jobs in the country they govern

  • B. Government empowers the less privilege and the physically challenged

  • C. Government provides a support system for the aged

  • D. Government provides infrastructure for her citizens

  • E. Government maintains external relations with other countries

  • F. Government generates revenue for the country they govern

In government, a type of one-party system whereby a single party is officially and legally recognized in a country or state is termed a _____.

  • A. Hegemonic Party

  • B. Pre-Dominant Party

  • C. Dominant Party

  • D. True Single-State

  • E. Unique-Ordered State

  • F. State-Exclusive Party

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the multi-party system?

  • A. There is an existence of several parties differing in principles and fundamentals.

  • B. The political parties are legally recognized.

  • C. It is democratic in nature.

  • D. Among the various parties, only one dominates the political landscape.

  • E. Some of the opposition parties can become politically insignificant.

  • F. It promotes the coalition of governments.

In a two-party system,  only 2 political parties are present in countries where they are practised.

  • A. True

  • B. False

On February 25, 2023; Nigeria as a country had its presidential election. The party system involved in this election is the _____.

  • A. Zero Party System

  • B. One-Party System

  • C. Two-Party System

  • D. Multi-Party System

  • E. APC, PDP and LP Party System

  • F. Coalition Party System

The following countries practice a zero party system except _____.

  • A. Cambodia

  • B. Vatican City

  • C. Bahrain

  • D. Saudi Arabia

  • E. Oman

  • F. Kuwait

Which of the following is not a characteristic of the two-party system?

  • A. It is democratic in nature

  • B. There isn't a third party

  • C. The two parties are always dominant in the political terrain

  • D. The president must emerge from one of both parties

  • E. It encourages freedom of expression at the press

  • F. It presents a choice of candidates to the people

A type of democracy whereby shura is practiced is termed _____ democracy

  • A. Direct

  • B. Indirect

  • C. Constitutional

  • D. Islamic

  • E. Authoritarian

  • F. Participatory



Types of Constitution:

Constitution is the supreme law in a country or state. It specifies how such nation, country or state should be governed.

Please read an introduction to constitution here.

The constitution can be put into various types based on the following headings:


1. A constitution can be written or unwritten.


  • Written Constitution

A written constitution will contain a document or series of documents merged into a book.

The written constitution is enacted by a constituent assembly and can be amended based on the stipulation of the amendment process as defined in the constitution itself.

Meanwhile, understand that the constituent assembly that put forth the constitution will usually comprise of the legislative, executive and judicial arms of government.

Please read on the arms of government here.


Written constitutions are codified. This implies that the constitutional document reigns supreme in the land and can only be amended or judged by a constitutional court through the judiciary.

Countries like Nigeria, United States of America and France all utilizes a written constitution.


  • Unwritten Constitution

An unwritten constitution is uncodified, meaning that its foundation and evolution is based on historical laws and concepts on the countries in which they govern.

Unwritten constitution is not written into a book nor enacted by a constituent assembly. The people of the country know their constitution and have come to embrace it.


It is noteworthy to state that some parts of an unwritten constitution are actually written in a book. However, such books may not be considered to be a legal document.

The United Kingdom makes use of an unwritten constitution.

Please read on the concept of government here

 

2. A constitution can be flexible or inflexible (rigid).


The flexibility of a constitution determines the level of ease at which such constitution can be amended. For example, the constitution of Nigeria and United States of America are considered as inflexible (or rigid) since it can be quite difficult to make changes on it.


  • Inflexible or Rigid Constitution

To amend a rigid constitution, the legislature will first need to pass the amendment bill, usually with the approval of 2/3rd majority of its constituent members.

The people of the nation may influence the passing of the amendment bill. As a result, the rigid constitution is often considered to reflect the will of the people.

Please read on democracy here


Advantages of an inflexible constitution

  1. It is stable for an administration’s continuity.
  2. It works effectively for a federation, that is, the federal form of government.
    Please read the forms of government here.
  3. It prevents dictatorship by any of the arms of government.
  4. A political party in power cannot easily manipulate the constitution for their political gains.
    Please read on multi-party system here.

Disadvantages of an inflexible constitution

  1. It cannot keep up with a constant changing environment.
  2. Due to its amendment difficulty, the people may eventually revolt regarding its slow amendment.
    Please read on pressure groups here.
  3. It may hinder developmental progress because of its difficulty in amendment.
    You can read on the importance of government here.

 

  • Flexible Constitution

A flexible constitution can be easily amended because it does not require complex procedures.

The british constitution is an example of a flexible constitution. With a simple majority, the british parliament can make or amend the laws of the constitution.


Advantages of a flexible constitution

  1. It can easily be modified with regards to the present political and social environment of a nation.
  2. It is constantly developed and always up to date.
  3. It decreases the chances of revolt by the people.
    Please read on the types of democracy here.

Disadvantages of a flexible constitution

  • It is unstable.
  • The frequent amendment of a constitution is not good for a federation.

 

3. A constitution can be presidential, parliamentary, federal or unitary.


  • Presidential Constitution

In a presidential constitution, the president is the head of the executive arm of government. The president is also considered as the head of all states present within the country. In this regard, the president is appropriately regarded as the head of states.

Meanwhile, understand that the president is neither a member of the judiciary, senate nor house of representative.


  • Parliamentary Constitution

In a parliamentary constitution, the prime minister is the head of the executive arm of government; and the members of the legislative arm of government are accountable to him or her.

Please read on the characteristics of government here.


  • Federal Constitution

The federal constitution is seen in countries like Nigeria and United States of America. In this form of constitution, there exists a central government alongside various state governments. The president heads the central government while the respective governors head each of their state within the country.

This type of constitution provides for the legislative competence under the central and state governments.


  • Unitary Constitution

The unitary constitution is practiced by the United Kingdom. The nations involved are centrally governed.

At present, it appears to be shifting into the federal type of constitution because some power are gradually tilting into the hands of the other constituents’ nations of the United Kingdom which comprises of Wales, Northern Island and Scotland respectively.

 

4. Other types of constitution are the evolved and enacted constitutions.

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Amazing facts in Government

The shortest war ever lasted for just 38 minutes. This is the Anglo-Zanzibar War in 1896

174 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement on Earth Day in 2016 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York. This agreement presents the largest number of countries ever to come together to sign anything on a single day. The agreement aims to combat climate change, accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed to strengthen the global climate effort

United States of America is comprised of fifty states and Washington D.C.

The letter 'q' is not present in any of the American states

White House in Washington has 132 rooms and 35 bathrooms while Buckingham Palace in London has 775 rooms, including 78 bathrooms

Three United States presidents; John Adams (2nd US president), Thomas Jefferson (3rd US president), and James Monroe (5th US president) died on the 4th of July.

Coincidentally, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson also died the same year, and that's 1826.

Abraham Lincoln, the great human emancipator, freedom fighter and 16th American president was popular for the saying:

Government of the people, by the people and for the people

Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America was a professional wrestler before he assumed the office of the American President. Interestingly, he was only defeated once in his wrestling career


Notable points in Government

Ecclesiocracy is a form of government whereby religious leaders are recognized as the first citizens of a state.

The religious leaders in ecclesiocracy do not proclaim themselves as a direct instrument of divine revelation concerning laws governing the society.

A typical example of ecclesiocracy is seen in Vatican City where the pope presides as the leader of the state. However, the pope does not claim to receive direct revelation from God concerning civil laws.

The grand Ayatollah of Iran (Ali Khamenei) and president of Sudan, Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir are also considered as instances of leaders in ecclesiocracy.

It is worthy of note to state that the laws and rules governing the land in ecclesiocracy are based on religious beliefs, thus making it somewhat related to theocracy.

One of the duties of the government is to make laws that govern the society. Without laws, some of the rich may oppress the poor. Similarly, some of the highly placed in the society may end up oppressing the weak without being brought to justice.

The absence of government in a society, country, nation, state or community is referred to as anarchy.

An instance of anarchy occurred in Somalia in 1991 after a dictator name Said Barre was overthrown. This made Somalia disintegrate into fractions with local warlords imposing their authority over their land.

Please read on the forms of government here

Below are some of the functions of government:

  • It is the role of the government to protect and defend the fundamental human rights of her citizens.

  • The government maintains law and order through the law enforcement agencies. These will include the police, customs officers and other local securities.

  • It is the duty of the government to generate revenue. This can be achieved through foreign trade.

  • It is the responsibility of the government to maintain external relations with other countries. For this reason, the president may visit other countries for business and bilateral trade purposes. Similarly, other presidents may visit your country in this regard.

  • Please read on the functions of government here

Government can be defined under the following headings:

1. As an institution of a state.

Government is defined as an institution, agency, machinery or instrument that is established to manage the affairs of general welfare of the people making up a state or country

 

2. As a process or as an act of governing.

Government is defined as the processes and methods involved in the formulation, administration and implementation of public policies from a procedure which had been specifically spelt out in the constitution of a country or state

 

3. As an academic field of study.

Government is defined as the study of institutions, theories, ideas, values and doctrines as relating to the acquisition and use of political power for the welfare of the people

Please read more on the definitions of government here

End Sars - Len Academy

The End Sars is considered a pressure group in Nigeria. It campaigned in the interest of Nigerian youths, thus forcing the Nigerian government into scrapping the Special Anti-Robbery Squard (SARS) who had constantly brutalized Nigerians, especially the youths; through extortion, indiscriminate shootings, threats and other violent conducts.

Unfortunately, some Nigerian youths paid the ultimate price with their lives at the Lekki tollgate massacre. This happened on the 20th day of October, 2020.

Burna Boy, a Nigerian musician made a song titled '20 : 10 : 20' in this regard.

Please read on pressure groups in Nigeria here