A lower house is the lower
chamber of a
bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the
upper house
An upper house is one of two Legislative chamber, chambers of a bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. The house formally designated as the upper house is usually smaller and often has more restricted p ...
. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise exert significant political influence.
Common attributes
In comparison with the upper house, lower houses frequently display certain characteristics (though they vary by jurisdiction).
Powers
In a
parliamentary system
A parliamentary system, or parliamentary democracy, is a form of government where the head of government (chief executive) derives their Election, democratic legitimacy from their ability to command the support ("confidence") of a majority of t ...
, the lower house:
* In the modern era, has much more power, usually due to restrictions on the upper house.
** Exceptions to this are
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
,
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, and
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
, where the upper and lower houses have similar power.
* Is able to override the upper house in some ways.
* Can vote a
motion of no confidence against the
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...
, as well as vote for or against any proposed candidate for head of government at the beginning of the parliamentary term.
In a
presidential system, the lower house:
* Generally has less power than the upper house, but maintains exclusive powers in some areas.
* Has the sole power to impeach the executive; the upper house then tries the
impeachment.
* Typically initiates legislation on appropriation and supply.
Status
The lower house:
* Can, in a parliamentary system, be dissolved by the executive.
* Has total or initial control over budget, supply, and monetary laws.
* Has a lower
age of candidacy than the upper house.
* Is more numerous than the upper house.
** The
Parliament of the United Kingdom
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...
furnishes a notable exception.
Members of the lower house:
* Are
elected directly, while those of the upper house may hold their positions through direct or
indirect election, appointment, or inheritance.
* Are elected more frequently, and all at once, not by staggered terms.
* Are usually numbered
in proportion to the population of their
administrative division
Administrative divisions (also administrative units, administrative regions, subnational entities, or constituent states, as well as many similar generic terms) are geographical areas into which a particular independent sovereign state is divi ...
s, unlike in the upper house.
The government of the day is usually required to present
its budget to the lower house, which must approve the budget. It is a widespread practice for revenue (appropriation) bills to originate in the lower house. A notable exception to this is the
West Virginia House of Delegates in the United States, which allows revenue bills to originate from either house.
Titles of lower houses
Many lower houses are named in manners such as follows:
*
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourb ...
*
Chamber of Representatives
*
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...
*
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
*
House of Delegates
*
House of the People (including
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...
)
*
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...
*
Legislative Assembly
*
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
*
National Council
*
Sejm
The Sejm (), officially known as the Sejm of the Republic of Poland (), is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Poland.
The Sejm has been the highest governing body of the Third Polish Republic since the Polish People' ...
/
Seimas
See also
*
Representative democracy
References
Legislatures
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