Unicameralism
| Legislature |
|---|
| Chambers |
| Parliament |
| Parliamentary procedure |
| Types |
|
| Legislatures by country |
In government, unicameralism (Latin uni-, "one" and camera, "chamber") is the practice of having a single legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house.
Concept
Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multicameralism. Many multicameral legislatures were created to give separate voices to different sectors of society. Multiple chambers allowed for example for a guaranteed representation of different social classes (as in the Parliament of the United Kingdom or the French States-General). Sometimes, as in New Zealand and Denmark, unicameralism comes about through the abolition of one of two bicameral chambers, or, as in Sweden, through the merger of the two chambers into a single one, while in others a second chamber has never existed from the beginning.
The principal advantage of a unicameral system is more democratic and efficient lawmaking, as the legislative process is simpler and there is no possibility of deadlock between two chambers. Proponents of unicameralism have also argued that it reduces costs, even if the number of legislators stay the same, since there are fewer institutions to maintain and support it financially. Proponents of bicameral legislatures allege that this offers the opportunity to re-debate and correct errors in either chamber in parallel, and in some cases to introduce legislation in either chamber.
The main weakness of a unicameral system can be seen as alleged lack of restraint on the majority, particularly noticeable in parliamentary systems where the leaders of the parliamentary majority also dominate the executive. There is also the risk that important sectors of society[specify] may not be adequately represented by the elected singular body.
List of unicameral legislatures
Approximately half of the world's sovereign states are currently unicameral. The People's Republic of China is somewhat in between, with a legislature and a formal advisory body. China has a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference which meets alongside the National People's Congress, in many respects an advisory "upper house".
Many subnational entities have unicameral legislatures. These include the state of Nebraska and territories of Guam and the Virgin Islands in the United States, the Chinese special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, the Australian state of Queensland as well as the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, a majority of the provinces of Argentina, all of the provinces and territories in Canada, all of the German states, all of the regions of Italy, all of the Spanish autonomous communities, both the autonomous regions of Portugal, most of the states and union territories of India and all of the states of Brazil. In the United Kingdom, the devolved Scottish Parliament, the Senedd Cymru, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the London Assembly are also unicameral.
National (UN member states and observers)
Federal
- Assembly of the Union of the
Comoros - Council of Representatives of
Iraq (provision exists for the founding of a "Council of Union", but no move to this effect has been initiated by the existing Council) - Congress of
Micronesia - National Assembly of
Saint Kitts and Nevis - Federal National Council of the
United Arab Emirates - National Assembly of
Venezuela
Unitary
- National Assembly of
Albania - National Assembly of
Angola - National Assembly of
Armenia - National Assembly of
Azerbaijan - Jatiya Sangsad of
Bangladesh - National Assembly of
Benin - National Assembly of
Botswana - Legislative Council of
Brunei - National Assembly of
Bulgaria - National Assembly of
Burkina Faso - National Assembly of
Cape Verde - National Assembly of the
Central African Republic - National Assembly of
Chad - National People's Congress of the
People's Republic of China - though they also have a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference which is effectively an advisory "upper house". - Parliament of the
Cook Islands - Legislative Assembly of
Costa Rica - Sabor of
Croatia - National Assembly of People's Power of
Cuba - Folketing of
Denmark - House of Assembly of
Dominica - National Assembly of
Djibouti - National Parliament of
East Timor - National Assembly of
Ecuador - House of Representatives of
Egypt - Legislative Assembly of
El Salvador - National Assembly of
Eritrea - Riigikogu of
Estonia - Parliament of
Fiji - Parliament of
Finland - National Assembly of the
Gambia - Parliament of
Georgia - Parliament of
Ghana - Parliament of
Greece - Congress of
Guatemala - National Assembly of
Guinea - National People's Assembly of
Guinea-Bissau - National Assembly of
Guyana - National Congress of
Honduras - National Assembly of
Hungary - Althing of
Iceland - Islamic Consultative Assembly of
Iran - Knesset of
Israel - House of Assembly of
Kiribati - Supreme People's Assembly of
the Democratic People's Republic of Korea - National Assembly of
the Republic of Korea - National Assembly of
Kuwait - Supreme Council of
Kyrgyzstan - National Assembly of
Laos - Saeima of
Latvia - Parliament of
Lebanon - House of Representatives of
Libya - Landtag of
Liechtenstein - Seimas of
Lithuania - Chamber of Deputies of
Luxembourg - National Assembly of
Malawi - Majlis of the
Maldives - National Assembly of
Mali - Parliament of
Malta - Legislature of the
Marshall Islands - Parliament of
Mauritania - National Assembly of
Mauritius - Parliament of
Moldova - National Council of
Monaco - State Great Khural of
Mongolia - Parliament of
Montenegro - Assembly of the Republic of
Mozambique - Parliament of
Nauru - Parliament of
New Zealand - National Assembly of
Nicaragua - National Assembly of
Niger - Assembly of
Niue - Assembly of
North Macedonia - Storting of
Norway - Legislative Council of the
State of Palestine - National Assembly of
Panama - National Parliament of
Papua New Guinea - Congress of the Republic of
Peru - Assembly of the Republic of
Portugal - Consultative Assembly of
Qatar - House of Assembly of
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Legislative Assembly of
Samoa - Grand and General Council of
San Marino - National Assembly of
São Tomé and Príncipe - Consultative Assembly of
Saudi Arabia (most powers are reserved for the King) - National Assembly of
Senegal - National Assembly of
Serbia - National Assembly of
Seychelles - Parliament of
Sierra Leone - Parliament of
Singapore - National Council of
Slovakia - Parliament of
Sri Lanka - National Assembly of
Suriname - Riksdag of
Sweden - Parliament of
Syria - National Assembly of
Tanzania - National Assembly of
Togo - Legislative Assembly of
Tonga - National Assembly of
Tunisia - Grand National Assembly of
Turkey - Assembly of
Turkmenistan - Parliament of
Tuvalu - Parliament of
Uganda - Verkhovna Rada of
Ukraine - Parliament of
Vanuatu - Pontifical Commission for
Vatican City State - National Assembly of
Vietnam - National Assembly of
Zambia
Territorial
- House of Assembly of the
British Virgin Islands - Legislative Assembly of the
Cayman Islands - Parliament of
Greenland - The Løgting of the
Faroe Islands - Parliament of
Gibraltar - Legislature of
Guam - Legislative Council of
Hong Kong - Legislative Assembly of
Macau - Legislative Assembly of the
Falkland Islands - Legislature of Guam Guam
- Legislature of the
U.S. Virgin Islands
State parliaments with limited recognition
- People's Assembly of
Abkhazia - National Assembly of the
Republic of Artsakh - Assembly of
Kosovo - Assembly of the Republic of
Northern Cyprus - National Council of the
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic - Parliament of
South Ossetia - Legislative Yuan of the
Republic of China (Taiwan) - Supreme Council of
Transnistria
Subnational
Federations
- All legislatures and legislative councils of the regions and communities of
Belgium - All legislative assemblies in all states of
Brazil - All legislative assemblies of the provinces and territories of
Canada - All Landtage of the states of
Germany - All legislative assemblies of the states of
Malaysia - All legislatures in all states of
Mexico - All legislatures of the provinces in
Nepal - All legislatures of the provinces and territories in
Pakistan - The legislature of the state of
Nebraska, and council of the 
District of Columbia in the United States - Parliament of
Queensland and the legislative assemblies of the territories of 
Australia (but not the other states) - Provincial legislatures of the provinces of
South Africa - Narodna skupština of
Republika Srpska
- 15 of the provinces of
Argentina – 
Chaco, 
Chubut, 
Córdoba, 
Formosa, 
Jujuy, 
La Pampa, 
La Rioja, 
Misiones, 
Neuquén, 
Río Negro, 
San Juan, 
Santa Cruz, 
Santiago del Estero, 
Tierra del Fuego, 
Tucumán and the autonomous city of 
Buenos Aires. - 22 of the states of
India – Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttarakhand and West Bengal; and 3 of the union territories – Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry.
Devolved governments
Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament- Northern Ireland Assembly
Scottish Parliament
Senedd Cymru—the Welsh Parliament- Parliaments of the autonomous communities of
Spain - All regional councils of
France 
Bangsamoro Parliament
Other
- Local People's Congresses of all levels of provinces, regions and municipalities of the People's Republic of China
- National Council of the
Palestine Liberation Organization
List of historical unicameral legislatures
National
- The First Protectorate Parliament and Second Protectorate Parliament of the Kingdom of England, regulated by the Instrument of Government (dissolved)
- Parliament of the Kingdom of Scotland until 1707 (dissolved)
- Congress of the Confederation was unicameral before being replaced in 1789 by the current, bicameral United States Congress.
- Provisional Congress of the
Confederate States was unicameral before being replaced by the bicameral Confederate States Congress in 1862. - Congress of Deputies of Second Spanish Republic was unicameral between 1931 and 1936. Dissolved at the end of Spanish Civil War
- Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan was unicameral before being replaced in 2005 by the current, bicameral Supreme Assembly.
- National Assembly of Cameroon was unicameral before being replaced in 2013 by the current, bicameral Parliament of Cameroon.
- Chamber of People's Representative of Equatorial Guinea was unicameral before being replaced in 2013 by the current, bicameral Parliament of Equatorial Guinea.
- National Assembly of Kenya was the country's unicameral legislature before becoming the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Kenya in 2013.
- National Assembly of Ivory Coast was the country's unicameral legislature before becoming the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Ivory Coast in 2016.
Subnational
- General Assembly of Georgia until 1789
- General Assembly of Pennsylvania until 1790
- General Assembly of Vermont until 1836
Unicameralism in the United States
Within U.S. states, Nebraska is currently the only state with a unicameral legislature; after a statewide vote, it changed from bicameral to unicameral in 1937.[1][2] A 2018 study found that efforts to adopt unicameralism in Ohio and Missouri failed due to rural opposition.[2] There was a fear in rural communities that unicameralism would diminish their influence in state government.[2]
Local government legislatures of counties, cities, or other political subdivisions within states are usually unicameral and have limited lawmaking powers compared to their state and federal counterparts.
Some of the 13 colonies which became independent, such as Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Hampshire had initially introduced strong unicameral legislature and (relatively) less powerful governors with no veto power. Pennsylvania's constitution lasted only 14 years. In 1790, conservatives gained power in the state legislature, called a new constitutional convention, and rewrote the constitution. The new constitution substantially reduced universal male suffrage, gave the governor veto power and patronage appointment authority, and added an upper house with substantial wealth qualifications to the unicameral legislature. Thomas Paine called it a constitution unworthy of America.
In 1999, Governor Jesse Ventura proposed converting the Minnesota Legislature into a single chamber.[3] Although debated, the idea was never adopted.
Seven U.S. states, Arizona, Idaho, Maryland, New Jersey, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Washington, effectively have two-house unicamerals. In these states, districts in the upper house and the lower house are combined into a single constituency, a practice known as nesting.
The U.S. territory of Puerto Rico held a non-binding referendum in 2005. Voters approved changing its Legislative Assembly to a unicameral body by 456,267 votes in favor (83.7%) versus 88,720 against (16.3%).[4] If both the territory's House of Representatives and Senate had approved by a 2⁄3 vote the specific amendments to the Puerto Rico Constitution that are required for the change to a unicameral legislature, another referendum would have been held in the territory to approve such amendments. If those constitutional changes had been approved, Puerto Rico could have switched to a unicameral legislature as early as 2015.
On June 9, 2009, the Maine House of Representatives voted to form a unicameral legislature, but the measure did not pass the Senate.[5]
Because of legislative gridlock in 2009, former Congressman Rick Lazio, a prospective candidate for governor, has proposed that New York adopt unicameralism.[6]
The United States as a whole was subject to a unicameral Congress during the years 1781–1788, when the Articles of Confederation were in effect. The Confederate States of America, pursuant to its Provisional Constitution, in effect from February 8, 1861, to February 22, 1862, was governed by a unicameral Congress.[7]
Unicameralism in the Philippines
Though the current Congress of the Philippines is bicameral, the country experienced unicameralism in 1898 and 1899 (during the First Philippine Republic), from 1935 to 1941 ( the Commonwealth era) and from 1943 to 1944 (during the Japanese occupation). Under the 1973 Constitution, the legislative body was called Batasang Pambansa, which functioned also a unicameral legislature within a semi-presidential system form of government until 1986.
The ongoing process of amending or revising the current Constitution and form of government is popularly known as Charter Change. A shift to a unicameral parliament was included in the proposals of the constitutional commission created by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.[8] Unlike in the United States, senators in the Senate of the Philippines are elected not per district and state but nationally; the Philippines is a unitary state.[9] The Philippine government's decision-making process, relative to the United States, is more rigid, highly centralised, much slower and susceptible to political gridlock. As a result, the trend for unicameralism as well as other political system reforms are more contentious in the Philippines.[10]
While Congress is bicameral, all local legislatures are unicameral: the Bangsamoro Parliament, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (Provincial Boards), Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Councils), Sangguniang Bayan (Municipal Councils), Sangguniang Barangay (Barangay Councils) and the Sangguniang Kabataan (Youth Councils).
References
- ^ "History of the Nebraska Unicameral". nebraskalegislature.gov. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
- ^ a b c Myers, Adam S. (2018). "The Failed Diffusion of the Unicameral State Legislature, 1934–1944". Studies in American Political Development. 32 (2): 217–235. doi:10.1017/S0898588X18000135. ISSN 0898-588X.
- ^ "One People – One House". News.minnesota.publicradio.org. 1999-04-29. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ "Referéndum sobre el Sistema Cameral". Comisión Estatal de Elecciones de Puerto Rico. 2005-07-10.
- ^ "RESOLUTION, Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution of Maine To Establish a Unicameral Legislature" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ One for All, Rick Lazio, New York Times, July 14, 2009
- ^ "Avalon Project - Confederate States of America - Constitution for the Provisional Government". avalon.law.yale.edu.
- ^ "Constitutional Commission proposals". Concom.ph. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ Softrigger Interactive (2008-02-25). "Philippines : Gov.Ph : About the Philippines". Archived from the original on February 25, 2008. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
- ^ "citation was not true it needs more references?". Concom.ph. Retrieved 2013-11-26.
