Legislator
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A legislator, or lawmaker, is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people, but they can be appointed, or hereditary. Legislatures may be supra-national (for example, the European Parliament), national, such as the Japanese Diet, sub-national as in provinces, or local.
Overview
The political theory of the separation of powers requires legislators to be independent individuals from the members of the executive and the judiciary. Certain political systems adhere to this principle, others do not. In the United Kingdom and other countries using the Westminster system, for example, the executive is formed almost exclusively from legislators (members of the parliament), and the executive Cabinet itself has delegated legislative power.
In continental European jurisprudence and legal discussion, "the legislator" (Script error: No such module "Lang".) is the abstract entity that has produced the laws. When there is room for interpretation, the intent of the legislator will be questioned, and the court is directed to rule in the direction it judges to best fit the legislative intent, which can be difficult in the case of conflicting laws or constitutional provisions.
Terminology
The local term for a legislator is usually a derivation of the local term for the relevant legislature. Typical examples include
- Parliament: member of parliament
- Assembly: member of the assembly
- Legislature: member of the legislature
- Congress: member of congress
- Chamber of Deputies: deputy
- Senate: senator
- House of Representatives: representative
- The generic term "deputy" may also be used, deriving from the concept that the legislator is "deputising" for the electorate of their electoral district.
By country
This is an incomplete list of terms for a national legislator:
| Country | Title | Legislature |
|---|---|---|
| File:Flag of Algeria.svg Algeria | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | People's National Assembly |
| File:Flag of Argentina.svg Argentina | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Senate | |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Several provincial Chambers of Deputies | |
| File:Flag of Belarus.svg Belarus | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | House of Representatives |
| File:Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Belgium | Provincial executive member: Script error: No such module "Lang". (Dutch) / Script error: No such module "Lang". (French) / Script error: No such module "Lang". (German) | Deputation / Provincial College (provincial executive body) |
| In French, Script error: No such module "Lang". is sometimes also used to denote a member of parliament. | Chamber of Representatives or a regional parliament | |
| File:Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Legislative Assemblies |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies | |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Federal Senate | |
| File:Flag of Bulgaria.svg Bulgaria | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | National Assembly |
| File:Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada | Senator,[1] Script error: No such module "Lang". | Senate of Canada |
| Member of Parliament (MP)[2] / Script error: No such module "Lang". | House of Commons of Canada | |
| File:Flag of Chile.svg Chile | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Senate | |
| File:Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg China | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | National People's Congress |
| File:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Departamental Assemblies |
| File:Flag of Costa Rica.svg Costa Rica | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Legislative Assembly |
| File:Flag of Denmark.svg Denmark | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Folketinget |
| File:Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg Dominican Republic | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic |
| File:Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador | Script error: No such module "Lang". (before 2007, Script error: No such module "Lang".) | National Assembly |
| File:Flag of El Salvador.svg El Salvador | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Legislative Assembly |
| File:Flag of France.svg France | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Senate | |
| File:Flag of Germany.svg Germany | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Bundestag, Landtag |
| File:Flag of Guatemala.svg Guatemala | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Congress of the Republic |
| File:Flag of Guernsey.svg Guernsey | People's Deputy | States of Guernsey |
| File:Flag of Haiti.svg Haiti | Script error: No such module "Lang".[3] | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of Honduras (2022-).svg Honduras | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Congress |
| File:Flag of India.svg India | Member of Parliament | Lok Sabha |
| File:Flag of Iran.svg Iran | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Islamic Consultative Assembly |
| Template:Flagcountry | Senators / Script error: No such module "Lang". | Seanad Éireann |
| Teachta Dála (TD) | Dáil Éireann | |
| File:Flag of Italy.svg Italy | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of Jersey.svg Jersey | Deputy | States Assembly |
| File:Flag of Kazakhstan.svg Kazakhstan | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Parliament |
| File:Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Saeima |
| File:Flag of Lebanon.svg Lebanon | Script error: No such module "Lang"./Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., or deputy) | Parliament |
| File:Flag of Luxembourg.svg Luxembourg | Script error: No such module "Lang". / Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Provincial executive (European Netherlands) |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Caribbean Netherlands) | |
| File:Flag of Nicaragua.svg Nicaragua | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| File:Flag of North Korea.svg North Korea | Deputy (Script error: No such module "Lang".; Script error: No such module "lang".Template:Category handler)[4][5] | Supreme People's Assembly |
| File:Flag of Panama.svg Panama | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| File:Flag of Paraguay.svg Paraguay | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of Portugal.svg Portugal | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Assembly of the Republic |
| File:Flag of Romania.svg Romania | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| File:Flag of Russia.svg Russia | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | State Duma and regional legislative bodies |
| File:Flag of Somalia.svg Somalia | Deputy | Federal Parliament |
| File:Flag of Spain.svg Spain | Senador/Senadora | Senate |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Congress of Deputies | |
| Script error: No such module "flag". | Senator (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Senate |
| Member of the H.R. (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | House of Representatives | |
| File:Flag of Ukraine.svg Ukraine | People's Deputy of Ukraine (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| File:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg United Kingdom | Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal | House of Lords |
| Member of Parliament (MP) | House of Commons | |
| File:Flag of the United States.svg United States of America | Senator | Senate |
| Representative; Congressperson | House of Representatives | |
| File:Flag of Uruguay.svg Uruguay | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Representatives |
| File:Flag of Venezuela.svg Venezuela | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| File:Flag of Vietnam.svg Vietnam | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
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Substitute legislator
Some legislatures provide each legislator with an official "substitute legislator" (or "alternate") who deputises for the legislator in the legislature if the elected representative is unavailable. Venezuela, for example, provides for substitute legislators (Script error: No such module "Lang".) to be elected under Article 186 of its 1999 constitution.[6] Ecuador, Panama, and the U.S. state of Idaho also have substitute legislators.[7]
See also
References
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- ↑ Senators. Parliament of Canada.
- ↑ "Guide to the Canadian House of Commons: The Role of a Member of Parliament. Parliament of Canada.
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