Legislator
Template:Short description Template:Refimprove Template:Sister project Script error: No such module "Sidebar". Template:Politics
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. They are also known as Politicians.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Template:Country data Algeria | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | People's National Assembly |
| Template:Country data 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 | |
| Template:Country data Belarus | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | House of Representatives |
| Template:Country data 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 | |
| Template:Country data Bolivia | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data 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 | |
| Template:Country data Bulgaria | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | National Assembly |
| Template:Country data 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 | |
| Template:Country data Chile | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Senate | |
| Template:Country data China | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | National People's Congress |
| Template:Country data Colombia | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Departamental Assemblies |
| Template:Country data Costa Rica | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Legislative Assembly |
| Template:Country data Denmark | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Folketinget |
| Template:Country data Dominican Republic | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies of the Dominican Republic |
| Template:Country data Ecuador | Script error: No such module "Lang". (before 2007, Script error: No such module "Lang".) | National Assembly |
| Template:Country data El Salvador | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Legislative Assembly |
| Template:Country data France | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| Script error: No such module "Lang". | Senate | |
| Template:Country data Germany | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Bundestag, Landtag |
| Template:Country data Guatemala | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Congress of the Republic |
| Template:Country data Guernsey | People's Deputy | States of Guernsey |
| Template:Country data Haiti | Script error: No such module "Lang".[3] | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data Honduras | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Congress |
| Template:Country data India | Member of Parliament | Lok Sabha |
| Template:Country data 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 | |
| Template:Country data Italy | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data Jersey | Deputy | States Assembly |
| Template:Country data Kazakhstan | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Parliament |
| Template:Country data Latvia | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Saeima |
| Template:Country data Lebanon | Script error: No such module "Lang"./Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang"., or deputy) | Parliament |
| Template:Country data Luxembourg | Script error: No such module "Lang". / Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data Mexico | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data 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) | |
| Template:Country data Nicaragua | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| Template:Country data North Korea | Deputy (Script error: No such module "Lang".; Template:TransliterationTemplate:Category handler)[4][5] | Supreme People's Assembly |
| Template:Country data Panama | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| Template:Country data Paraguay | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data Portugal | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Assembly of the Republic |
| Template:Country data Romania | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Deputies |
| Template:Country data Russia | Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | State Duma and regional legislative bodies |
| Template:Country data Somalia | Deputy | Federal Parliament |
| Template:Country data Spain | 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 | |
| Template:Country data Ukraine | People's Deputy of Ukraine (Script error: No such module "Lang".) | Script error: No such module "Lang". |
| Template:Country data United Kingdom | Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal | House of Lords |
| Member of Parliament (MP) | House of Commons | |
| Template:Country data United States of America | Senator | Senate |
| Representative; Congressperson | House of Representatives | |
| Template:Country data Uruguay | Script error: No such module "Lang". | Chamber of Representatives |
| Template:Country data Venezuela | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
| Template:Country data Vietnam | Script error: No such module "Lang". | National Assembly |
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
External links
Template:Subject bar Template:Authority control
- ↑ Senators. Parliament of Canada.
- ↑ "Guide to the Canadian House of Commons: The Role of a Member of Parliament. Parliament of Canada.
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".