Meaning of Terms and Concept on

Government
1. Absolute monarchy- A system of government in which the country is
ruled by a king or queen whose powers are not limited by laws or
constitution.

2. Accountability-The act of person in position of authority

demonstrating that they have used their authority and perform their
duties properly.

3. Act-A bill passed by parliament and proclaimed by the head of state;

in other words, a law passed by a countrys government.

4. Adult suffrage- The right to vote on reaching adulthood

5. Aristocracy-Rule by the highest social class

6. Ballot- the paper on which someone marks their vote.

7. Bill-A written document contains recommendation for a new law.

8. Cabinet-A group of parliamentarians selected and led by the head of

government advice, to be responsible for its policies, and to head the
various governments.

9. Candidate- An individual who competes in a parliamentary election

either as a member of politic party or as an independent candidate

10. Coalition government- a government formed by two or more

parties working together

11. Constituency-A body of voters in a specific geographical area who

elect a representative to sit in the House of Representatives; the area
represented in this way.

12. Constitutional monarchy- a system of government in which a

country is rule by monarch whose powers are limited by a constitution

13. Corruption- illegal or dishonest behavior on the part of someone

who is in apposition of authority.

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14. Democracy- a form of government in which a substantial proportion
of the citizens participate in governing the country.

15. Dictatorship- rule by an individual or a group that exercises absolute

authority.

16. Disenfranchisement of voters- any official action that results in an

eligible voter not being able to vote in an election.

17. Dissolution of parliament- the formal ending of parliament before

an election.

18. Electoral process- the method by which candidates/parties are

elected to parliament; includes the management of the procedures for
voting and for competing in elections.

19. Electorate- all those persons who are eligible to vote in an election.

20. First-past-the-post- an electoral system in which the candidates

winning the most votes in the constituency election and becomes the
representative for that constituency in parliament.

21. Floating voter- a person who has not decided which way to vote in
an election, or one who does not consistently vote for the same political
party

22. Franchise- the right to vote in national election

23. Fundamental rights- rights which the constitution guarantees

citizens

24. Governance- the act of exercising authority

25. Government- a group of official elected by the people to conduct the

affairs of a country. They do this in accordance with a constitution.

26. Government of national unity- is a broad

coalition government consisting of all parties (or all major parties) in the
legislature, usually formed during a time of war or
other national emergency.

27. House to house canvassing- visiting an area to ask people for their
votes.

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28. Human rights- rights that we are all born with for example,

The right to life

The right to earn a livelihood
The right to adequate food, water and
housing.

29. Hung parliament- when one party does not have an overall majority
of seats.

30. Independent candidate- an individual who contests an election

without being supported by a political party.

31. Manifesto- a public written declaration of policies objectives issued

by a political party.

32. Multiple voting- the act of voting more than once in an election.

33. Oligarchy- rule by a small group or elite.

34. Parliamentary question- a question asked of a minister on the floor

of parliament about a matter relating to his or her ministry.

35. Parliamentary/ general election- a method of choosing

parliamentary representatives and a government by a process of voting.

36. Political party- a group of people with the same political views,
ideas and beliefs, aim to gain political power in a country by winning
mass support in election

37. Proportional representation- an electoral system that gives all

party representation in parliament in direct proportion to gain percentage
of votes they gain

38. Public account committee-a group made up of government and

opposition members of parliament which is responsible for examining
government expenditure, to ensure honest practices.

39. Public opinion poll- a survey of randomly choosing individual to get

their views on political issues in order to predict election results

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40. Referendum- an occasion when every citizen in a country may vote
on particular matter

41. Representative- people who represent the views and interests of

the electorate.

42. Republicanism- a form of government which does not have a

monarch as the head of state but a president who is elected by
parliament or electorate.

43. Shadow cabinet- a group of opposition politicians who would

become ministers if their party won the government.

44. State of emergency- a situation in which a parliament gives the

government special powers to limit peoples freedom in order to control
an unusually difficult or dangerous situation.

45. The economy- all those activities that resulting the production and
distribution of goods and services on the creation of income in a country.

46. Transparency- the action of making public all the details about the
decision and actions taken by persons in public office

47. Voter padding- the illegal practice of encouraging supporters of a

political party to register as voters in constituency where their party does
not have enough support.

48. Voters list- A voters list or list of electors is a list of names and
addresses of eligible voters for an upcoming election or referendum.

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 Bibliography

Author

1. Braithwaite, Stephenson: Caribbean Social Studies for CSEC

Et al
2. Lunt, Pat: Social Studies for CSEC

Et al