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Glite Dictionary
parliamentary democracy

parliamentary democracy

3 4.2
A system where parliament chooses and controls the government
  • noun
  • /ˌpɑːrlɪˈmɛnˌtɛri ˌdɪˈmɒkrəsi/
  • Specialized
translation icon : democracia parlamentaria
  • The recent elections were a significant step forward for the parliamentary democracy, showcasing the citizens' commitment to their government.
  • establish a parliamentary democracy
  • government is a parliamentary democracy
  • presidential versus parliamentary democracy

I, I believe we need to restore proper sovereign parliamentary democracy in Britain.

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Examples

  • As former colonies of Great Britain, although India is now a republic, Canada and India are parliamentary democracies.

    Academic text (2011)

  • However tenuous or shallow Africa's current moves toward parliamentary democracy, there are nevertheless grounds for optimism.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Israel, on the other hand, is a parliamentary democracy with established civil liberties.

    Academic text (2008)

  • Presumably, the intention is to establish a parliamentary democracy with clear limitations on presidential powers.

    Academic text (2011)

  • Within 10 years of independence, India completed two countrywide elections, putting parliamentary democracy on a firm footing.

    Academic text (2004)

  • Divisions like America's could never occur in a parliamentary democracy where the people elect the entire legislature at once.

    Blog text (9)

  • Canada's political culture, founded as it is on Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, is distinct from the republic model of the United States.

    Academic text (2006)

  • In a parliamentary democracy, the prime minister is chosen by the elected members of parliament.

  • Countries like Canada and Australia practice parliamentary democracy, allowing citizens to elect representatives who make laws.

Synonyms

democracy
vsparliamentary democracy
782 1.6

A system of government where people choose leaders by free elections

is narrower focusing on a legislature that appoints and controls the executive
parliamentarism
vsparliamentary democracy
  • Specialized
1 7.7

A system of government where parliament chooses and controls the government leaders

emphasizes the legislature as highest body and picks the executive
parliamentarianism
vsparliamentary democracy
8.2

A system where elected representatives make and run the government

focuses on the link between legislature and an executive drawn from it
parliamentary-cabinet system
vsparliamentary democracy
  • Specialized
7.7

A system where ministers together make government policy and guide laws in parliament

stresses that the legislature is supreme and the executive answers to it
Westminster
vsparliamentary democracy
5.9

A system of government from the UK where the prime minister and cabinet must keep parliament's support

represents the same system but as the original UK model

Surface Forms

parliamentary democracy singular
parliamentary democracies plural

Morphology

parliamentary + democracy

The meaning is fully compositional: 'parliamentary' qualifies the type of 'democracy' by indicating that the executive is drawn from and accountable to parliament, and 'democracy' denotes a system with elected representatives. This combination follows straightforward English noun phrase composition and is cross-linguistically familiar, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Parliamentary democracy comes from the idea that the country's leaders are chosen by and must 'answer to' the parliament, a group of elected people. Imagine a meeting where the group 'chooses' the leader and can replace them if they do badly, so the phrase means a system where the government depends on and must 'answer to' the parliament.