Majoritarian Vs. Consensus Models Of Democracy

The two models of democracy compared and contrasted between various governmental institutions is the Majoritarian Model and the Consensus Model. To start off, democracy can be defined as: “political power exercised either directly or indirectly through participation, competition, and liberty… it clearly emphasized individual freedom and is in keeping with the ideology of liberalism.” (O’Neil 128) Although both forms of democracy are in truth democracy, the argument is whether or not one system is more democratic than the other. When it comes to how the country is governed and how its laws are implemented, which is to demonstrate a more democratic idea of how democracy should be enforced. Majoritarian basically refers to governing by the majority

The latter two are present qualities of consensus to secure the involvement of various unions, and to establish common ground for their interests ascertained. To avoid having the government acting as a centralized government, Consensus embodies the workings of a federal and decentralized governmental structure. A bicameral legislature is mandatory in assuring equal representation. The upper house keeps the lower house accountable by lengthening the process of enactment. A fixed constitution assists in ensuring guidelines are followed, and prevents the option for particular groups wanting to accommodate their standing. Dissimilar to the Majoritarian Model, judicial review is present in Consensus models of government. Its component of judicial review is an essential part of the system in maintaining order and fairness amongst all groups in terms of

I say more towards Consensus because Germany really puts an emphasis on representation of all differing bodies or parties, so that not one party has majority like power or influence in enactment of laws. Germany has a bicameral legislature with its lower house, the Bundestag, and its upper house, the Bundesrat. The Bundestag consists of 622 deputies, and the Bundesrat consisting of 69 members. The way legislation is passed is by “legislation [being] submitted to the upper house before being sent to the lower house. The Bundesrat must approve all laws that affect the states (including laws that require states to implement policies of the federal government), giving it an effective veto power over about one-third of all legislation.” (O’Neil, Fields, & Share 223) This hinders power of majority in passing laws without consulting other differing parties in regards to the same policies. “The Bundesrat has traditionally served as an important check on the federal government because it has very often been controlled by opposition.” (O’Neil, Fields, & Share