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Difficulty: HardUnitary System of Government

In a unitary system of government featuring asymmetric devolution, the central legislature retains undivided legal sovereignty and can unilaterally alter or repeal the statutory authority granted to regional assemblies.

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Answer

True. In a unitary state, supreme legal authority resides exclusively in the central government; sub-national administrative bodies exercise delegated authority through ordinary legislation which the central legislature can unilaterally amend or revoke.
The statement is true because the defining characteristic of a unitary state is the absolute concentration of legal sovereignty in the central government. Devolution, even when asymmetric ( granting varying degrees of authority to different regions ), is established via ordinary statutes enacted by the central legislature. Because these powers are not entrenched in a rigid constitution beyond the reach of ordinary legislative procedures, the central parliament can unilaterally amend, restrict, or retract them at any time.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the structural allocation of supreme legal authority in a unitary system.
Identify that supreme power is concentrated solely in the central organ of government, unlike federal systems where power is constitutionally shared.
Understanding the location of legal sovereignty is fundamental to distinguishing unitary systems from federal or confederal systems.
2
Examine the legal mechanism of statutory devolution within a unitary framework.
Recognize that devolution grants regional bodies legislative or administrative authority by means of ordinary acts of parliament rather than entrenched constitutional rights.
Devolution is a process of decentralization that preserves central parliamentary supremacy.
3
Determine the constitutional vulnerability of devolved powers to central repeal.
Confirm that because devolved powers stem from statutory grants, the central legislature retains the legal authority to unilaterally modify, override, or abolish them.
Centralized legal sovereignty guarantees that no sub-national unit possesses legally coordinate status with the central government.

Key Concept

Undivided Legal Sovereignty and Devolution in Unitary Systems
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Unitary System of Government

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