Question

Difficulty: EasyParliamentary System of Government

In a parliamentary system, all cabinet ministers are required to publicly defend executive policies and accept joint accountability for government decisions. Which constitutional principle does this requirement illustrate?

  1. Collective responsibilityAnswer
  2. B
    Separation of powers
  3. C
    Presidential discretion
  4. D
    Civil service neutrality

Answer

Collective responsibility
Collective responsibility is a core doctrine of the parliamentary system where all cabinet ministers must publicly support executive policy decisions made by the cabinet. If a minister cannot support a decision, convention dictates that they must resign.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the defining feature in the question stem.
The stem describes the convention where cabinet ministers must publicly support all cabinet decisions or resign.
Recognizing joint accountability is key to identifying the parliamentary principle.
2
Match this convention with the correct parliamentary rule.
Joint ministerial accountability and mandatory cabinet solidarity are defined as collective responsibility.
Collective responsibility ensures the cabinet functions as a single unified executive body.

Key Concept

Collective Responsibility in a Parliamentary System
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