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Difficulty: Very hardDemocracy

A constitutional reform committee proposes an emergency clause allowing the president to suspend parliamentary enactments without judicial review whenever national security is threatened. Opponents contend that this measure fundamentally violates democratic governance. Which core democratic mechanism is most directly compromised by granting the executive unilateral authority to bypass inter-branch oversight?

  1. The institutional system of checks and balances designed to prevent the concentration of arbitrary powerAnswer
  2. B
    The exercise of legal sovereignty by the electorate to enact statutory laws through direct referendum
  3. C
    The procedural immunity rights granted to executive officers to protect official actions from judicial liability
  4. D
    The coercive capacity of state power to enforce compliance independently of constitutional legitimization

Answer

The institutional system of checks and balances designed to prevent the concentration of arbitrary power
A core feature of democratic governance is the separation of powers complemented by checks and balances. Allowing the executive branch to bypass parliamentary legislation and remove judicial review dismantles the institutional oversight required to prevent autocratic rule and safeguard constitutional democracy.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the scenario described in the stem
The proposed clause enables the executive organ to override legislative acts without judicial review.
Identifying the affected institutional interactions reveals which democratic safeguard is being bypassed.
2
Evaluate the democratic principles involved
Democracy relies on separation of powers and mutual checks and balances between executive, legislative, and judicial branches to prevent dictatorship and protect rights.
Removing legislative and judicial oversight concentrates power in a single branch, subverting democratic constitutionalism.
3
Select the correct option and rule out distractors
The primary mechanism undermined is checks and balances.
Other options confuse legal/political sovereignty, executive immunity, or state coercive power with democratic check mechanisms.

Key Concept

Democratic Governance and Checks and Balances
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Democracy

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