2010 - WAEC Government Past Questions and Answers - page 1

A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, often a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a means by which organizational policies are enforced, as well as a mechanism for determining policy. Each government has a kind of constitution, a statement of its governing principles and philosophy. Typically the philosophy chosen is some balance between the principle

The main difference between state and government is that the government refers to a particular group of people who control the state at a given time whereas the state is an organized political community. Basically, the state power is employed through the government.

Legitimacy of government is the popular acceptance of a government, political regime, or system of governance.

A state is a political organization with a centralized government that maintains a monopoly by use of force within a certain geographical territory. Some states are sovereign, other states are subject to external sovereignty or hegemony, where supreme authority lies in another state. The term "state" also applies to federated states that are members of a federation, which is the sovereign state.

Anarchy refers to a society, entity, group of people, or a single person that rejects hierarchy. The word originally meant leaderlessness. The earliest recorded use of the word, from the early 16th century, meant simply “absence of government,”

Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which people decide on policy initiatives directly. it is a form of democracy in which all laws and policies imposed by governments are determined by the people themselves, rather than by representatives who are elected by the people.

democracy is a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.

1. Permanence– This is the major attribute of sovereignty. Sovereignty should exist as long as a state remain independent. Sovereignty is a permanent feature of a unlike the government.
2. Absoluteness– Sovereignty is supreme and absolute. It is not subject to any control or interference.
3. Independence– Sovereignty doesn’t allow external interference , therefore, a sovereign state is independent and free from external control.
4. Indivisibility– The sovereignty of a state is indivisible. It remains single and absolute.
5. Unity– “Unity is the spirit of Sovereignty”. A sovereign state should stay united.
6. Comprehensiveness– Every member of the state is subject to the sovereignty of the state. The power of a state is universally applicable.

TYPES OF SOVEREIGNTY

 1.Legal Sovereignty– This is the sovereignty vested on the law making body in a state. E.g. Parliament
2. Internal Sovereignty– This is the absolute power of a state to make and enforce law within its area of jurisdiction.
3. External Sovereignty– This refers to the power of the state to run its affairs without any form of foreign interference.
4. De jure Sovereignty– De jure sovereignty is having independent legal rule over one’s own country. The state have the right to control its military, finances, territory and people.
4. De Facto Sovereignty– This sovereignty make use of force in compelling obedience. However, such state might see itself as a sovereign state while other external nations might not. E.g. Military government.
5. Political Sovereignty (popular) – This sovereignty resides with the supreme body in a state. Political sovereignty lies with the electorates/ citizens.