2018 - WAEC Government Past Questions and Answers - page 2

Checks and balances are the core of the rule of law and uphold the separation of powers because they ensure accountability. checks and balances is needed to ensure rule of law in a way that, the various arms of government have different functions and authority vested on them. None is superior or inferior to the other and so are required to check each other to ensure that one doesnt act out of their jurisdiction.

The concept of universal suffrage, also known as general suffrage or common suffrage, consists of the right to vote of all adult citizens, regardless of property ownership, income, race, or ethnicity, subject only to minor exceptions. the right for every qualified adult to vote in an election doesnt hinder representative government. istead, voting births representative

The disadvantage of a one party system is that there is no check on the power of the Party. This inevitably leads to corruption and abuses of power. What's more, a one-party state cannot be maintained without secret police, repression, and suppression of the free flow of information.

Fundamental Law. Is the constitution of a state or nation; the basic law and principles contained in federal and state constitutions that direct and regulate the manner in which government is exercised.

The sources of a constitution are:-

• Legislature,Legal instrument,Statute and Parliamentary acts
• Historical documents
• Constitution of other countries
• Previous constitutions of the country
• Opinions,writings and commentaries of eminent legal experts and political thinkers, government authorities and committees
• Usages,Principles,Norms,Habits,Customs,Convention,Practices,Traditions,Rule of actions applicable to government- Common Law {Established and accepted patterns of behaviour of governance}
• Judicial decisions,Commentary by judiciary, Judges made maxims- Case Laws {Judge made laws}
• Decisions of constitutional assembly
• Parliamentary standing orders
• Legal doctrines and concepts
• Theory of judicial precedent
• Religious legal texts
• Equity,Justice and Good Conscience

Major decisions are made at meetings of the Cabinet, which are held once a month and are attended by all Cabinet members. The Cabinet is also responsible for preparing the budget and policies to propose to the Full Council. Decisions are also taken by cabinet members individually.

Parliament is held to have a range of roles within our political system:- In a formal sense the Parliament has to approve legislation, taxation and public spending. The primary function of the parliament / legislature (as in the case of a presidential system of government), is to make laws through the passing of bills. 

Judicial review is a process under which executive or legislative actions are subject to review by the judiciary. Judicial review is one of the checks and balances in the separation of powers: the power of the judiciary to supervise the legislative and executive branches when the latter exceed their authority.

A parliamentary system is a system of democratic governance of a state where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislature, typically a parliament, and is also held accountable to that parliament. For instance the government must gain a vote of confidence from the assembly, the assembly may grant to the government the power to make delegated legislation or the head of government is automatically a member of the assembly. With this, everyone is collectively responsible for all decisions made and enable a smooth administration of governance.

nation-state. is a form of political organization under which a relatively homogeneous people inhabits a sovereign state especially : a state containing one as opposed to several nationalities.