Question

What are the main features of a federal form government?

Answer 1

The main features of the federal form of government are mentioned below:

• Dual citizenship: In a federal form of government the citizen have a dual citizenship of the state they are living in and the nation. For example, a person living in California will have a citizenship of California and the USA.
• Written and rigid constitution: A federal state is generally characterized by a written and rigid constitution. The constitution can't be changed by one state but needs an overwhelming majority of states present in the federation. These constitutions are written to remove any confusion and conflict between the states.
• Supremacy of the Court: In a federal state the federal court deciding the conflict between the states have a supremacy over the parliament i.e. they have a jurisdiction over all the matter concerning the conflict between the states.
• Distribution of power: In a federal state there is a clear distribution of power. A judiciary has a defined function, so does the legislature and the executive. No office can step on the functions of any other office.
• Bicameral legislature: A federation has a bicameral legislature i.e. two houses representing the state and the people in the highest lawmaking authority. For example, the USA has to different houses the house of representatives and the Senate. India has Lok Sabha(lower house) and Rajya Sabha (Upper house).