Congress vs ParliamentThe difference between congress and parliament exist in the way they function. Congress and parliament are terms that have come to represent two major forms of democracies in different parts of the world. While Westminster form of parliamentary democracy is found in Britain and many other commonwealth countries that were ruled by Britain at one point of time and are now free and independent, congressional form of democracy where the President is the head of the executive is opted by mainly US and some other countries. The main purpose of both congress as well as parliament is to make, pass, and amend laws providing representation to states or provinces that collectively make up the nation. However, there are also differences that will be highlighted in this article.At a superficial level, it seems hard to find out differences between a congress and a parliament as both are made up of popularly elected representatives of people who have got majority votes of the people in their constituency. However, there are differences between both in how members get elected and what their roles and functions are once they are members of the house. The first and foremost difference between the two lies in the meanings of the two terms themselves. While congress comes from a Latin word meaning “to come together,” parliament comes from a French word meaning “to talk.” The same difference in meaning almost defines differences in the election procedure of congressmen and parliamentarians.What is the difference between Congress and Parliament?Both congress and parliament serve the same purpose of making legislations though, there are differences in how members get elected and what they do after getting elected in the two types of legislative bodies.Definition of Congress and Parliament:• Congress is the legislative branch of a governing system that has a congressional democracy.• Parliament is the legislative branch of a governing system that has a parliamentary democracy.Accountability of the Executive:• The executive branch is not accountable to the legislative branch in a congressional democracy.• The executive branch is accountable to the legislative branch in a parliamentary democracy.Freedom:• There is more freedom to members in a congress than in the parliament. This simply means that a member has more individuality in case of congress than in the case of a parliament.Parts of Congress and Parliament:• Congress has two parts as Senate and House of Representatives.• Parliament has two parts as House of Lords and House of Commons.Influence of the Executive:• Executive is more powerful in congress.•However, executive is more in control as far as legislation process is concerned in parliament.9. About the differences between Congress and Parliament, which one is NOT TRUE?
A.
Members in a congress enjoy more freedom than in the parliament
B.
Congress has two parts as Senate and House of commons.
C.
Executive is more powerful in congress.
D.
Congress comes from a Latin word meaning “to come together”.