Suchergebnisse

THIS PAPER IS ARRANGED BROADLY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SUBJECT HEADINGS SUGGESTED BY THE CPA ON 15 JANUARY 1982. HOWEVER, IT MAY BE USEFUL, AS AN INTRODUCTION, TO IDENTIFY THE MAIN FEATURES OF THE AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM: SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT-FEDERALISM AND THE CABINET SYSTEM OF RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. CONSTITUTION-WRITTEN AND, TO BE ALTERED, REQUIRES THE APPROVAL OF A MAJORITY OF THE ELECTORS IN A MAJORITY OF THE SIX STATES, AND A MAJORITY OF ALL THE ELECTORS VOTING. LEGISLATURE-THE FEDERAL PARLIAMENT CONSISTS OF THE QUEEN, REPRESENTED BY A GOVERNORGENERAL, AND TWO HOUSES OF PARLIAMENTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF 125 MEMBERS AND A SENATE OF 64 MEMBERS. MEMBERS' TERMS-THREE YEARS FOR MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES (EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF A MID-TERM DISSOLUTION OF THE HOUSE); AND SIX YEARS FOR SENATORS (EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF A DOUBLE DISSOLUTION OF BOTH HOUSES, WHICH HAS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES SINCE 1901).

THE CANADIAN SENATE HAS 104 MEMBERS, APPOINTED BY THE GOVERNOR-GENERAL ON THE ADVICE OF THE PRIME MINISTER. NEWFOUNDLAND HAS SIX SENATORS, PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND FOUR, NOVA SCOTIA AND NEW BRUNSWICK TEN EACH, QUEBEC AND ONTARIO 24 EACH, MANITOBA, SASKATCHEWAN, ALBERTA, AND BRITISH COLUMBIA SIX EACH, THE YUKON TERRITORY AND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES ONE EACH.

IN LATE JUNE 1990, PRESIDENT BUSH TRANSMITTED NEW VERIFICATION PROTOCOLS FOR THE 1974 THRESHOLD TEST BAN TREATY AND THE 1976 PEACEFUL NUCLEAR EXPLOSIONS TREATY TO THE SENATE, ASKING FOR ITS ADVICE AND CONSENT TO RATIFICATION OF BOTH. THE FULL SENATE IS EXPECTED TO VOTE ON THE TWO TREATIES IN SEPTEMBER, AND APPROVAL APPEARS VIRTUALLY CERTAIN.

A HEREDITARY ELEMENT (IN THE FORM OF CHIEFS) HAS ONLY A SMALL VOICE IN THE SENATE; EVEN THEN IT IS SUBJECT TO MANY CONTROLS. CHIEFS ARE APPOINTED AND REMOVED AT THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT AND RECEIVE SALARIES AND ALLOWANCES AS CHIEFS AT THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. FOR THE REST, THE SENATE REFLECTS THE POLITICAL COMPOSITION OF THE LOWER HOUSE SAVE THAT THE WHITE ROLL HAS 25 PER CENT OF THE REPRESENTATION IN THE SENATE COMPARED WITH 20 PER CENT IN THE LOWER HOUSE (AND 2.5 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION). MATABELELAND CHIEFS ALSO HAVE INCREASED REPRESENTATION IN TERMS OF POPULATION SIZE COMPARED WITH THE MASHONALAND CHIEFS.

RECENT SENATE ELECTIONS HAVE SEEN A STRONG PRO-REPUBLICAN BIAS RESULTING FROM INROADS IN THE SMALL POPULATION STATES OVERREPRESENTED IN THE SENATE AND FROM LEAN VICTORY MARGINS. THE BIAS ALLOWS THE GOP TO CAPTURE A MAJORITY OF THE SEATS WITH LESS THAN A MAJORITY OF THE AGGREGATE SENATE VOTE (1978-1980) AND TO EXCEED THE HISTORICAL NORM WHEN THE DEMOCRATS WIN A LANDSLIDE (1982). ALTHOUGH THIS BIAS WILL PROBABLY CONTINUE, THE INCREASED COMPETITIVENESS AND RESPONSIVENESS OF SENATE ELECTIONS MAY SEE THE GOP ALTERNATE BETWEEN THE THREADBARE MAJORITIES OF THE 97TH AND THE 98TH CONGRESSES AND (WHEN THE DEMOCRATS CAN STRING TOGETHER SEVERAL LANDSLIDES) VERY SMALL MINORITIES.

IT HAS BEEN SUGGESTED THAT DIFFERENCES IN VOTER RECOGNITION OF CANDIDATES MAY CAUSE VARIATIONS IN PARTISAN DEFECTION RATES, WHICH COULD ACCOUNT FOR CHAMBER DIFFERENCES IN REELECTION RATES. THIS DEFECTION HYPOTHESIS IS TESTED HERE USING SURVEY DATA FROM 1956-1980. THE RATES AT WHICH PARTY IDENTIFIERS DEFECT FROM THEIR PARTY'S SENATE AND HOUSE NOMINEES ARE COMPARED. ALTHOUGH THE PATTERN FOR ALL SENATE RACES PARALLES THAT FOR ALL HOUSE RACES, THERE HAVE BEEN DIFFERENCES IN THE ANTICIPATED DIRECTION SINCE 1970. DEFECTION PATTERNS IN RECENT SENATE ELECTIONS HAVE NOT, HOWEVER, BEEN LESS PRO-INCUMBENT, WHICH IS WHAT THE HIGH PROPORTION OF DEFEATS AMONG INCUMBENT SENATORS WOULD LEAD US TO EXPECT.

THE GREATER COMPETITIVENESS OF SENATE ELECTIONS RELATIVE TO HOUSE ELECTIONS HAS BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO BOTH CONSTITUENCY AND NONCONSTITUENCY FACTORS. WHEN CONSTITUENCY FACTORS ARE HELD CONSTANT, HOUSE INCUMBENTS PERFORM SLIGHTLY BETTER AT THE POLLS THAN DO SENATE INCUMBENTS, HOWEVER, THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN HOUSE AND SENATE INCUMBENTS HAVE NOT INCREASED SINCE 1920. ON THE CONTRARY, THE DIFFERENCES HAVE NARROWED SOMEWHAT.

THE U.S. SENATE OVERWHELMINGLY APPROVED THE RESOLUTION OF RATIFICATION OF THE CONVENTIONAL ARMED FORCES IN EUROPE (CFE) TREATY ON NOVEMBER 25, 1991, DESPITE LAST-MINTUE MANEUVERS THAT THREATENED TO DELAY ACTION. THEN, PRESIDENT BUSH ACTED QUICKLY TO FORMALLY RATIFY THE TREATY.