Learn English – What’s the difference between “parliament” and “congress”

differences

Is there any differences between these two words? Thanks

Best Answer

They refer to two different democratic systems but they both are representative bodies with supreme legislative powers within a state.

  • Parliamentary democracy and congressional democracy are two systems of government that are utilized in democratic governments.

  • Parliamentary democracy is a system of democratic governance in which the executive branch is held accountable to the legislative branch and the head of government is almost always a member of the legislature. The Parliament is the legislative branch of a parliamentary democracy. This type of democracy is found in Britain and in free, independent countries that Britain used to rule.

  • Conversely, a congressional democracy is a system of democratic governance in which the executive branch is separate from the legislative branch and the head of government is not a member of the legislature. The Congress is the legislative branch of a congressional democracy. This type of democracy is found in the United States and a few other democratic countries.

  • While these two systems of government have similarities, they also have a few very important differences.

(study.com/academy)