A lower house (sometimes known as the first chamber) is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. In comparison with the upper house, the lower house is frequently: In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... Chamber of the Estates-General, the Dutch legislature. ... An upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house. ...

• More powerful.
• Directly elected (and based on fair apportionment).
• Larger in membership.
• Elected for a shorter term of years.

The supremacy of the lower house usually arises from special restrictions placed on the powers of the upper house, which often can only delay rather than veto legislation or has less control over money bills. Under parliamentary systems it is usually the lower house alone that designates the head of government or prime minister, and may remove them through a vote of no confidence. There are exceptions to this however, such as the Prime Minister of Japan, who is formally selected with the approval of both houses of the Diet. A legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral. Malapportionment occurs when electoral systems violate the norm of equal representation according to population. ... A money bill is a bill that solely concerns taxation or government spending, as opposed to changes in public law. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... The head of government is the leader of the government or cabinet. ... A Motion of No Confidence, also called Motion of Non Confidence is a parliamentary motion traditionally put before a parliament by the opposition in the hope of defeating or embarrassing a government. ... A paulownia flower pattern is considered to be a symbol of the Japanese prime minister and cabinet routinely. ... The National Diet of Japan (国会; Kokkai) is Japans legislature. ... Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ...

Titles of lower houses

Common names

• House of Representatives
• National Assembly
• Chamber of Deputies
• House of Assembly
• Legislative Assembly
• House of Commons - Many British Commonwealth countries
• Chamber of Representatives

Many lower houses are named in the following pattern: House/Chamber of Representatives/the People/Commons/Deputies House of Representatives is a name used for legislative bodies in many countries. ... The National Assembly is the name of either a legislature, or the lower house of a bicameral legislature in some countries. ... The Chamber of Deputies is the name given to the lower house of the bicameral legislatures of the following states: Argentina – Chamber of Deputies of Argentina (Cámara de Diputados) Bolivia – Chamber of Deputies of Bolivia (Cámara de Diputados) Brazil – Chamber of Deputies of Brazil (Cámara dos Deputados) Chile – Chamber of... House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral legislature, in some countries, often at subnational level. ... . A Legislative Assembly in British constitutional thought is the second-to-top or third-to-top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor or a Lieutenant-Governor, inferior to an Executive Council and equal to or inferior to a Legislative Council. ... In some bicameral parliaments of a Westminster System, the House of Commons has historically been the name of the elected lower house. ... Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations The Commonwealth of Nations is an association of independent sovereign states, most of which are former colonies once governed by the United Kingdom as part of the British Empire. ... There are at least four political assemblies known as the Chamber of Representatives. ...

Less common titles

• Congress of Deputies - Sounds generic, but is only used by Spain
• National Council - Switzerland, Austria
• Dáil - Republic of Ireland
• State Duma - Russia
• House of Keys - Isle of Man
• Lok Sabha (House of the People) - India
• Sejm - Poland
• Tweede Kamer (Second Chamber) - Netherlands

The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... State Council or National Council is the name of a major governmental body in some countries. ... Dáil Éireann is the lower house of the Oireachtas (parliament) of the Republic of Ireland1. ... The State Duma (Russian: Государственная дума (Gosudarstvennaya Duma), common abbreviation: Госдума (Gosduma)) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia (parliament), the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. ... The House of Keys is the directly elected lower Branch of Tynwald the Parliament of the Isle of Man, the other of the two Branches being the Legislative Council. ... The Lok Sabha (House of the People) is the lower house of Parliament of India. ... This article is about the lower chamber of Polish parliament. ... The Tweede Kamer is the second chamber or lower house of the Staten-Generaal, the parliament in the Netherlands. ...

See also

• List of national legislatures