Tricameralism is the practice of having three legislative or parliamentary chambers. It is contrasted to unicameralism and bicameralism, both of which are far more common. A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... A parliamentarian is a specialist in parliamentary procedure. ... Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... In government, bicameralism (bi + Latin camera, chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ...

The term was used in South Africa to describe the Parliament established under the apartheid regime's new Constitution in 1984. Other instances of tricameral legislatures in history include Simón Bolívar's model state. The word could also describe the French States-General, which had three 'estates' - but this was abolished before it could become a true legislature. The Parliament of South Africa, has undergone many transformations, as a result of the countrys tumultuous history. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a South American revolutionary leader. ... In France under the Ancien Régime, the States-General or Estates-General (in French: États-Généraux), was an assembly of the different classes (or estates) of French subjects. ...

South African tricameralism

In 1983, South Africa's apartheid government put forward a constitution providing for a tricameral legislature. On 2 November, around seventy percent of the country's white population voted in favour of the changes — black South Africans were not consulted, and under the proposal they continued to be denied representation since in theory they were citizens of independent or autonomous bantustans. A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... November 2 is the 306th day of the year (307th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 59 days remaining. ... Map of the black homelands in South Africa as of 1986 Bantustan refers to any of the territories designated as tribal homelands for black South Africans and Namibians during the apartheid era. ...

The South African tricameral parliament consisted of three race-based chambers: It has been suggested that Validity of human races be merged into this article or section. ...

• House of Assembly — 178 members, reserved for whites
• House of Representatives — 85 members, reserved for Coloured, or mixed-race, people
• House of Delegates — 45 members, reserved for Asians

The creation of the tricameral parliament was controversial on two fronts. On the one hand, many white conservatives disliked the idea of non-whites participating in Parliament at all. The dispute was a factor in the creation of the Conservative Party, a breakaway from the dominant National Party. On the other hand, many coloureds and Asians rejected the system as a sham, saying that the chambers reserved for them were powerless. In the South African and Namibian context, the term Coloured (also known as Bruinmense, Kleurlinge or Bruine Afrikaners) refers to a rather heterogenous group of people of mixed Khoisan, white European descent, Malay, Malagasy, Black (Bantu), and South Indian ancestry, especially in the Western Cape. ... Asians in South Africa constitute two per cent of South Africas population, and most are of Indian origin, although there is also a small Chinese community. ... The Conservative Party of South Africa was formed by white South Africans, mostly Afrikaners, who felt that the National Party was too ready to aquiesce to the demands of black South Africans for majority rule. ... The National Party (Afrikaans: Nasionale Party) (with its members sometimes known as Nationalists or Nats) was the governing party of South Africa from 1948 until 1994, and was disbanded in 2005. ...

The tricameral parliament was not particularly strong. The 1983 constitution significantly weakened the powers of parliament, and abolished the position of Prime Minister. Most authority was transferred to the State President, including the ability to appoint the Cabinet. This was seen by many as an attempt to limit the power of coloureds and Indians — not only were the 'non-white' Houses of Parliament less powerful than the 'white' one, but parliament itself was subordinate to a white President. From 1961 to 1994, South Africas head of state was called the State President or Staatspresident in Afrikaans. ...

Bolivar's tricameralism

Simón Bolívar, the South American revolutionary leader, included a tricameral legislature as part of his proposals for a model government. Bolivar described the three houses as follows: Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (July 24, 1783 – December 17, 1830) was a South American revolutionary leader. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ...

• Chamber of Tribunes, holding powers relating to government finance, foreign affairs, and war. The tribunes would, unlike the other two houses, be popularly elected.
• Senate, an apolitical body holding powers to enact law, supervise the judiciary, and appoint regional officials. Bolivar believed that the senate should be hereditary, saying that this was the only way to ensure its neutrality. There are parallels between Bolivar's Senate and other houses such as the British House of Lords.
• Censors, a group who would act as a check against the powers of the other two. Bolivar described them as "prosecuting attorneys against the government in defense of the Constitution and popular rights". He also said that they should ensure that the executive was functioning satisfactorally, perhaps having powers of impeachment.

Bolivar intended his model government to have a presidential system, and so the tricameral parliament was not expected to govern. Bolivar was explicit that the legislature should not have an active role in administration — it merely made law and supervised other branches of government. This article is about the British House of Lords. ... Depiction of the impeachment trial of Andrew Johnson, then President of the United States, in 1868. ... A presidential system, or a congressional system, is a system of government of a republic where the executive branch is elected separately from the legislative. ...

Despite Bolivar's huge influence in South America, no country employs his tricameral parliament. Early attempts to implement the model, such as in Bolivia, were not successful, although the chaos of the period was likely a factor in this outcome.

French tricameralism

Some historians view the French States-General as an example of a tricameral legislature. The States-General evolved gradually over time, and provided advice on various matters (including legislative issues) to the King. The three Estates were the simply labeled First (consisting of clergy), Second (consisting of nobility), and Third (consisting of commoners). In France under the Ancien Régime, the States-General or Estates-General (in French: États-Généraux), was an assembly of the different classes (or estates) of French subjects. ... Kings ruled in France from the Middle Ages to 1848. ... In France of the ancien régime and the age of the French Revolution, the term First Estate (Fr. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... In France of the ancien régime and the age of the French Revolution, the term Second Estate (Fr. ... The Lords and Barons prove their Nobility by hanging their Banners and exposing their Coats-of-arms at the Windows of the Lodge of the Heralds. ... In France of the ancien régime and the age of the French Revolution, the term Third Estate (tiers état) indicated the generality of people which were not part of the clergy (the First Estate) nor of the nobility (the Second Estate). ... A commoner, in British law, is someone who is neither the Sovereign nor a noble. ...

There are problems with regarding the States-General as a tricameral legislature, however. Firstly, the States-General never had any formal powers to legislate, although at times, it played a major role in the King's legislative activity. Secondly, the division between the three estates was not always maintained — the estates sometime deliberated separately, but at other times, the they deliberated as a single body, undermining the idea of tricameralism.

Other examples

Isle of Man

The parliament of the Isle of Man, the Tynwald, is sometimes called tricameral, but this description is not universally accepted. The two commonly accepted houses of the Tynwald are the House of Keys and the Legislative Council, but according to some, the Tynwald Court (consisting of the members of both houses meeting together) counts as a third house. Others disagree, saying that as there are no members of the Court who are not also members of the other houses, the Court should not be considered separately. The Tynwald is the bicameral legislature of the Isle of Man. ... 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 Legislative Council of the Isle of Man is the upper Branch of Tynwald, the Manx legislature. ...

Church of England

The General Synod of the Church of England is sometimes described as tricameral. It is divided into a House of Bishops, the House of Clergy and the House of Laity. As the Church of England is the state church of England, the Parliament of the United Kingdom has given the General Synod the power (subject to veto) to make law relating to the Church. The General Synod is the governing body of the Church of England, a church within the Anglican Communion. ... The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England, and acts as the mother and senior branch of the worldwide Anglican Communion, as well as a founding member of the Porvoo Communion. ... Diocesan College, or Bishops as it is commonly known, is a private school situated in the leafy suburb of Rondebosch in Cape Town, South Africa, at the foot of Table Mountain. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location within the British Isles Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population – Total (mid-2004) – Total (2001 Census) – Density Ranked 1st UK... The Houses of Parliament, seen over Westminster Bridge The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative institution in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories (it alone has parliamentary sovereignty). ...

However, a Diocesan Synod is not a tricameral institution. It is a bicameral institution, as it consists of the House of Laity, who are directly elected by the Parishes, & the House of Clergy. The Bishop is not a member of either House, even though he is constitutionally a member of Synod. The Parliament of New Zealand has no authority to interfere in the affairs of the Synods, as the Anglican Church of New Zealand is self-governing. In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ... In religious organizations, the laity comprises all lay persons collectively. ... Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ... The Anglican Communion is a world-wide organisation of Anglican Churches. ...

External links

• An overview of South Africa's 1983 constitution
• An overview of Bolivar's model government

See also: Unicameralism, Bicameralism Unicameralism is the practice of having only one legislative or parliamentary chamber. ... In government, bicameralism (bi + Latin camera, chamber) is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ...