Parliamentary sovereignty

Parliamentary sovereignty in a political system means that parliament is the sovereign . Parliamentary sovereignty thus differs from prince sovereignty as well as from popular sovereignty and thus represents a middle ground. The sovereignty of parliament in its pure form excludes a separation of powers .

The development of parliamentary sovereignty is closely linked to the development of modern parliamentarism in England . Unlike in continental Europe, where the peoples fought for more and more rights against their rulers, which ultimately led to popular sovereignty, in England it was the British Parliament that had already won the Bill of Rights against the king in 1689 . And unlike in continental Europe, England never codified a written constitution that limits all state power ; rather, constitutional law is largely common law and only occasionally stipulated.

Whether it is still possible to speak of parliamentary sovereignty in the United Kingdom today in view of the constitutional developments and international legal obligations (in particular the European Convention on Human Rights ) is questioned again and again; however, the UK is still largely seen as a political system with parliamentary sovereignty.

For the historical context of its origins, compare the so-called Glorious Revolution in England in the 17th century.

literature

• Michael Gordon: Parliamentary Sovereignty in the UK Constitution: Process, Politics and Democracy. Oxford: Hart Publishing, 2015.