Territorial Multiparty System and Parliamentary Form of Government: the West Lothian Question as a Paradigm of the Effects of the Phenomenon

Authors

  • Federico de Montalvo Jääskeläinen

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18042/cepc/redc.105.03

Keywords:

Parliament, multiparty system, electoral system, regionalism

Abstract

The territorial organization developed under our Constitution has set up a specific political parties system characterized by the presence of various nationalist and regionalist parties in the Lower House. This scene has given to these parties a strong position in the Chamber when the main party was not able to get an absolute majority. Therefore, these parties have played a very important position beyond territorial matters. This dilemma has been almost virtually ignored by our scholars in contrast to other States like the UK.