Power

Sharing
An intelligent sharing of power among

legislature executive and judiciary is very important to

the design of democracy .
Case of Belgium
•A small country in Europe.
•The population is about 1 crore.
•Shares border with France, Netherlands,

Germany, Luxemburg.
Ethnic Composition of Belgium

59% DUTCH 40% FRENCH

Live in Flemish region Live in Wallonia
Ethnic Composition of Brussels

20% DUTCH 80% FRENCH

•However, in
the capital of Belgium i.e. Brussels Dutch-
speaking population was a minority.

• French - were rich and powerful which was

resented by the Dutch-speaking community.
• In 1950-60 - the tension between these
communities was severe in Brussels.
 Case of Sri-Lanka
• Island nation on the south coast of Tamil Nadu.
• The population is about 2 crore.
• It has a diverse population.
Ethnic Composition of
Shri-Lanka

74% SINHALA SPEAKERS 18% TAMIL

SPEAKERS

13% SHRI
LANKAN TAMILS INDIAN TAMILS
Ethnic Composition of
Shri-Lanka
• Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri
Lankan Tamils’.
•Indian Tamils are those whose forefathers
came from India as plantation workers
during the colonial period.
•Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the
north and east of the country.
Religious Composition of
Shri-Lanka
• Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhists (74%)
• Most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims.
• There are about 7 per cent of Christians, who are both
Tamil and Sinhala
 Majoritarianism in Shri-
Lanka
• Majoritarianism -A belief that the majority community should rule

the country the way they want.

•Shri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948. Leaders of
the Sinhala community dominated the government.
•The democratically elected government adopted a series of
MAJORITARIAN measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.
Steps taken by the Govenment
• 1956: Sinhala become the only official language, thus disregarding
Tamil .
•Government jobs and universities position were given to them.
•A new constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster

Buddhism.
 Reaction of Tamils
Launched panties and struggled for :
•

⚬ Recognising Tamil as the official Language.

⚬ Regional autonomy Equal opportunities.
⚬

•By the 1980s several political organisations were formed demanding an

independent Tamil Eelam (state) in northern and eastern parts of Sri
Lanka

•However, the demands of Tamils were not considered. This made them
feel like outsiders.
Soon this resulted in a civil war, in which
1000s of people, were killed.
Accommodation in Belgium
•In Belgium, rather than disregarding the difference, the
government took measures to accommodate them.
•They recognised the existence of cultural and regional
differences.
•Amended the constitution 4 times to resolve this
problem.
Elements of the Belgium Model
•Both French and Dutch got equal representation in central
government.
•Many powers of the central government have been given to the
state government.

•Community government was elected for handling cultural and

both the community.
•Separate Government in Brussels with equal representation of
language-related issues.
Union with Brussels as headquarters.
•Many countries of Europe came together to form European
 Prudential Reason
Helps to reduce the possibility of
conflict between social group.

Why is Power Sharing

desirable?
Moral Reason
Power sharing is the very spirit of
democracy.

Forms of Power
Sharing
One basic principle of democracy is that people
are the source of all political power. In modern
democracies, power-sharing arrangements can
take many forms.
Horizontal Distribution
Power is shared among different organs of government, such
as the legislature, executive and judiciary.
Each organ maintains a system of checks and balances.
Vertical Distribution
Power can be shared among governments at different levels –
central government, state government, and local government.
Such governments are called the federal government.
When such power distribution is followed, the constitution lays
down the powers of each tier of government.
 Among Different Social Group

Power is shared among different religious, linguistic, ethnic groups.

Empowers socially weaker sections. Doesn't make them feel alienated.
EX-Communal government in Belgium

Forms of Power
Sharing
Among Political Parties, Pressure Groups
and Movements
Interest groups such as industrialists, farmers, traders etc.
Sharing of power among various movement groups.
Ex-Formation of a coalition government in which more than one
political party comes together to form a government.
 Think Critically

Can you think about times, when power was

shared among various political parties in India?
In India, is the power distributed horizontally or
vertically or both?