POWER SHARING

DEMOCRATIC POLITICS (CHAPTER-1)

SEEMA DHILLON-GMSSS-44B
DEFINITION-

• Power Sharing is a situation in which two people or groups share

responsibility for running a government.
WHY DO WE NEED POWER SHARING ?

• It defines DEMOCRACY and is SPIRIT OF DEMOCRACY.

• Without power sharing, Democracy will fail to exist or will be meaningless
• Helps in reducing the conflicts among various social groups.
• Ensures stability to Political order
4 TYPES OF POWER SHARING

HORIZO VERTI
NTAL CAL
POWER POWER
SHARIN SHARI
G NG
AMONG THE POWER
POLITICAL SHARING
PARTIES, AMONG
PRESSURE VARIOUS
GROUPS AND SOCIAL
MOVEMENTS GROUPS
 1.

1.
HORIZONTAL POWER SHARING
-AMONG VARIOUS ORGANS OF GOVERNMENT
-KEEP A CHECK ON EACH OTHER
- HAVE INDEPENDENT POWERS
-EQUALLY POWERFUL
 2.
VERTICAL POWER SHARING

• DECENTRALISATION OF POWER
• POWER IS DISTRIBUTED AMONG DIFFERENT LEVELS
• CENTRAL,STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS – HIGHEST LEVEL
TO THE LOWEST LEVEL
CENTRAL GOVT.
STATE GOVT
LOCAL
.
GOVT.
 3.
POWER-SHARING AMONG DIFFERENT SOCIAL GROUPS

• Different social groups such as the religious and linguistic groups. For
example, in India, reservations are made for the socially weaker sections of
society in legislatures and bureaucracy.
• Community government' in Belgium is a good example of this arrangement
 4.
POWER SHARING AMONG POLITICAL PARTIES, PRESSURE GROUPS AND
MOVEMENTS.

• Coalition government - when any political party does not get absolute
majority, then two or more parties form an alliance to run Government.
• pressure group and movements influence power sharing through dharna,
rallies, protest, strike etc.
POWER SHARING IN BELGIUM
 ACCOMMODATION IN BELGIUM

• Dutch and French speaking ministers shall be equal in the central govt.
• Many Powers of the central government have been given to state govt. The
state govt is not subordinate to the central govt.
• Brussels has a separate govt in which both the communities have equal
representation.
• There is a third kind of govt called community govt elected by the people
belonging to Dutch, French and German no matter where they live.
CONSEQUENCES OF BELGIUM
ACCOMMODATION

All Social groups have equal rights.

Social, Economic and political development

for all at same pace

Over all a peaceful country .

 POWER SHARING IN SRI LANKA

SINHALESE -
74%
SRI LANKAN
ETHNIC TAMILS-13%
COMPOSITIO
TAMILS-18%
N IN SRI
LANKA INDIAN
TAMILS-5%
OTHERS-8%
POWERSHARING IN SRI LANKA

MAJORITARIAN GOVT. (GOVT. OF SINHALESE)

ACT OF 1956 RECOGNISED SINHALESE AS OFFICIAL

LANGUAGE &DISREGARDED TAMIL

SOCIAL,ECONOMICAL ,POLITICAL &EDUCATIONAL

RIGHTS WERE DENIED TO TAMILS

ONLY BUDHISM WAS FAVOURED

CONSEQUENCES-

• TAMILS FELT DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IN JOBS AND EDUCATION.

-TAMILIANS ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR DEMANDS
-CIVIL WAR ,VOILENCE AND UNREST IN THE COUNTRY
-The demands of the Sri Lankan Tamils are :
(i) recognition of Tamil as an official language
(ii) regional autonomy
(iii) equality of opportunity in securing education and jobs
BOTH SRI LANKA AND BELGIUM ARE DEMOCRACIES
BUT THEY DEALT WITH POWER SHARING DIFFERENTLY.
•
• Belgium, the leaders have realized that the unity of the
BELGIU country is possible only by respecting the feelings
M and interests of different communities and regions.
• HENCE THE PEACE

• a majority community wants to

SRILAN force its dominance over others
and refuses to share power
KA
• HENCE THE UNREST
&VIOLENCE
CONCLUSION-

power sharing is
the very spirit of
democracy as it Brings peace in
expands gives Ensures the country
prevents the
democracy to representation ensuring
imposition of justice, fairness,
the grass root and political development for
majoritarinism equality in the
level making it voice to the all
policy society
more inclusive minorities
and
representative in
nature.
THANK YOU