Dissolution of parliament is the formal ending of a parliamentary term before a new general election, which in most parliamentary systems the head of state carries out on the advice of the prime minister, whether to call an early election at a moment of the government's choosing or because the government has lost a vote of no confidence and cannot continue. The rules governing when and how a parliament can be dissolved, and whether the decision rests with the prime minister, the legislature itself or the head of state's own discretion, vary significantly between parliamentary democracies and have themselves been the subject of constitutional reform, as in the United Kingdom's move from the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 back to a prerogative-style dissolution power in 2022.
Facts
Origin YearThe UK's Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 restored the prerogative-style power to dissolve Parliament, repealing the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 regime. Founding ContextThe power to dissolve a parliament and call a fresh election exists so a legislature that has lost the ability to govern, whether through a fixed electoral calendar, a collapsed governing majority, or a deliberate search for a new mandate, can be replaced without waiting out its full term. Where the power sits, with the head of state, the head of government, or the legislature itself, and how freely it can be used, varies considerably between constitutional systems. 1 Connections
Associated With
UK parliamentary dissolution moved from the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011 back to a prerogative-style power under the Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022.
Source Dissolution of Parliament (Institute for Government)
Practiced By
Source Dissolution of parliament (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Dissolution of Parliament (Institute for Government)
Institute for GovernmentQuote
Dissolution is the formal term for the end of a parliament. It occurs ahead of a general election for a new parliament.
Dissolution of parliament (Wikipedia)
Practiced By: Australia, Article text
The House of Representatives, but not the Senate, can be dissolved at any time by the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister.
In Group: Parliamentary Structure and Procedure, Lead paragraph
The dissolution of a legislative assembly (or parliament) is the simultaneous termination of service of all of its members, in anticipation that a successive legislative assembly will reconvene later with possibly different members.
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