GOV • SHS 1Term 2WAEC / WASSCE SyllabusVIP Lesson
Organs of Government: Legislature, Executive & Judiciary
Composition, functions, and powers of the Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary; bicameral vs. unicameral legislatures; judicial independence.
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Real-World Context & Relevance in Ghana
Ghana's Parliament exercises oversight by summoning Cabinet Ministers during Question Time to account for national policies.
Key Syllabus Learning Objectives
- 1Examine the functions and powers of the Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary
- 2Compare the merits of unicameral versus bicameral legislative systems
- 3Explain the constitutional safeguards that protect judicial independence in Ghana
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Comprehensive Syllabus Study Notes
• The Legislature:
- Lawmaking body, representative of the people, controls public purse (approves taxes and budgets), scrutinizes executive policies, conducts investigations.
- Unicameral (single chamber, like Ghana's Parliament with 275 MPs) vs. Bicameral (two chambers: Upper and Lower, like Nigeria or the US Congress).
• The Executive:
- Implements, executes, and administers laws passed by Parliament; directs foreign policy and commands the armed forces.
- Consists of the President, Vice President, Cabinet Ministers, Civil Service, and security agencies.
• The Judiciary:
- Adjudicates legal disputes, interprets the Constitution and statutory laws, protects human rights, and punishes lawbreakers.
- Measures to Ensure Judicial Independence: Security of tenure (judges cannot be arbitrarily dismissed), financial autonomy (salaries drawn from Consolidated Fund), judicial immunity from prosecution for official courtroom acts.
- The Legislature:
- Lawmaking body, representative of the people, controls public purse (approves taxes and budgets), scrutinizes executive policies, conducts investigations.
- Unicameral (single chamber, like Ghana's Parliament with 275 MPs) vs. Bicameral (two chambers: Upper and Lower, like Nigeria or the US Congress).
- The Executive:
- Implements, executes, and administers laws passed by Parliament; directs foreign policy and commands the armed forces.
- Consists of the President, Vice President, Cabinet Ministers, Civil Service, and security agencies.
- The Judiciary:
- Adjudicates legal disputes, interprets the Constitution and statutory laws, protects human rights, and punishes lawbreakers.
- Measures to Ensure Judicial Independence: Security of tenure (judges cannot be arbitrarily dismissed), financial autonomy (salaries drawn from Consolidated Fund), judicial immunity from prosecution for official courtroom acts.
Practical Example:
Ghana's Parliament exercises oversight by summoning Cabinet Ministers during Question Time to account for national policies.
Core Takeaway:
The Legislature does not just pass laws; its control over the national budget ("power of the purse") is its most potent check on the executive.
WAEC / WASSCE Examiner Tips
- The Legislature does not just pass laws; its control over the national budget ("power of the purse") is its most potent check on the executive.
Common Candidate Pitfalls & Errors to Avoid
- Counting the Speaker as an elected member when the Speaker was not returned from a constituency.
- Confusing the cabinet with the whole executive.
- Writing that a bill becomes law at the third reading instead of on assent.
- Naming the press the fourth estate and treating it as an organ of government.
- Assuming the executive sits outside the legislature in a parliamentary system.
Topic Mastery Checklist
- Examine the functions and powers of the Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary
- Compare the merits of unicameral versus bicameral legislative systems
- Explain the constitutional safeguards that protect judicial independence in Ghana
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