Constitutional vs Nonconstitutional Governments
The concepts of constitutional and non constitutional government have become important these days because of the focus upon rights of the peoples of the world. Not all the peoples of the world are governed by elected, representatives, and not all the governments rule by the written constitution of the country. Then it becomes important first to point out the differences between constitutional and Non-constitutional governments to enable readers to know the type of citizens they are inside their respective countries.
Constitutional Government
The word constitutional implies as per the provisions of the constitution, and as such a constitutional government is the one that has been chosen by the people of the country on the basis of free and fair elections and that works by the rule book. What this means is that the powers of the government are limited. A constitutional government is thus also a limited government.
Limited power with the government is a clear ploy to ensure that the leaders of the government do not misuse the powers they have been granted by the constitution of the country. Even the President of the country is not above the laws of the land. In a constitutional government, there are effective checks and controls to have a control over the powers of those in authority. This is deliberate so as to protect the rights of the individual citizens of the country.
Non-constitutional Governments
All those countries where there are unlimited powers vested in those who rule the country are said to have Nonconstitutional governments. In such an arrangement, there is no effective control over those in authority, and they are not easy to be removed from their offices even if the people of the country desire so.
Countries ruled by kings and monarchs are fine examples of Non-constitutional government, and so are countries run by dictators. In these countries, rulers remain in power for as long as they desire as they cannot be removed by peaceful or legal means. There are no limits placed on the powers of the rulers in these countries, and the word from the king is the law of the land.
What is the difference between Constitutional and Non-constitutional Governments?
• The governments that are elected by a due process and by the people of the country are called constitutional governments as they rule according to the provisions of the written constitution of the country.
• Those in authority in constitutional governments have limited power as they have to govern according to the rule book and they cannot break the law.
• In Nonconstitutional governments, those in power have unlimited powers and cannot be removed from their offices by peaceful or legal means.
• Monarchies where kings rule the country are examples of nonconstitutional governments, and so are the dictatorships of the world.
• Leader in power cannot misuse the powers granted to them in a constitutional government whereas the word of the rulers is the law of the land in non-constitutional governments.