Lower house
An
lower house is one of two chambers of a
bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the
upper house. In comparison with the upper house, the lower house is usually:
- More powerful.
- Democratically elected (and based on fair apportionment).
- Larger in membership.
The supremacy of the lower house usually arises from special restrictions placed on the powers of the upper house, which often can only delay rather than veto legislation or has less control over money bills. Under
parliamentary systems it is usually the lower house alone that designates the
head of government or prime minister, and may remove them through a
vote of no confidence. There are exceptions to this however, such as the
Prime Minister of Japan, who is formally selected with the approval of both houses of the
Diet.
Titles of lower houses
See also: List of national legislatures.