Other parliaments have copied the UK and work similarly. They have three levels - a
lower house
which makes the law, an
upper house
which reviews the law (Decides if they like it or not, and suggest changes to it), and a
head of state
who is mostly for show and who starts and ends each year of parliament. The Prime Minister is almost always the person whose party has the most seats, but if the lower house does not think he is doing a good job they can call a
vote of no confidence
and ask him to leave his job as Prime Minister or have an election.
Sometimes people use the word "parliament" to describe a
legislature
, even if it is not a real parliament. A "parliament" is a type of legislature which has a Prime Minister.
A parliament is a lot like a
congress
but a congress cannot ask the head of the government to leave his job. Also, a congress runs for a number of years according to the country's
constitution
, but a parliament can be stopped as long as enough members agree. Elections are held after this happens.
Countries that have Parliaments
change