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How politics
works.

Five ideas explain most of what you see in an election anywhere: how a state is organised, who runs it, how votes become seats, what parties stand for, and the rules that bind all of them.

Pick a topic — the lines show how each builds on the others

The topics

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01 Who holds power Forms of government Democracies, monarchies, one-party states and hybrids — and how power is split between centre and regions. Open → 02 Who's in charge Executives Presidential, parliamentary and semi-presidential systems: how leaders are chosen, and how they are removed. Open → 03 How votes become seats Electoral systems First-past-the-post, ranked choice, proportional lists, mixed systems — same ballots, different winners. Open → 04 Left, right and beyond The political spectrum Where 'left' and 'right' came from, why one axis isn't enough, ideologies, party families and party systems. Open → 05 The rules of the game Civics Constitutions, rights, checks and balances, judicial review, who gets to vote, referendums, and how democracy is measured. Open →

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In practice

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The same ideas, in two very different democracies: one presidential with two parties, one parliamentary with dozens.

Full section United States →

Government: Federal presidential republic
Head of government: President
Legislature: Congress: House of Representatives (435) + Senate (100)
Elections: First-past-the-post districts; President via the Electoral College

Full section India →

Government: Federal parliamentary republic
Head of government: Prime Minister
Legislature: Parliament: Lok Sabha (543 elected) + Rajya Sabha (up to 250)
Elections: First-past-the-post constituencies; Rajya Sabha by state legislatures (STV)

Full section New Zealand →

Government: Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Head of government: Prime Minister
Legislature: House of Representatives (120 + overhang), one chamber since 1951
Elections: Mixed-member proportional: 71 electorates (7 Māori) + 49 list seats

Also on the globe

Brazil Federal presidential republic
South Africa Parliamentary republic with an executive president
Australia Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Canada Federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Mexico Federal presidential republic
Indonesia Unitary presidential republic

Compare every country →

Map of topics

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