ABSTRACT
This chapter provides case studies from around the world that illustrate key aspects of a variety of models of parliamentary democracy. The issue of 'importing' political models has arisen mainly when many former colonies became independent after World War Two and, more recently, when new democracies were established after the collapse of communism. Equally, longer-established democracies should never stop seeking to improve their systems in light of best practice elsewhere. If models are 'imported', they must be adapted to suit the circumstances of the state concerned. Democracy is most often equated with the existence of a multi-party system in which competing political parties contest elections. Yet multi-party democracy is just one aspect of democratic governance. There are some systems where the absence of multi-party arrangements, with stringent conditions, can arguably be considered appropriate.
