Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster -based parliamentary system . This article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state . In some countries, the title of " Official Opposition " is conferred upon the largest political party sitting in opposition in the legislature, with said party's leader being accorded the title " Leader of the Opposition ".
4-551: The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government , typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically seen as an alternative prime minister , premier , first minister , or chief minister to the incumbent; in the Westminster system , they head a rival alternative government known as
8-424: A united bloc opposed to the government of the day. Some well-organised democracies, dominated long-term by a single faction, reduce their parliamentary opposition to tokenism . In some cases, in more authoritarian countries, tame "opposition" parties are created by the governing groups in order to create an impression of democratic debate. Some legislatures offer opposition parties particular powers. In Canada ,
12-650: The shadow cabinet or opposition front bench . The same term is also used to refer to the leader of the largest political party that is not in government in subnational state, provincial, and other regional and local legislatures. The full title for the Leader of the Opposition is the Leader of His Majesty's Most Loyal Opposition in the United Kingdom and in many Commonwealth realms . Opposition (parliamentary) In first-past-the-post assemblies, where
16-456: The tendency to gravitate into two major parties or party groupings operates strongly, government and opposition roles can go to the two main groupings serially in alternation. The more proportionally representative a system, the greater the likelihood of multiple political parties appearing in the parliamentary debating chamber . Such systems can foster multiple "opposition" parties which may have little in common and minimal desire to form
#261738