A unitary parliamentary republic is a type of unitary state and a parliamentary republic. They are governed as a single entity in which the central government is the supreme authority with a republican form of government in which political authority is entrusted to the parliament by multiple electoral districts throughout a country. In this system, voters elect members of parliament, who then make legislative decisions on behalf of their constituents.
The legislature in a parliamentary republic may consist of one or more separate assemblies, houses, or chambers. This distinction is called a cameral structure and according to it, a republic may be unicameral (just a single assembly), bicameral (two assemblies), or tricameral (three assemblies).
List of unitary parliamentary republics CountryFormerlyParliamentary republic adoptedHead of state elected byCameral structure One-party state1991Parliament, by majorityUnicameral Semi-presidential republic2018Parliament by majority Semi-presidential republic1991Was previously a parliamentary republic between 1971 and 1975.Parliament Constitutional monarchy2021Parliament, by two-thirds majority if there is no joint nominationBicameral British protectorate (Bechuanaland Protectorate)1966Parliament, by majorityUnicameral Bulgaria One-party state1989Direct election, by second-round system Croatia Semi-presidential republic2000Direct election, by second-round system One-party state (part of Czechoslovakia)1989 (independent since 1993)Direct election, by second-round system (since 2013; previously parliament, by majority)Bicameral Associated state of the United Kingdom1978Parliament, by majorityUnicameral Occupied by the Soviet Union (one party state) 1918Estonia was previously a parliamentary republic from 1918 until 1938, when a new constitution with a more presidential system was adopted; the country was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940-41 (and again in 1944-91) .Parliament, by two-thirds majority Military dictatorship2014Parliament, by majority Semi-presidential republic2000Formerly a semi-presidential republic, it is now a parliamentary republic according to David Arter, First Chair of Politics at Aberdeen University. In his "Scandinavian Politics Today" (Manchester University Press, revised 2008 ), he quotes as follows: "There are hardly any grounds for the epithet 'semi-presidential'." Arter's own conclusions are only slightly more nuanced: "The adoption of a new constitution on 1 March 2000 meant that Finland was no longer a case of semi-presidential government other than in the minimalist sense of a situation where a popularly elected fixed-term president exists alongside a prime minister and cabinet who are responsible to parliament (Elgie 2004: 317)". According to the Finnish Constitution, the president has no possibility to rule the government without the ministerial approval, and does not have the power to dissolve the parliament under his or her own desire. Finland is actually represented by its prime minister, and not by its president, in the Council of the Heads of State and Government of the European Union. The 2012 constitution reduced the powers of the president even further.Direct election, by second-round system Representative Democracy Governed as a Unitary Parliamentary Republic.1921Direct election, led by a group of people called “parliaments”Bicameral Military dictatorship; Constitutional monarchy1975Also between 1924 and 1935.Parliament, by supermajoritySupermajority of 67% (two-thirds) required for the first two rounds. If the vote fails, the supermajority threshold is lowered to 60% (three-fifths), then absolute majority, and then simple majority (plurality). See Unicameral One-party state1990Parliament, by supermajority Formerly part of Denmark; Constitutional monarchy1944Direct election, by first-past-the-post Coalition 1949Irish head of state from 1922 to 1949.Direct election, by instant-runoff voteBicameral British Protectorate 1948Parliament, by majorityUnicameral Constitutional monarchy1946Parliament, by absolute majorityBicameral Protectorate1979Direct election, by first-past-the-post voteUnicameral Occupied by the Soviet Union (one party state)1918Latvia was previously a parliamentary republic between 1921 and 1934 when the then prime minister Kārlis Ulmanis took power in a coup d'état. In June 1940 Latvia was occupied and annexed by the Soviet Union.Parliament Protectorate (French mandate of Lebanon)1941 Constitutional monarchy1974Parliament, by majority UN Trust Territory(part of Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)1979ParliamentBicameral Constitutional monarchy1992Parliament, by majorityUnicameral Semi-presidential republic2001Direct election, by second-round system One-party state (Part of Yugoslavia, and after Serbia and Montenegro)1992 (independent since 2006)Direct election, by second-round system Australian Trust Territory1968Parliament One-party state (part of Yugoslavia)1991Direct election, by second-round system One-party state1989Direct electionBicameral Autocracy (part of the Roman Empire)301ParliamentUnicameral One-party state (part of Yugoslavia)1991 (independent since 2006)Direct election, by second-round system Constitutional monarchy (part of Malaysia)1965Direct election (since 1993) Slovakia One-party state (part of Czechoslovakia)1989 (independent since 1993)Direct election, by second-round system (since 1999; previously by parliament) Slovenia One-party state (part of Yugoslavia)1991Direct election, by second-round systemBicameral Constitutional monarchy1961Parliament, by majority Military dictatorship1987Unicameral Republic of China (Taiwan) One-party military dictatorship (Mainland)Constitutional monarchy (Taiwan)1946The Additional Articles of the Constitution of the Republic of China was passed on May 1, 1991 effectively transforming into a semi-presidential system. The Republic of China government was defeated in the Chinese Civil War in 1949-50 to the Chinese Communist Party retreating to the island of Taiwan, which became a de facto one-party state from 1949 to 1987.Electoral college, directly elected by the electorateTricameral Constitutional monarchy1976ParliamentBicameral Presidential republic2024 British–French condominium (New Hebrides)1980Parliament and regional council presidents, by majorityUnicameral
See also Federal republic
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