Test: Power-sharing (Hard) - Class 10 MCQ

• Of the country's total population, 59 per cent lives in the Flemish region and speaks the Dutch language.
• Another 40 per cent of people live in the Wallonia region and speak French.
• Remaining 1 per cent of the Belgians speak German.

• Sri Lanka emerged as an independent country in 1948.
• The leaders of the Sinhala community sought to secure dominance over the government by virtue of their majority.
• As a result, the democratically elected government adopted a series of majoritarian measures to establish Sinhala supremacy.

i) Power shared among different levels of government- Separation of powers
ii)Power shared among governments at different levels- Federal Government
iii)Power shared by different social groups - Community Government
iv)Power shared by two or more political parties - Coalition Government

Sri Lanka has Unitary Form of Government in which states are in subjugation to the centre. It has a semi-presidential government system where two executives are present, i.e. President alongside the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

In 1956, Sinhala was recognised as the only official language.

Preference was given to Sinhala applicants in government and university positions.

The constitution stipulated that the state shall protect and foster Buddhism.

Sinhala Only Bill was passed in 1956 by Government of Ceylon.

Dutch and French are major communities in Belgium.

59% of the Belgium population speaks Dutch.

1% of the Belgium population speaks German.

Rest of them speaks French.

Decentralization of power means when power is distributed from the authoritative level (higher level) to the local level. IT allows delegation of power and smoothening of functions at different levels. It improves efficiency and accountability. For example, Legislature works at the central level, State level and local levels in India.

To accommodate all people, Belgium state amended its constitution four times between 1970 and 1993. They made space for cultural diversity and regional differences in the country by making unique arrangements.

40% of Belgium's population lives in the Wallonia region and speaks French.

Belgium has amended its constitution four times:

1. In 1893: This was the first major revision of the Belgian Constitution.
2. In 1920: Amendments were made following World War I and the establishment of universal suffrage.
3. In 1970: This amendment addressed issues related to cultural and regional autonomy.
4. In 1993: This amendment restructured the Belgian state into a federal state.