Question

Explain the role of an opposition party in a democracy.

Answer 1

Hint: In every democracy, there is a ruling party that established its majority in the parliament. The other parties that do not form the government are called opposition parties.

Complete step by step answer:
Once the party with the majority seats is declared as the winner party, goes on to form the government. This includes ministers of that party holding specific positions in the ruling government. However, the power check on the government is a function of an Opposition party. The opposition party makes sure that the government doesn’t become authoritarian in its nature and to restrict its powers. The opposition parties keep a watch over them by questioning the work they do for the people. The major tactic of the opposition party is to criticize the policies of the government.

Everything is not restricted to the parliament and thus when outside the legislature, the opposition parties interact with the press and media. They report their criticism of the government policy through various mediums so that it reaches the common public. The opposition parties have the right to check the expenditure of the government also. There are few provisions enlisted in the constitution to ensure that the working of the government is properly examined such as a question hour. The question hour guarantees the opposition parties their right to criticize the government and raise doubts about the policies and programmes if any.

Note: The criticism should be healthy and not just plain rhetoric. It should not involve any personal comments and concerns the policies only. It should be constructive criticism.