Rubber stamp (politics)
Template:Short description Template:Redirect Template:Multiple issues A rubber stamp is a political metaphor, referring to a person or institution with considerable de jure power but little de facto power — one that rarely or never disagrees with more powerful organizations.<ref>Webster's New World Dictionary, Second College Edition, Template:ISBN - page 1242 - "*rubber-stamp 2. [Colloq.] to approve or endorse in a routine manner, without thought - *rubber stamp - 2. [Colloq.] a) a person, bureau, legislature, etc., that approves or endorses something in a routine manner, without thought, b) any routine approval"</ref>
FunctionEdit
In situations where this superior official's signature may frequently be required for routine paperwork, a literal rubber stamp is used, with a likeness of their hand-written signature. In essence, the term is meant to convey an endorsement without careful thought or personal investment in the outcome, especially since it is usually expected as the stamper's duty to do so. In the situation where a dictator's legislature is a "rubber stamp", the orders they are meant to endorse are formalities they are expected to legitimize, and are usually done to create the superficial appearance of legislative and dictatorial harmony rather than because they have actual power.
In a constitutional monarchy or parliamentary republic, heads of state are typically "rubber stamps" (or figureheads) to an elected parliament, even if they legally possess considerable reserve powers or disagree with the parliament's decisions.
Rubber-stamp legislatures may occur even in democratic countries if the institutional arrangement allows for it.
ExamplesEdit
In many instances, the refusal of a constitutional monarch to rubber stamp laws passed by parliament can set off a constitutional crisis. For example, when then-king Baudouin of Belgium, because of his religious objections, refused to sign a bill legalizing abortions in April 1990, the Belgian Federal Parliament declared him temporarily unable to reign. That effectively transferred his powers to the Cabinet for a single day, consequentially overriding his veto.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
LegislaturesEdit
One of the most famous examples of a rubber stamp institution is the Reichstag of Nazi Germany, which unanimously confirmed all decisions already made by Adolf Hitler and the highest-ranking members of the Nazi Party.Template:Citation needed Many legislatures of authoritarian and totalitarian countries are consideredTemplate:By whom as rubber stamps, such as communist parliaments like the Chinese National People's Congress,<ref name=":4">Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="NYT Billionaires">Template:Cite news</ref> or the Italian Chamber of Fasces and Corporations during the Fascist regime.Template:Citation needed
Since the 2003 elections, Russia's Federal Assembly has been similarly referred to as a rubber stamp institution.<ref name="auto1">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="auto3">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="auto">Template:Cite journal</ref> Russia's State Duma (the lower house of the Federal Assembly) quickly adopted a number of laws proposed by the government without delay.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The annexation of Crimea was quickly approved in 2014 with only one deputy, Ilya Ponomarev, voting against.<ref name="Reuters032514">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the legislative approvals of the annexation of occupied territories in late 2022 did not meet any resistance, giving the government full control.<ref name="auto2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Other suggested examples of rubber stamp legislatures include:
- Historic legislatures
- Template:Flagdeco Reichstag – Nazi Germany
- Template:Flagdeco Chamber of Deputies, Chamber of Fasces and Corporations – Fascist Italy (1925 – 1943)
- Template:Flagdeco General Assembly – Ottoman Empire
- Template:Flagdeco Congress of Soviets, Supreme Soviet – Soviet Union
- Template:Flagdeco Volkskammer – German Democratic Republic<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Flagdeco National Consultative Assembly – Imperial State of Iran<ref>Template:Cite book Retrieved 7 August 2022.</ref>Template:Better source needed
- Template:Flagdeco Federal Senate – Brazil under military dictatorship between 1977 and 1985<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Flagdeco People's Assembly – Syrian Arab Republic<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Current legislatures
- Template:Flagdeco Federal Assembly – Russia<ref name="auto1"/><ref name="auto3"/><ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto2"/>
- Template:Flagdeco Parliament – Egypt<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
- Template:Flagdeco Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts (not a parliamentary chamber but a deliberative body) – Iran<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Unreliable source?<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Additional citation needed
- Template:Flagdeco Supreme People's Assembly – North Korea<ref>"N Korea holds parliamentary poll" Template:Webarchive. BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2009.</ref>
- Template:Flagdeco National People's Congress – ChinaTemplate:Efn