Second chamber in foreign parliaments

Since the development of democracy, Parliament has an essential function for the relations between its State and other States. The principles of a democracy and the structure of the State are conceived as a division of power. The judicial institu tions must judge independently in the application of the law. The legislative power is elected and may legislate. The executive institutions execute the law but take also initiatives for the conduct of the affairs of the State. For this last reason the direction of foreign affairs in general belongs to the executive authority. However, by way of concluding treaties, measures could be taken and introduced in the legal systems of a State without the formal approval of the Parliament. Practically all modern constitutions provide that in the matter of diplomacy and foreign service Parliament will intervene before the coming into force of agreements that will have a legal binding character. The motivation of this relation between executive and legislative powers is to prevent the former to exercise legislative functions by taking recourse to its power to conclude treaties. This relation developed first in Great Britain, where a written constitution does not exist although there were important Acts with a constitutional character.