parliament

thumb|upright=1.1|The facing benches of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom are said to contribute to an adversarial style of debate. thumb|upright=1.1|The hemicycle of the House of Representatives of [[Japan]] thumb|upright=1.1|The National Council (Switzerland)|National Council of [[Switzerland]]

A parliament is a type of legislature, or law-making body, of a state. Generally, a parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the executive government via hearings and inquiries. Its role is similar to that of a senate, synod or congress; a parliament is the institutional form of parliamentary systems based on the fusion of powers. The term parliament is commonly used in countries that are current or former monarchies. Some contexts restrict the use of the word to parliamentary systems, although it is also used to describe the legislature in some presidential systems (e.g., the Parliament of Ghana), even where it is not in the official name. A parliament is typically made up of elected members, who are legislators.