CONFEDERAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

CONTENT

1. Meaning of Confederation
2. Main Features of Confederation
3. Resource Control in a Confederation
4. Merits and Demerits of Confederation
5. Differences between Federalism and Confederalism

Meaning of Confederation

Confederation is the form of government in which sovereign states come together as autonomous bodies to form a loose political union, in which the central government is sub-ordinate to the component governments. A government is said to be con-federal when the constitutional arrangements allocate much power to the component at the expense of the central government. It is also defined as a loose federation. Example is Senegambia which was a confederation made of sovereign Senegal and Gambia,

Main Features of Confederation

The main features of confederalism include the following:

1. The component sovereign states are more powerful than the central government.
2. It is a union of sovereign or autonomous states.
3. It has weak central government.
4. The constitution makes the component states very powerful.
5. The allegiance of the citizens is usually more to the component sovereign states than the centre.