Dissolution of parliament

Thedissolutionof alegislative assembly(orparliament) is the simultaneous termination of service of all of its members, in anticipation that a successive legislative assembly will reconvene later with possibly different members. In ademocracy,the new assembly is chosen by ageneral election.Dissolution is distinct on the one hand from abolition of the assembly, and on the other hand from itsadjournmentorprorogation,or the ending of alegislative session,any of which begins a period of inactivity after which it is anticipated that the same members will reassemble. For example, the "second session of the fifth parliament" could be followed by the "third session of the fifth parliament" after a prorogation, but would be followed by the "first session of the sixth parliament" after a dissolution.

In most Continental European countries, dissolution does not have immediate effect – that is, a dissolution merely triggers an election, but the old assembly itself continues its existing term and its members remain in office until the new assembly convenes for the first time. In those systems, ordinarily scheduled elections are held before the assembly reaches the end of a fixed or maximum term, and do not require a dissolution.

In mostWestminster systems,however, a dissolution legally ends the existence of the assembly, resulting in a temporary power vacuum, which may be filled in special circumstances byrecallingthe old assembly if need be.Because of this peculiarity, Westminster systems also have automatically-triggered dissolutions when the assembly reaches the end of a fixed or maximum term, since the act of dissolution itself is synonymous with the end of the assembly's term, and elections cannot be held in anticipation of a dissolution.

Early dissolutions may be possible inparliamentaryandsemi-presidential systems,to resolve conflicts between theexecutiveand the legislature; either a "snap election"called by an executive seeking to increase its legislative support, or an election triggered by parliament withholdingconfidence and supplyfrom the government. Somepresidentialsystems also allow early dissolutions, usually by the legislature voting to dissolve itself (as inCyprus), but sometimes by executive action in moreauthoritarianpresidential systems.

In abicamerallegislature, dissolution may apply jointly or separately to thelower houseandupper house,or may apply only to the lower house, with the upper house never fully dissolved. In a bicameralWestminster system,the expression "dissolution of parliament" typically refers to the dissolution of the lower house, just as "member of parliament"means member of the lower house.

Australia

TheHouse of Representatives,but not theSenate,can be dissolved at any time by thegovernor-generalon the advice of theprime minister.The term of the House expires three years after its first meeting if not dissolved earlier. The governor-general can dissolve the Senate only by also dissolving the House of Representatives (adouble dissolution) and only in limited circumstances spelled out in theConstitution.

There is aconventionthat the Governor-General only orders a dissolution on the advice of the prime minister. This convention was demonstrated in thedismissalof prime ministerGough Whitlamby Governor GeneralSir John Kerrin 1975. Kerr claimed that dissolving the House of Representatives was his duty and "the only democratic and constitutional solution" to the political deadlock over supply.Whitlam refused to advise Kerr to call an election, and Kerr replaced him with a caretaker prime minister,Malcolm Fraser.Fraser promptly advised a double dissolution, and Sir John acted in accordance with that advice.

Parliament of Victoria

Unlike the Commonwealth Parliament, thepremierandgovernor of Victoriahave very little discretion in dissolving theParliament of Victoria.Both theLegislative Assemblyand theLegislative Councilare dissolved automatically twenty-five days before the last Saturday in November every four years. However, the governor can dissolve the Legislative Assembly if a motion of no confidence in the premier and the other ministers of state is passed and no motion of confidence is passed within the next week. Finally, the premier can advise the governor to dissolve both houses in the case of a deadlocked bill.

Belgium

InBelgium,dissolution occurs either by royal order or by law upon aDeclaration of Revision of the Constitution(Art. 195 Const.). Since the First World War, elections have always been called with either of these actions, except for1929.A third scenario, dissolution by law due to a vacantthrone,has never occurred.

Dissolution by law dissolves both theChamber of Representativesand theSenate.A royal order originally could dissolve the Chamber, the Senate, or both. However, the last dissolution of one chamber only happened in1884;both chambers were always dissolved together since then. With the 1993constitutional reforms,only the Chamber could be dissolved, with the Senate being automatically dissolved as well. Since 2014constitutional reforms,only the Chamber can be dissolved, as the Senate is no longer directly elected.

After dissolution, elections must be held within 40 days, and the new chambers must convene within three months (within two months from 1831 to 2014).

Parliaments of theregions and communitiescannot be dissolved; they have fixed five-year terms.

Brazil

Under the currentconstitution,there is no formal way to dissolve theFederal Senateor theChamber of Deputies(Houses of theNational Congress).

Imperial Era

See also:Empire of Brazil

In May 1823, eight months after Independence, the first brazilian legislative experience began, with the installation of theGeneral, Constituent and Legislative Assembly,with the task of drafting the country's first Constitution. Six months later, in confrontation with the Deputies,EmperorDom Pedrodissolved the assembly, ordered the arrest and exile of some deputies and created aCouncil of Stateto draft theConstitution,which he signed in 1824.

This was the first of the eighteen times that the legislature was dissolved, the Imperial Constitution and its quasi-parliamentary model formalized the Emperor's power to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies (the Senate was not elected). During theRegencyand reign ofDom Pedro II,the Chamber of Deputies was dissolved on several occasions, almost always when the clash between conservatives and liberals or between legislators and theCouncil of Ministersreached a degree considered too high by the Emperor.

First Republic

See also:First Brazilian Republic

After the Proclamation of the Republic, in 1889, a Constituent Congress was convened to prepare the first republican charter, which came into force in 1891. However, on 3 November of that year, the National Congress would be closed byPresidentDeodoro da Fonseca,with the legislature reinstated after the attempt was deemed a coup and he resigned.

Vargas Era

See also:Vargas Era

The legislature was closed twice byGetúlio Vargas.After theRevolution of 1930,as Head of the Provisional Government, Vargas dissolved the National Congress, the state legislative assemblies and the municipal chambers. Pressured by the failedConstitutionalist Revolution,Vargas was forced to call elections for a National Constituent Assembly.

On 10 November 1937, now President of the Republic elected by the same National Congress, Vargas staged a coup d'état, establishing theEstado Novo.He closed the legislature and instituted a new, authoritarianConstitution.Despite the new charter determining the convening of a "National Parliament"with a appointed Federal Council and a Chamber of Deputies that could be dissolved, elections were never held.

Republican Parliamentarism

See also:Fourth Brazilian Republic

During the brief parliamentary experience from 1961 to 1963 as a way to allow the inauguration of PresidentJoão Goulartunder strong political and military opposition, theAdditional Act to the Constitutiondetermined that "[v]erified the impossibility of maintaining the Council of Ministers for lack of parliamentary support, proven in motions of no confidence, consecutively opposed to three Councils, the President of the Republic may dissolve the Chamber of Deputies[...]".

The then President of the Republic never exercised this attribution and the return to the presidential system stripped him of any competence to dissolve the Chamber of Deputies.

Military dictatorship

See also:Military dictatorship in Brazil

During the twenty-one years of the military dictatorship (1964–1985), the National Congress was "suspended" three times.Institutional Act No. 2(AI-2) gave the President of the Republic the power to decree the recess of the two Houses of the National Congress, and during this period he had the prerogative to legislate.

On 20 October 1966, PresidentCastelo Brancodecreed recess for a month, to contain a "grouping of counter-revolutionary elements"(the1964 Coup d'Etatwas considered a revolution by the military) that had formed in the legislature "with the aim of disrupting public peace".On 13 December 1968, PresidentCosta e Silvaissued AI-5, an institutional act that began the most repressive and violent period of the dictatorship, closing the National Congress to combat subversion and "ideologies contrary to the traditions of our people".

The last person to decree the closure of the legislature was PresidentErnesto Geisel,in 1977, through the "April package", after the National Congress rejected a constitutional amendment. Geisel alleged that theMDB(then the opposition party on a unequal bipartisanship controlled by the military) had established a "minority dictatorship".

Canada

TheHouse of Commons,but not theSenate,can be dissolved at any time by theKing of Canadaor byGovernor Generalon theadviceof theprime minister.If the government is refusedconfidenceorsupply,the prime minister must either resign and permit another member of the House of Commons to form a government, or else advise thegovernor generalto dissolve Parliament. Also, the House of Commons automatically dissolves after five years, although, as of 2024,no House of Commons has yet survived that long.

Theprovinciallegislaturesmay also be dissolved at any time for the same reasons, by theLieutenant Governoron the advice of the provincialpremier.All provinces and territories have establishedfixed election dates.

Czech Republic

TheChamber of Deputies of the Czech Republicmay be dissolved by the president when at least one condition specified by the constitution is fulfilled. The Senate can never be dissolved. After the dissolution, snap elections are to be held no later than after 60 days.

The chamber can be dissolved if

• The chamber does not pass a motion of confidence to the government formed by the prime minister who was recommended by the speaker of the chamber (Who can do so after 2 failed government with a prime minister appointed solely by the president).
• The chamber fails to pass the government proposed law linked to the motion of confidence in 3 months.
• The chamber adjourns its meeting for a time longer than 120 days.
• The chamber is not quorate for a time longer than 3 months.
• The chamber passes a motion of dissolution by a constitutional majority (120 out of 200 deputies must support it). President is obliged to dissolve the chamber if such motion passes.

Since the formation of the Czech Republic, the Chamber of Deputies was only dissolved once. In 2013, by passing a motion of dissolution after a lengthy crisis following the fall ofPetr Nečas' government,

Before such practice was made possible by amending the Constitution in 2009, Chamber of Deputies was once dissolved in 1998 by passing a special constitutional act, which shortened its term, but such practice was blocked by theConstitutional Court,when it was tried again in 2009

Denmark

The government can call an election to theFolketingat any time, and is obliged to call one before the incumbent membership's four-year terms expire. However, the Folketing is never formallydissolved,and it retains its legislative power until new members have been elected. In practice the Folketing will cancel all its ongoing business when an election is called, to give the members time to campaign, but it can reconvene in case a national emergency requires urgent legislation before the election takes place.

Estonia

Per Section 60 of theConstitution of Estonia,regular elections to theRiigikogu,Estonia's unicameral parliament, are held on the first Sunday of March in the fourth year following the preceding parliamentary election. However, the Riigikogu can be dissolved by thePresident of Estoniaand fresh elections called prior to the expiration of its four-year term if one of the following four circumstances should occur:

1. Following the resignation of the outgoing Government, a new Government is unable to be formed according to the procedure established by Section 89 of the Constitution.
2. The Riigikogu passes a motion of no confidence in the Government or theprime minister,and the Government proposes (within three days of the no-confidence motion) that the President call an early election.
3. The Riigikogu submits a proposed law to a referendum, and that proposed law fails to receive a majority of the votes cast in the referendum, per Section 105 of the Constitution.
4. The Riigikogu fails to approve a national budget within two months of the beginning of the financial year, per Section 119 of the Constitution.

In the first, third, and fourth cases above, the President must call an early election. In the second case, however, a Government that has lost the confidence of the Riigikogu is not obliged to request an early election. This occurred in 2016, when Prime MinisterTaavi Rõivaslost a no confidence motion. His government resigned, andPresidentKersti KaljulaidnominatedJüri Ratasto form the next government without an election taking place.

Likewise, if a Government loses a no confidence vote and requests an early election, the President can refuse the Government's request if it appears a successor government could command the support of the Riigikogu.

As of 2018, every convocation of the Riigikogu has run its full term.

Finland

ThePresident of Finlandcan dissolve the parliament and call for an early election. As per the version ofthe 2000 constitutioncurrently in use, the president can do this only upon proposal by theprime ministerand after consultations with the parliamentary groups while the Parliament is in session. In prior versions of the constitution, the President had the power to do this unilaterally.

France

Under theFrench Fourth Republicformed afterWorld War II,there was originally a weak role for thepresident of France.However, whenCharles de Gaulle,who favored apresidential governmentwith a strongexecutive,was invited to form a new government and constitution during theMay 1958 crisishe directed the constitutional committee chaired byMichel Debréto increase the authority of the presidency, including providing the ability to dissolve the National Assembly.

Under Article 12 of the1958 French Constitution,theNational Assemblycan be dissolved by thePresidentat any time after consultation with theprime ministerand the presidents of the two chambers ofParliament.After the declaration, newelectionsmust be held within twenty to forty days. The National Assembly elected following such a dissolution cannot be dissolved within the first year of its term.

A dissolution of the National Assembly most recently occurred when in June 2024, when President Emmanuel Macron dissolved the National Assembly to prompt the2024 French legislative election.PresidentJacques Chiracpreviously dissolved the National Assembly before the1997 French legislative electionin order to secure a new parliament more sympathetic to his policies, which ultimately failed when the oppositionSocialist Partywon the election against Chirac's party theRally for the Republic.

Germany

According to theBasic Law,theBundestagcan be dissolved by thefederal presidentif thechancellorloses avote of confidence,or if a newly elected Bundestag proves unable to elect a chancellor with absolute majority. The second possibility has never occurred, but the Bundestag was dissolved in 1972, 1982, and 2005 when the then-ruling chancellorsWilly Brandt,Helmut Kohl,andGerhard Schröderdeliberately lost votes of confidence in order that there could be freshelections.On the last two occasions, the decree of dissolution was challenged without success before theConstitutional Court.No president has yet refused a dissolution of the Bundestag when the choice came to him.

The Bundestag is automatically dissolved four years after the last general election, and most Bundestags have lasted the full term.

The second federal legislative body, theBundesrat,cannot be dissolved, as its members are thefederal states' governments as such rather than specific individuals.

Hong Kong

Main article:Hong Kong Basic Law Article 46

Thechief executive,who is the head of the territory and head of government, has the power to dissolve theLegislative Councilunder Article 51 of theHong Kong Basic Law:

• if the Legislative Council fails to pass the appropriation bill or any other important bill; or
• if Legislative Council passes a bill but the chief executive refuses to give assent and returns the bill, after which the Council passes the bill again with a two-thirds majority and the Chief Executive again refuses to give assent.

Before thehandover of Hong Kongin 1997, the Legislative Council could be dissolved any time at thegovernor's pleasure.

India

See also:Lawmaking procedure in India

Legislative power is constitutionally vested in theParliament of India,of which thePresidentis the head, to facilitate the law-making process as per theConstitution.The President summons both the Houses (theLok Sabhaand theRajya Sabha) of the parliament and prorogues them. They also have the power to dissolve the Lok Sabha pursuant to Article 75(2)(b). When Parliament is dissolved, all bills pending within the Lok Sabha lapse.However, bills in the Rajya Sabha never lapse, and can remain pending for decades.

Indonesia

Since the third amendment of theConstitution of Indonesiaenacted on 18 August 2001 by theMPR,thePresidentcan not dissolve or freeze theDPR.Written in the article 7C, this was done after PresidentAbdurrahman Wahidattempted to prorogue the DPR on 23 July 2001 through apresidential decree,prompting his impeachment to be rapidly finalized that night.

Republic of Ireland

Dáil Éireann(the lower house of theOireachtas) can be dissolved by thePresident,on the advice of thetaoiseach(prime minister). The president may only deny such a dissolution if the taoiseach has lost the confidence of the Dáil, through avote of no confidence(or, it could be argued after a Budget or other important bill has failed to pass). This has never happened, and, in the past, taoisigh have requested dissolutions before votes of no confidence have taken place, so as to force a general election rather than a handover of Government. A Dáil must be dissolved, and then a general election held, within five years of its first meeting.

There are two notable instances when the President did not dissolve Dáil Éireann: 1989 and 1994. In the first instance, the newly elected Dáil failed to elect a Taoiseach when it first met (and at a number of meetings afterward). The incumbent taoiseachCharles Haugheywas obliged constitutionally to resign, however, he initially refused to. He eventually tendered his resignation to PresidentPatrick Hilleryand remained as taoiseach in an acting capacity. At the fourth attempt, the Dáil eventually re-elected Haughey as taoiseach. Had he requested a dissolution, it would probably have been accepted by the President on the grounds that the Dáil could not form a Government, but the President would have also been within his rights to refuse it. It is thought that Haughey chose not to do so but instead to go into a historic coalition because of poor opinion polls showing hisFianna Fáilparty would lose seats in a second General Election.

In 1994,Albert Reynoldsresigned as taoiseach when theLabour Partyleft a coalition with Fianna Fáil, but did not request a dissolution, in order that his successor in Fianna Fáil might forge a new coalition with Labour. Labour, however, went into Government with the main opposition party,Fine Gael.It has been speculated that the president at the time,Mary Robinson,would not have allowed a dissolution had Reynolds requested one. To date, no president has ever refused a dissolution.

One feature of the Irish system is that although the Dáil is dissolved, theSeanad Éireann(the Senate) is not, and may continue to meet during an election campaign for the Dáil. However, as many members of the Seanad are typically involved in election campaigns for the Dáil, the Seanad does not typically meet often, if at all, once the Dáil is dissolved. A general election for the Seanad must take place within 90 days of the election of the new Dáil.

Italy

Thepresident of Italyhas the authority to dissolveparliament,and consequently call for newelections,until which the powers of the old parliamentare extended;however, the President loses this authority during the so-calledsemestre bianco,the last six months of his seven-year term, unless that period coincides at least in part with the final six months of the Parliament's five-year term, as stated in Article 88 of theConstitution of Italy:"In consultation with the presiding officers of Parliament, the President may dissolve one or both Houses of Parliament. The President of the Republic may not exercise such right during the final six months of the presidential term unless said period coincides in full or in part with the final six months of Parliament."

After the resignation of theCabinet of Italy,which can be freely decided by theprime minister,or caused by avote of no confidenceby the Parliament, or after general elections, the President has to consult the speakers of the two houses of Parliament, the delegations of theparliamentary groups,andsenators for lifeto find someone who might be appointed prime minister and lead a new government with the confidence of both Houses. The President dissolves Parliament only if the groups fail to find an agreement to form a majority coalition; the actual power of dissolution is in practice also shared by the Parliament, political parties, and by the outgoing prime minister. Since the Constitution of Italy came into force in 1948, the Italian Parliament has been dissolved nine times before the end of its five-year term, in 1972, 1976, 1979, 1983, 1987, 1994, 1996, 2008 and 2022.

Israel

InIsrael,early elections to theKnessetcan be called before the scheduled date of the third Tuesday in the Jewish month ofCheshvan(late September through early November) four years after the previous elections if theprime ministercalls early elections with Presidential approval due to gridlock, if no government is formed after 42 days of consultation with parties' floor leaders in the Knesset, if the budget is not approved by the Knesset by 31 March (3 months after the start of the fiscal year), or if half of the Knesset members vote in favor of early elections. This call for early elections is legally called the "Dissolution of the Knesset".

However, strictly speaking, the Knesset is only truly dissolved – in the sense of being unconstituted and all MKs losing their seats – automatically 14 days after elections, simultaneously with the start of the newly elected Knesset's term.

Japan

InJapan,theHouse of Representativesof theNational Diet(parliament) can be dissolved at any time by theemperor,on the advice of theCabinet,headed by theprime minister.TheConstitution of Japanspecifies that all members of the House can serve up to a four-year term. So far, however, parliaments have been dissolved prematurely with the exception of 9 December 1976and 31 October 2021dissolution.

TheHouse of Councillors,however, cannot be dissolved but only closed, and may, in times of national emergency, be convoked for an emergency session. Its members serve a fixed six-year term, with half of the seats, and theSpeaker of the Councillors,up for re-election every three years.

The emperor both convokes the Diet and dissolves the House of Representatives, but only does so on the advice of the Cabinet.

New Zealand

TheParliamentcan be dissolved or prorogued at any time during its three-year term by thegovernor-general,usually on the advice of theprime minister.

Norway

According to theConstitution of Norway,theStorting(parliament) cannot be dissolved before serving its full four-year term.

Pakistan

TheNational Assembly of Pakistan,the country's lower house, dissolves automatically at the end of its five-year term, after which general elections must be held within 60 days. The upper house, called theSenate,cannot be dissolved.

Theprime ministercan also advise thepresidentto dissolve the National Assembly. The president is bound to do so within 48 hours after receiving the prime minister's summary, after which time the National Assembly is automatically dissolved. Before theEighteenth Amendmentto theConstitution of Pakistancame into effect, the president could dissolve the National Assembly without the prime minister's advice by using Article 58-2(B) of the Constitution.

Peru

Under thePeruvian Constitution of 1993,thepresident of Peruhas the authority to dissolve theCongress of Peruif a vote of no confidence is passed three times by the legislative body, and has four months to call for new parliamentary elections or faces impeachment.

The Congress of Peru has been dissolved twice; once in 1992 by PresidentAlberto Fujimoriwho performed anauto-coupin April 1992 by dismantling both the legislative and judicial branches of government, and once by incumbent PresidentMartín Vizcarra,whodissolved the Congressin October 2019 in an effort to end the2017–2021 Peruvian political crisis.

Both of the presidents were immediately impeached and removed from office by the dissolved Congress, thus being illegitimate.

On 7 December 2022 the President of Peruattempted to dissolve Congressbut was impeached.

Romania

According to theRomanian Constitution,voted in 1991 and revised in 2003, thePresidentmay dissolve theParliamentonly if the Parliament rejects two consecutiveprime ministercandidates proposed by the President. Both houses can be dissolved. No dissolution of the Parliament has taken place in Romania since 1991.

Russia

Under Articles 111 and 117 of theRussian Constitution,thepresidentmay dissolve theState Duma,the lower house of theFederal Assembly,if it either expressesno confidencein theGovernment of Russiatwice in two months or rejects his proposed candidate for theprime ministerthree times in a row. At the same time, the president cannot dissolve theFederation Council,the upper house of the Federal Parliament. The power to dissolve theState Dumahas not been exercised under the current constitution of 1993. Before the new constitution was enacted, PresidentBoris Yeltsinhad dissolved theCongress of People's DeputiesandSupreme Soviet of Russiaduring theRussian constitutional crisisof 1993,although he did not have the formal constitutional powers to do so.

Spain

InSpain,legislatures last four years, after which theking of Spaindissolves theCortes Generales. However, theprime minister,with previous deliberation on the Cabinet, can also dissolve the Cortes. As an exception, if after two months of an unsuccessful president-investment, there is no president, the king dissolves the Cortes.

Sri Lanka

According to theConstitution,the maximumlegislative termof theParliament of Sri Lankais 5 years from the first meeting. ThePresident of Sri Lankamay dissolve the Parliament. President shall not dissolve Parliament until the expiration of a period of not less than 2 years and 6 months from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless Parliament by resolution requests the President to dissolve Parliament.

United Kingdom

Parliament of the United Kingdom

Main article:Dissolution of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

Under theDissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022,the Crownmay, at any time, dissolve Parliament. This is usually done "on request" of the prime minister. The Dissolution and Calling of Parliament Act 2022 repealed theFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011,and returned theroyal prerogativeto dissolve Parliament back to The Crown. Without early dissolution by the monarch, each Parliament consists of five years, and is then otherwise automatically dissolved.

Northern Ireland Assembly

See also:Northern Ireland Assembly § Composition

The Assembly can vote to dissolve itself early by atwo-thirds majorityof the total number of its members. It is also automatically dissolved if it is unable to elect afirst minister and deputy first minister(effectively joint first ministers, the only distinction being in the titles) within six weeks of its first meeting or of those positions becoming vacant.

Scottish Parliament

Under section 2 of theScotland Act 1998,as originally passed, ordinary general elections for theScottish Parliamentare held on the first Thursday in May every four years (1999,2003,2007etc.) The date of the poll may be varied by up to one month either way by the monarch on the proposal of thepresiding officer.However, section 4 of theFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011postponed the general election that would have been held on 7 May 2015 to 5 May 2016 to avoid it coinciding with the UK general election fixed under that act.By theScottish Elections (Dates) Act 2016,the following general election, scheduled for 7 May 2020, was postponed to 6 May 2021 for the same reason,although this became a moot point when a snap UK general election was held inJune 2017(a further UK general election was held inDecember 2019). Eventually, under theScottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020,the "normal" term was extended to five years, which wasde factoalready the practice (2011,2016,2021etc.).

Under section 3 of the Scotland Act 1998, if the parliament itself resolves that it should be dissolved (with at least two-thirds of the members voting in favour), or if the parliament fails to nominate one of its members to befirst ministerwithin certain time limits, the presiding officer proposes a date for an extraordinary general election and the parliament is dissolved by the monarch byroyal proclamation.

National Assembly for Wales

Under theWales Act 2014,ordinary general elections to theSenedd(Welsh Parliament) are held the first Thursday in May every five years. This extension from a four- to five-year term was designed to prevent Senedd elections clashing with general elections to the Westminster Parliament subsequent to theFixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

United States

See also:Article II, Section 3, Clause 3 of the U.S. ConstitutionandProrogation of Congress in the United States

In 1774 after theBoston Tea Party,theMassachusetts Bay Province's legislature was dismissed under theMassachusetts Government Actand the colony was placed undermartial lawunder the command of GeneralThomas Gage.In practice, the majority of the colony came under thede factocontrol of the unrecognizedMassachusetts Provincial Congress,and General Gage's attempts to suppress widespread dissent along the colonists directly lead to theBattles of Lexington and Concordand the beginning of theRevolutionary War.

TheUnited States Constitutiondoes not allow for the dissolution ofCongress,instead allowing for prorogation by thePresident of the United Stateswhen Congress is unable to agree on a time of adjournment. The delegates to theConstitutional Conventionof 1787 agreed on the need to limit presidential authority to prevent a return toautocracy.InFederalist No. 69,Alexander Hamiltonstressed that unlike theKing of Great Britain,the President does not have the authority to dismiss Congress at his preference.To date, the presidential authority to prorogue Congress has never been used, although in 2020 PresidentDonald Trumpthreatened to use it in order to makerecess appointments.

Venezuela

TheBolivarian Constitution of Venezuelaauthorizes, through various articles, thepresidentto dissolve theNational Assembly.

Article 236 of the Constitution establishes which are the functions to be performed by the first national president; Paragraph 23 of this section states that one of the powers of the president is: "Dissolve the National Assembly in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution."

In statement 240 explains that will dissolve the Parliament when in a same constitutional period the Assembly approve the removal of the vice president of the country by means ofcensure,three times.

It is also clarified that the decree of dissolution of the Venezuelan congress entails the call for elections for a new legislature, which must be held in the next 60 days. In addition, this section indicates that the Parliament can not be dissolved during the last year of its constitutional period.

In the2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis,theSupreme Tribunal of Justicedissolved the National Assembly and assumed its legislative powers. The decision was viewed by theVenezuelan oppositionand many members of the international community, including the United States,Mercosur,and theOrganization of American States,as aself-coupby PresidentNicolás Maduro.After several days, the decision was reversed on the advice of President Maduro.

In fiction

• In the 1977 science fiction filmStar WarstheEmperordissolves the Senate of theGalactic Empire,itself rendered arubber stampafter his seizure of power in the formerGalactic Republic,after the beginning of theGalactic Civil Warand growing sympathy for theRebel Alliancein the Senate. Each of the planets in the Empire are left under the control of regional governors, with fear of the newly createdDeath Starto prevent dissent and ensure the planets' continued allegiance to the Empire.
• The 2014 playKing Charles IIIand the2017 television adaptation of the same namecenter aroundPrince Charleswithholdingroyal assentto a parliamentary bill restrictingfreedom of the pressafter becomingKingand then dissolving the British Parliament after it attempts to abolish the royal assent, leading to aconstitutional crisiswhich forces Charles to abdicate in favor of his sonPrince William.

See also

• Snap election