Role of British Queen in Comparision with the President
BRITISH CULTURE The Roles of Britain’s Queen in Comparison with Those of Vietnam’s President
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy (or parliamentary democracy). This means that the monarch, at the moment Queen Elizabeth II who succeeded to the throne in 1952, is the head of state. It is different from Vietnam, the government of which takes place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic, a country headed by a president. The incumbent state president of Socialist Republic of Vietnam is Nguyen Minh Triet, who was elected by the National Assembly of Vietnam in 2006. In spite of playing the roles as heads of state of two different governments, Britain’s Queen and Vietnam’s President still have some similarities beside the differences in their work. As the heads of state, Britain’s Queen and Vietnam’s President share four main similarities in ceremonial role and official roles as they represent the states, formally appoint the government, approve bills and are the commanders of the state military and heads of other offices. The most obvious similarity between the Queen’s roles and the President’s is their ceremonial function. On great occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament, the Queen is driven through the streets in a golden carriage, guarded by soldiers. She gives state banquet, usually in her home at Buckingham Palace, when foreign monarchs or heads of state visit Britain. The Queen represents Britain on visits to most parts of the world. Similarly, the President represents the socialist republic of Vietnam internally and externally. He is mainly in charge of foreign affairs, visiting other countries and greeting foreign government representatives. The second similarity between the Queen and the President’s roles is appointing a government. On the day after a general election, the Queen invites the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy (or parliamentary democracy). This means that the monarch, at the moment Queen Elizabeth II who succeeded to the throne in 1952, is the head of state. It is different from Vietnam, the government of which takes place in a framework of a single-party socialist republic, a country headed by a president. The incumbent state president of Socialist Republic of Vietnam is Nguyen Minh Triet, who was elected by the National Assembly of Vietnam in 2006. In spite of playing the roles as heads of state of two different governments, Britain’s Queen and Vietnam’s President still have some similarities beside the differences in their work. As the heads of state, Britain’s Queen and Vietnam’s President share four main similarities in ceremonial role and official roles as they represent the states, formally appoint the government, approve bills and are the commanders of the state military and heads of other offices. The most obvious similarity between the Queen’s roles and the President’s is their ceremonial function. On great occasions, such as the State Opening of Parliament, the Queen is driven through the streets in a golden carriage, guarded by soldiers. She gives state banquet, usually in her home at Buckingham Palace, when foreign monarchs or heads of state visit Britain. The Queen represents Britain on visits to most parts of the world. Similarly, the President represents the socialist republic of Vietnam internally and externally. He is mainly in charge of foreign affairs, visiting other countries and greeting foreign government representatives. The second similarity between the Queen and the President’s roles is appointing a government. On the day after a general election, the Queen invites the leader of the party that won the most seats in the House of