United States political structure

United States - Federal Republic. The highest authority in the country belongs to the president. The highest legislative body is the United States Congress which consists of two sub sections known as the House of Representatives and the Senate. Individual states are formally regarded as independent states. They have their own laws and authorities that are independent of the federal government. The head of an individual state is the governor, elected every four years. In addition, each state has its own legislative and judicial branches. 

Chief Executive and the Government - the President of the United States. The President and Vice President are elected every four years. 

The functions of the legislative power in the United States Congress are bicameral, consisting of the House of Representatives (Congress) and the Senate. The Senate has 100 senators and the House of Representatives has 435 congressmen. The leaders of the House of Representatives and the Senate are appointed representatives of the party that has absolute majority. In the United States there are two major political parties, which are major players in the political arena. They are the Republican and Democratic parties.

In the country's political life, anyone can run for office but it has been representatives of the major parties that have traditionally controlled the Congress and Senate, as well as supply the country's presidential candidates. In America, they say that if you are young and not a democrat, you have no heart, but if you're old and not Republican, you have no brain. It is obvious that the two parties are a dichotomy of one another and are necessary to keep things moving forward.  

Each party has its own «Support Group». The Democrats have traditionally been supported by intellectuals, national, racial and sexual minorities, as well as the inhabitants of mega cities. Traditionally, farmers are the backbone of the Republicans, as well as big businesses and Protestants. In politics, both parties have certain regularities. Republicans favored the right of Americans to own firearms. The Democrats, by contrast, are trying to restrict this right. It can be seen with this example that the process known as checks and balances where each party and part of the government keeps the others “in check” and ensures things stay balanced. 

The current U.S. President is Barack Obama (42nd U.S. President) 

The highest judicial authority in the country is the Supreme Court. The nine judges that sit on the court are appointed for life by the President. When the President has chosen a nominee for the court, it is sent to the Senate for approval.