Divided government is the term used in the USA to refer to the situation in which one party controls the presidency while the other party controls Congress. In other words, one party controls the executive while the other party controls the legislature. Of course, this could not occur in the UK as the executive is always controlled by the party which controls the House of Commons.
Divided government can occur in the USA because the executive and the legislature are elected separately. It may even occur when the elections are held on the same day. On 5 November 1996, for example, voters re-elected Democrat Bill Clinton to the presidency but elected Republican majorities in both the House and the Senate. It can also occur as a result of the mid-term elections, held 2 years into the presidential 4-year term. In November 1992, Americans elected Democrat Bill Clinton to the presidency as well as Democrat majorities in both houses of Congress. But 2 years later, in the 1994 mid-term elections, party control of both houses switched to the Republicans.
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