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A lame duck is an elected official who is no longer responsive to the electorate as a result of (a) a term limit which keeps him from running for that office again, (b) losing an election, or (c) the elimination of the officials office, but who continues to hold office until the end of the official's term. Lame duck officials are in the peculiar position of not facing the consequenses of their actions in the next election. Lame duck officials also tend to have less political power as other elected officials see less advantage in cooperating with them. On the other hand, lame duck presidents are notorious for issuing a series of executive orders or making appointments during their last days that they would not otherwise have made if it would have influenced the vote. It is sometimes used incorrectly to describe an ineffectual president or other elected leader who is due to leave office at some point fairly soon, and whose power is therefore waning.
Examples In Australia, regardless of when the election is held, the Senate sits from the 1st of July following the election to the 30th of June three years later. A Senate which is destined to lose its majority as a result of such a change is called a lame-duck Senate, and often attracts criticism if it blocks Government measures introduced in the House of Representatives. This behaviour will usually not attract the same level of criticism if the election has not significantly altered Senate composition. For example, after the 2004 Election, it became clear that the governing Liberal Party/National Party coalition would gain a majority in the Senate. In May, some months after the elections, the old Senate refused to pass new tax laws that had been passed by the House, which merely served to delay the passage of those laws until the new Senate assembled in July. Origins of the term The term originated in the 1700s regarding stockbrokers who could not meet their debts. It was transferred to politicians in the 1860s. A lame duck session is a formal meeting of old members of an organization after an election of new members, but before their new terms have started. | ||||||||
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