Freedom from Appointments
A legislative body which is entirely elected has a greater degree of independence than bodies in which members are appointed by other branches. Freedom from executive appointments therefore represents a high degree of power in a legislature. Some constitutions allow the executive to appoint members to legislative chambers that are largely ceremonial. However, these appointments do not indicate a decrease in the autonomy of the legislature if the members do not have legislative power. Likewise, the appointment of nonvoting members of legislature does not serve indicate a decrease in legislative power. Instead, this section focuses only on appointments made to legislative chambers that exercise legislative powers and are mainly representative bodies elected by the people.