President Fujimori of Peru is an
example of what can happen
when a government has
nothing to limit its power.
There are many ways that
governments are kept in
“check” (limited) so they
won’t have too much power.
Constitution
Minority
Rights
Checks on
Government
Consent of the
Governed
Rule of
Law
Separation of
Power
A constitution is the rulebook
for a country’s government.

Here’s how a constitution limits government:
› Tells how laws are made
› Sets rules for how the government functions
› Lists the rights and responsibilities of citizens

Most countries have written constitutions
When President
Fujimori took
control of Peru’s
government,
what did he do
to Peru’s
constitution?
Constitutions limit government by:
Quick
Review!
 Telling how ________
laws are made
 Setting ________
rules for the
government
 Listing the _________
rights and the
responsibilities of citizens
_______________
Rule of law means that
nobody is above the law.

Here’s how the rule of law limits government:
› The law applies to everyone
› Even the president must follow the law
› The government can’t take illegal actions
Check this out: The rule of law is stronger in
some countries than it is in others.
Strongest (90-100%)
Strong (75-90%)
Average (50-75%)
Weak (25-50%)
Weaker (10-25%)
Weakest/None(0-10%)
2005 – Worldwide Governance Indicators
When President
Fujimori took
control of the
government, did
he follow the law?
Quick
Review!
The rule of law limits government
because:
 The law applies to ____________
everyone
 Even the ___________
President must
follow the law
 The government cannot take
illegal
actions that are _________
Separation of power divides power
among different branches of government.

Here’s how separation of power limits
government:
› No branch has all the power
› Each branch can “check” (limit) what the
other branches do
› Responsibilities are balanced among the
branches
Check this out: Lots of countries around
the world separate power into branches!
Iceland
Canada
United States
Mexico
Jamaica
Panama
France
Hungary
AND
MORE!
Greece
Japan
Indonesia
Fiji
Pakistan
Chile
Morocco
Egypt
Iran
Which branch
did President
Fujimori get rid
of when he took
control of Peru’s
government?
Quick
Review!
Separation of power limits
government because:
 No branch has all the _______
power
 Each branch can “________”
check
what the other branches do
 Responsibilities are ___________
balanced
among all the branches
Consent of the governed means that
the citizens give their permission for
the government to operate.

Here’s how consent of the governed limits
government:
› Citizens have the right to vote
› Citizens can use their vote to change how
the government is run
› By voting, citizens could even change the
constitution
Check this out: Citizens in many countries
around the world have the right to vote.
Election Posters from Around the World
When President
Fujimori took
control of the
government, did
the majority of
Peru’s citizens
support him?
Quick
Review!
Consent of the governed limits
government because:
 Citizens have the right to________
vote
 Citizens can use their vote to
change how the government
__________
is run
 By voting, citizens could even
change the ______________
Constitution
Minority rights give protection of the law to
every group of people, no matter how small.

Here’s how minority rights limit government:
› Everyone’s rights are protected
› Nobody is too unimportant to be treated
equally under the law
› Even unpopular groups must be treated fairly
When President
Fujimori took control
of the government,
was he looking out
for the rights of all
people (even
suspected
terrorists)?
Quick
Review!
Minority rights limit government
because:
 Everyone’s rights are ___________
protected
 Nobody is too _____________
unimportant to
be treated equally under the law
 Even ____________
unpopular groups must
be treated fairly
Let’s
review!
The rulebook for a
government is called…
A constitution!
Good Job!
Splitting a government
into different branches is
called…
Separation of
Power!
Keep it up!
Protecting even small or
unpopular groups of
people is called…
Minority Rights!
You’re on a roll!
A country where citizens
show their approval or
disapproval by voting has…
Consent of the
Governed!
Nice one!
A country where nobody
is above the law has …
Rule of Law!
Way to go!
Discuss It: Which limits did President Fujimori have
after he took control of the government?
Constitution
Rule of Law
Separating Power
Minority Rights
Consent of the Governed
What do you think?
Is it enough for a government
to have only one limitation
on its power?