I would however suggest you look at a BBC Series called Yes Minister and then Yes prime Minister. In that you'll see a perfect example of who runs the system and while the Politicians make the finial decisions their options are limited by those who tell them what it is that they can and can not do. And because the Population want the Process of Government to continue even during a change of Government it's most defiantly not going to change any time soon if ever.
As for the Population being aphetic that is one thing and the system that you have there for actually voting where there are no National Standards and hours of queuing to vote is more an indictment on just how poor the system or as I should say Different Systems actually are. It's neither normal or necessary in any part of the world except the USA. The Electoral Commissions are so grossly underfunded and underresourced that it's way beyond a joke and except for developing countries doesn't happen anywhere else in the world.
As an Aside I was with some friends a couple of nights ago who are part of Doctors Without Borders and because of the US's abysmal Child Birth and Infant Mortality Statistics they are considering setting up services for those areas of Obstetrics in the USA as the Governments both State and Federal and Statutory Authorities are incapable of offering the most basic service to the citizens. They actually suggested that the Food Stamp Program needs to be radically expanded to cut back the Infant Mortality Rates as well which is something I found difficult to actually believe but unfortunately the Statistics speak for themselves.
The USA has the worst Child Birth/Infant Mortality Rates in the Developed World and over the past 20 years those Rates have got worse which is a very sad indictment on your country.
Col
