noun
divided legislature; split parliament
Refers to a situation where different parties control the upper and lower houses, leading to political gridlock. Often used in Japanese political contexts. Compare with ねじれ国会, which specifically refers to the national Diet.
See also: ねじれ国会
ねじれ議会のため、予算案の成立が難航している。
Because of the divided legislature, passing the budget bill is facing difficulties.
知事はねじれ議会との調整に苦慮している。
The governor is struggling to coordinate with the split parliament.
ねじれ国会 specifically refers to a divided national Diet (Japan's bicameral parliament), while ねじれ議会 can refer to any legislative body, including local assemblies.
Compound of ねじれ (twisted, from the verb ねじれる) and 議会 (legislature, assembly). The term metaphorically describes a legislature where the two houses are controlled by opposing parties, creating a 'twisted' or deadlocked situation.