Separation of powers is a doctrine according to which the legislative, executive, and judicial functions of a regime should be exercised by distinct departments in order to protect the individual from exposure to arbitrary power at the hands of a single authority wielding the entire power of the state. It has been described, alongside representation, as a foundational element of western constitutional thought. The doctrine is the symbiotic product of several strands of western thought as well as of the political development of western states.      Keywords:    checks and balances,  civil liberties,  constitutionalism,  mixed constitution,  rule of law