Show
World leaders can go by many titles: premier, chancellor, dear respected comrade. But two of the most common are president and prime minister. What differentiates them other than the latter’s hint of continental flavor? A prime minister, by definition, must be able to command a legislative majority. In a parliamentary system, the prime minister sets the national agenda, appoints cabinet officials, and governs at the behest of a party or a coalition of parties. In parliamentary systems, presidents—if they exist—serve as largely ceremonial heads of state. In constitutional monarchies, such roles are filled by the king or queen. If a prime minister loses the legislative mandate, opposition parties may call for a vote of confidence in an effort to topple the sitting government. In this event, the president may be called upon to formally dismiss the legislature and schedule fresh elections. The concept of a president as a dual head of state and head of government had its origin with British colonial administrative structures in North America. Leaders of colonial councils were called presidents, as were the heads of some state governments. The presiding representative at the Continental Congress retained the title, and when the U.S. Constitution created the presidency of the United States, the role carried greatly expanded executive powers. Those powers would increase dramatically over time—particularly in periods of national crisis—which led historian Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., to describe the modern office as the “imperial presidency.” Still, there remains some separation of powers: the U.S. president cannot directly introduce legislation, and Congress retains the power of the purse. In a worst-case scenario, the legislature and the chief executive could deadlock, creating a situation in which the respective officeholders are essentially serving without governing. Perhaps the two most-obvious examples of each office are the U.S. president and the prime minister of the United Kingdom. The French presidency under the Fifth Republic wields considerably more executive power than its American counterpart, although it can still be partially checked by opposition parties in the National Assembly (lower legislative house). Since the appointment of Vladimir Putin as prime minister of Russia in 1999 and his election as president later that year, the balance of executive power in that country has resided in whichever of the two roles he is filling at the time. This article is written by Srishti Kaushal, a first-year student of Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab, pursuing B.A. LLB. (Hons.). In this article, she discussed the difference between the presidential and parliamentary forms of government, along with their advantages and disadvantages.
IntroductionMore than 50% of the world today has a democratic government, which allows for popular participation through the electoral process. These democratic governments can be representative or direct. In a direct democracy, political power is placed in the hands of all individuals in the state who come together to make a decision. In a representative democracy, on the other hand, individuals that are elected through an electoral process act as intermediaries between the people of the state and the policy decisions. Basically, a person elected by the people takes decisions on their behalf. Now a representative democracy can be divided into Parliamentary and Presidential democracy. In this article, we will discuss the features, advantages and disadvantages of both of these types of representative governments, and the difference between them. A Presidential system is also called a congressional system. It refers to a system of governance in which the President is the Chief Executive and is elected directly by the people. The head of the government thus exists separately from the legislature. It is a form of government where the three branches (legislature, executive and judiciary) exist separately and cannot dismiss or dissolve the other branch. While the legislature makes the laws, the President enforces them and it is the courts that are responsible for exercising judicial duties. The origin of the Presidential form of government can be traced back to medieval England, France and Scotland, where the executive authority lay with the Monarch or Crown (King/Queen) and not the estates of the realm (Parliament). This influenced the constitutional makers of the United States of America, who created the office of President, for which direct elections were to be held. Let’s have a look at the countries where the Presidential system is followed today.
To understand this system better, let’s look at its features, advantages and disadvantages. FeaturesThe Presidential system of democratic governance has the following features:
AdvantagesNow let’s look at the advantages of having a Presidential system:
DisadvantagesThere are certain disadvantages which come with the Presidential System. Let’s understand what these are:
Parliamentary form of governmentA Parliamentary form of democracy is also known as the Cabinet form of government or the ‘Responsible Government’. It refers to a system of governance in which the citizens elect representatives to the legislative Parliament. This Parliament is responsible to make the decisions and laws for the state. It is also directly answerable to the people. As a result of the elections, the party with the greatest representation forms the government. Its leader becomes the Prime Minister and performs various executive functions along with the members of Parliament appointed by the Prime Minister to the cabinet. The parties who lose the elections form the minority and serve as opposition in the Parliament. These parties challenge the decisions of the party in power. The Prime Minister may be removed from power in case the members of Parliament lose confidence in him. Attempts to create a system of Parliamentary democracy were seen in the European Revolution of 1848 but these did not lead to any consolidated system. Parliamentary democracy came to be in 1918 and developed throughout the twentieth century. Let’s look at the countries which have a Parliamentary democracy.
Now let’s look at the features, advantages and disadvantages of Parliamentary form of government to understand it better. Click aboveFeatures
AdvantagesAdopting a Parliamentary system of governance has certain advantages. Let’s look at these in detail:
DisadvantagesThe Parliamentary system also has certain disadvantages. These are:
In IndiaIn India, the system of democracy which exists is the Parliamentary Democracy. This model has been borrowed from the UK, but there are certain differences:
Difference between the Parliamentary and Presidential forms of the Government
ConclusionThe system of governance in countries differs depending on whether a country has a Presidential or Parliamentary system. There are some countries who have adopted a mixture of both these types as well. These systems have multiple differences based on separation of powers, accountability, executives etc. Both of these systems come with their own advantages and disadvantages. A country chooses the system which suits it the most. The Parliamentary system allows representative governance, which is suitable in a diverse country like India. References
What is the difference between parliamentary and presidential democracy?In a parliamentary form of government, the powers are divided between the nominal head and the real head of the state. In a presidential form of government on the other hand the powers are concentrated in the hands of the single executive or the President of the country.
Which best describes how a parliamentary democracy is different from a presidential democracy?In a parliamentary democracy, the head of the government is a member of the legislature. In a presidential democracy, political power is shared between state and federal governments. In a parliamentary democracy there are usually two main political parties; in the presidential system there is only one.
What is the difference between a presidential and parliamentary government quizlet?In a presidential democracy, the executive and legislature are elected separately by the citizens. In a parliamentary democracy, the citizens elect a legislature who select an executive.
|