Presidential & Parliamentary; Two Forms of Government You Should Know About

There are two primary types of democratic government: presidential and parliamentary. 

India has a parliamentary government similar to that of the United Kingdom. A hybrid system, which combines aspects of both the parliamentary and presidential systems, can exist in addition to the parliamentary and presidential systems.

The level of power separation between the legislative, executive, and judicial is the most significant distinction between these systems. Another significant distinction between the presidential and parliamentary systems is the executive's accountability to the legislature.

 

The Presidential system of government

 

A presidential system is sometimes known as a congressional system. It is a form of government in which the President serves as the Chief Executive and is chosen by the people directly.

As a result, the executive branch of government is distinct from the legislative branch. 

It is a type of government in which the three branches (legislature, executive, and judiciary) operate independently and are unable to dismiss or dissolve one another. While the legislative creates the laws, the President is responsible for enforcing them, and the courts are in charge of carrying out judicial tasks.

 

The Presidential form of government can be traced back to medieval England, France, and Scotland, where the Monarch or Crown (King/Queen) and not the realm's estates held executive authority (Parliament). 

This had an impact on the United States of America's constitutional writers, who created the post of President, for which direct elections were to be held.

Features of the presidential system:

 

Nominal powers do not exist for the President. He serves as both the executive and the state's chief. 

He has a ceremonial role as the executive's leader. He is the chief actual executive as the leader of the government. As a result, the Presidential system has a single executive notion.

The people or the electoral college elect the president directly.

Only an impeachment procedure for a major unconstitutional act can result in the President's removal. With the support of a small group of people, the President rules. This is his storage space.

The cabinet is merely a consultative body made up of non-elected departmental secretaries chosen by the president. It reports to the President, who has the authority to fire departmental secretaries. The President and his cabinet are not subject to the legislature's oversight, nor are they members of it.

Parliamentary form of government

The Cabinet system of government, commonly known as 'Responsible Government,' is a Parliamentary type of democracy. It is a form of government in which residents elect members to the legislative legislature. 

This Parliament is in charge of making state-wide decisions and laws. It is also directly accountable to the general public.

As a consequence of the elections, the government is formed by the party with the most votes. Its leader is named Prime Minister, and together with members of Parliament selected by the Prime Minister to the cabinet, he fulfills different executive tasks.

Parties that lose elections are in the minority in Parliament and function as opposition. These parties question the ruling party's decisions. If members of Parliament lose faith in the Prime Minister, he may be removed from office.

Features of the parliamentary form of the government

Under the Parliamentary form of governance, the heads of state and government are distinct. The President or monarch is usually the state's leader. He/she just possesses ceremonial abilities. The Prime Minister is usually the head of government, and he or she wields actual power.

It might be bicameral (two houses) or unicameral (one house) (with one house). In a bicameral system, the lower house is directly elected, and the upper house is elected by the lower house.

The government's powers aren't totally separated. Because the executive is a part of the legislative, the distinctions between the legislature and the executive are blurred.

The majority party rule is also a feature of this system. However, no administration can have a 100 percent majority, and the opposition is represented in Parliament.

In this arrangement, the council of ministers is collectively responsible to the Parliament.

Depending on whether a country has a Presidential or Parliamentary system, the governance structure varies. Some countries have used a combination of each of these approaches.

Separation of powers, accountability, executives, and other factors distinguish these systems.

Both of these systems have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. A country selects the system that best matches its needs. In a varied country like India, the parliamentary system provides for representative governance, which is ideal.

Written By - Himanshi Nebhnani