Parliamentary vs Presidential form of government.

Parliamentary vs Presidential


Which one is better? 

Parliamentary form of government 

• Parliamentary form of government represents a governance of democratic system of a country; in which the executive branch is derived from the legislative body, i.e., the Parliament. 

• The executive is divided into two parts, the Head of the State, i.e., President, who is only executive and the Head of the Government, i.e., Prime Minister, who is the real executive. 

Pros and cons of Parliamentary form of government 

Merits: 

• Coordination between executive and the legislature

• Prevents authoritarianism 

• Responsible government

• Representing diverse groups 

• Flexibility 

• Ultimate sovereignty of people 

• Greater accountability 

• Responsiveness and promptness of action 


Demerits: 

• No separation of powers 

• May designate unqualified legislators 

• Instability

• May restrain prompt decision-making 

• Party politics 

• Control by the bureaucracy

• Inefficient administration 

• Monopolization of political power 


Successful Parliamentary Systems in the World 

Parliamentary system Parliamentary system with a President: with a Monarch: 

• Pakistan

• India

• Bangladesh 

• South Africa 

• United Kingdom 

• Thailand 

• Denmark 

• Norway 


Presidential form of government 

• When a country follows the Presidential form of government, it implies that there is only one person as the head of the state and government, i.e., the President. 

• President is elected, without an intermediary, by the citizens or sometimes by the members of the Electoral College for a fixed period. 


Pros and Cons of Presidential form of government 

Merits:

 • Less influence of party 

 • Separation of powers 

• Stability 

Demerits: 

• Less responsible executive 

• Deadlocks between executive and legislature 

• Rigidity in governance 

• President's sweeping powers 


Successful Presidential Systems in the World 

• The United States has an exemplary presidential system. The successive presidential system in the US is no secret; US governmental structure that made it a superpower in the world despite being a former colony of Britain which is a parliamentary democracy. 

• Other countries following the presidential system include Brazil, Chile, Colombia and Zimbabwe. 


Is One Better than the Other? 

• Both forms of government are organized in such a way that they both have different strengths. Due to the vote of no-confidence, it is easy to end tenure of a Prime Minister within a parliamentary system. Meanwhile, it is much harder to end a president period.  

• However, Prime Ministers are dependent on the legislature for passing the law. However; presidents are completely independent of their legislative branches. They have power to make decisions that they believe are best in the nation's interest without the influence of outside parties. 


Nutshell 

Despite all the differences between the parliamentary and the presidential systems, it is ultimately the members of a nation who hold power. By voting, citizens can express their voice and effect change in their country, irrespective of the system of government.