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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. Features
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 are the main differences between the parliamentary and the presidential system of government?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.
What is the main difference between a parliamentary democracy and a presidential democracy Quizizz?What is the main DIFFERENCE between a presidential democracy and a parliamentary democracy? A President controls a country and a Prime Minister controls a state. A President is elected directly by the citizens, while a Prime Minister is elected by the Legislature.
What is the main difference between a parliamentary democracy and a presidential democracy Brainly?In a Parliamentary Democracy, the government remains in power as long as the governments get the maximum amount of support from members of the parliament. In contrast, in a Presidential Democracy the President holds power for a certain time only that is mentioned in the country's Constitution.
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