Parliament Vs President

Presidential vs. Parliamentary

Presidential and parliamentary government systems are two main forms of democratic political systems and executive-legislative relations. Both hold advantages, disadvantages and similarities. With fluctuating stability, both systems of government have had their share of prosperity, with the ability to maintain. In the presidential government system a president is elected into office by qualified citizens. Those same citizens are also obligated to elect a legislature into office as well. By separating the executive and legislative branch this creates a system of checks and balances in order to ensure no one branch is assuming too much power. Both branches of the presidential government hold responsibilities that differ, leaving the accountability for its actions, for the most part, solely within that one branch. In the executive branch the chief executive or president along with his appointed cabinet and administrative departments are responsible for implementation of policies or laws. The extent of the president’s power is actually limited due to the system of checks and balances against the legislative branch. For example, In the American presidential system the president has the power to veto acts of the legislature, but it’s also possible that the legislature can turn right around and over turn the veto. Most acts of the president must pass through the legislature and it’s approval. For example, the president does not have the power to appoint judges within the judicial branch directly into office, the decision requires a voting process done within the legislative branch. Most of the president’s power in the American presidential system is found within the administration of the country’s foreign affairs. For example, the president also acts a Commander in Chief, although he does not have the right to declare war, he does have the power to deploy troops if need be. The president along with the legislature usually have a fixed term to serve in office within the American government, which is another example of the system of checks and balances. Like the presidential system, the parliamentary government system holds an election for its legislature elected by qualified citizens. From there, a cabinet is elected and the elected cabinet will elect a prime minister instead of being directly elected by the citizens. The prime minister holds some similarity to a president as he too acts as chief executive but holds power of the legislature. In the parliamentary government system there is no separation of the executive and legislative branch. The power of the cabinet and prime minister rely on the backing of the legislature. The cabinet of the parliamentary government has the power to remove the prime minister from office using a vote of no confidence, this is similar to the impeachment process used to remove presidents from office in the presidential system. Also with a majority vote, the cabinet is able to pick one of its members and elect that person into office, wether that person has adequate experience or not. I consider that a slight downfall to the parliamentary government system. Like the presidential system, the policy making within the parliamentary system can be an drawn out process. The policy making relies on the majority of the legislature, but if the legislature isn't cohesive it make the process next to impossible. The United Kingdom is the most recognized form of parliamentary government. Within their government, there is no limit to how long a prime minister can serve in office unlike the the presidential system in the U.S. Both the presidential and parliamentary government systems hold their pros and cons, but nonetheless they are functioning and well respected forms of a democratic government. It seems a parliamentary form of government is a little more disciplined as opposed to the presidential government and because of that reason I would chose to be governed by a parliamentary government. I appreciate the uniformity within the parliamentary government system, as opposed to the usual chaos within the presidential government, specifically the American presidential system.