Parliamentary vs. Presidential System (Comparative Politics)

BICOL UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY
Name: Aculan, Omar L. Block: AB Political Science – 2B

Date: February 9, 2021
MC 6 – INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS

ACTIVITY 2
What different institutional forms exist in parliamentary and presidential systems?
In the contemporary world, the majority of the nation-states have adopted a democratic
classification of government, characterized by the rule of the people. The powers and functions
of modern governments are now more extensive and profound – all of which are enshrined and
protected in their respective constitutions. Over the years, many countries have experimented and
followed variations of systems of government, which all came from the two major forms of
government: the presidential and parliamentary.
The presidential system refers to a government where the chief executive functions
independently from the legislature. The president enjoys executive power and is both head of
state and head of government. For this, he or she is known to ‘wear two hats.’ The president is
directly elected by the people in a national ballot (in an unusual case through an electoral college
in the United States), therefore making him or her responsible to the citizens. The term of office
for the chief executive in a presidential government is fixed and provided for by legislation.
Some of the general responsibilities of the president is to execute and enforce laws, sign bills
into laws, veto bills enacted by legislature, and conduct diplomacy with foreign nations. This
system is characterized by the existence of separation of powers of the three branches of
government, namely: executive, legislative, and judiciary, all sovereign in their own spheres.
Because the president and members of the legislative branch are elected separately, they are not
amenable nor accountable to each other. The president does not seek the confidence of the
lawmakers, and the latter are not responsible to the president. However, this separation is only to
a certain degree, as the presidential system is also characterized by the institutional checks and
balances. The idea is there has to be a system of checks to ensure that the other branch is
performing its functions properly and avoid corruption. Moreover, the president has his group of
advisers who form the so-called cabinet, who are usually known as secretaries. They are
handpicked and appointed by the president, often with approval of Congress. Nevertheless, they
serve at the pleasure of the president and may be removed from office through his will. Their job
is to develop and implement policies in specific areas. At the lower level, there are bureaucrats
and administrators, whereas the lowest tier comprises various enforcement agencies. All bureaus
and executive offices help put government policy into effect.
The legislative branch is the collective body that is tasked to create, alter, or repeal laws.
In other terms, this is referred to as legislative power. Under a presidential system, legislators are
elected by voters based on geographical, sectoral, and/or ideological representation. There is no
single layout of a legislative branch adopted by all presidential nation-states and countries may
adopt a unicameral or bicameral legislature. The legislative branch initiates its own agenda and
passes bills. While the president may also propose bills, the legislators always have the final say.
He may also make use of his veto power, when he does not approve of a certain legislation. the
president’s disapproval can nevertheless be overridden by Congress. When it comes to the
relationship of the executive with the legislature, the president is incapable of dissolving
Congress. Likewise, legislators cannot remove the chief executive under normal circumstances,
except through a special process known as impeachment. In such cases, Congress decides
whether he or she is guilty of high crimes and misdemeanors. In contrast to a parliamentary
system, mere political disagreement is not grounds for impeachment. Furthermore, the president
stays even if his party is no longer the dominant political institution in the legislature. This is
again due to the separate nature of both branches.
The judicial branch of a presidential government holds judicial power, understood to be

the authority to interpret laws. The structure of this department is almost similar to every nation-
state regardless of its system. All countries are one in their aim to create a separation of powers
and make the judiciary as independent as possible. In addition to their main task, they are also
empowered to scrutinize laws passed by Congress and review pardons given by the president.
Finally, one of the weaknesses of the presidential system is the low level of party
discipline. This is because both branches are already separate to begin with. On top of that, it is
not costly to vote against legislation by your party. Members of the legislature are freer to align
policies with varied interests and they do not face the risk of being removed from office on basis
of political misalignment.
Meanwhile, in a parliamentary system, the executive and legislative branches are fused as
one. There is an organic link between these two departments. In this system, the executive is
‘born’ out of the womb of the legislature. The head of government is a prime minister, whereas
the head of state is usually a symbolic, ceremonial, and non-partisan figurehead in the person of
a monarch. When the head of state is a president, that system of government becomes a hybrid of
the two – creating a semi-presidential system. The prime minister, in contrast with a president, is
not directly elected by the people. Rather, he or she is a member of a popularly elected
legislature called the Parliament. The chief executive is selected by parliament to become head
of government, hence making him or her accountable to the Parliament. Another key difference
of this system is the lack of limits on the term of office of the prime minister. He or she stays in
office for so long as MPs (members of parliament) are confident of the prime minister. In this
case, a removal from office can be based on mere political differences. The primary duty of a
PM is to direct the operations of the government. The ceremonial duties are usually conferred to
the head of state. There is no true separation of powers under this system, because the divisions
tend to be blurred, with the exception of that of a judicial branch. The prime minister also has his
own cabinet of ministers. The PM chooses the members of his cabinet from his parliamentary
colleagues. Together, they are all answerable to the Parliament.
The connection between the executive and legislative branches in a parliamentary

government are relatively complicated. The prime minister can be removed by a vote of no
confidence by the majority of parliamentarians or even by his own party leaders. In the same
manner, a censure may be awarded to a cabinet minister whom legislators believe is not
performing his or her functions properly. On the other hand, the PM can dissolve parliament and
call for fresh elections. Because of the fuzzy line separating the two aforementioned
departments, the executive branch is able to control the legislative agenda. The government
introduces bills to be debated upon by the MPs. Just like that of its counterpart, a parliamentary
government’s judicial branch is the sole authority that can interpret or shed light on legislation.
Judicial systems vary regardless of their system of government.
Lastly, if the presidential government has its weakness due to low party discipline, the
strength of a parliamentary system is its strong discipline among political parties. Such
institutions are well-structured and organized. They tend to have a unified action when it comes
to voting for policies and agenda. Members of Parliament are incentivised in exchange for their
party’s policies. This high level of discipline is essential in order to secure the government from
dissolution.

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BICOL UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY

Name: Aculan, Omar L. Block: AB Political Science – 2B

MC 6 – INTRODUCTION TO COMPARATIVE POLITICS

What different institutional forms exist in parliamentary and presidential systems?

The judicial branch of a presidential government holds judicial power, understood to be

The connection between the executive and legislative branches in a parliamentary

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