Parliamentary form of Government

Government in a Parliamentary form

Parliaments are found across many countries of the world. The English Parliament is known as the “Mother of All Parliaments.” The Cabinet Government, commonly known as the Parliamentary form of government, is built on strong cooperation between the administration and legislature. The executive is accountable to the legislature and remains in office only as long as the legislature has faith in it. There are two sorts of executives in a Parliamentary form of government: nominal and actual. The true executive is accountable to the legislature, and if it is defeated in a vote of no confidence, it must resign or seek the dissolution of the legislature.

Meaning of Parliamentary government

A Parliamentary government is a democratic administration in which the government is formed by the political party that obtains the most seats in the legislature or Parliament during the federal election. This majority party selects a leader to be Prime Minister or Chancellor. The cabinet is made up of other high-ranking members of the party. The opposition is formed by the minority party, and its role is to confront the governing party. If no party wins a majority in the election, a coalition government is established with the cooperation of a few political parties.

The term “Parliamentary government” refers to the fact that the Parliament has all the authority. There is a difference between a Parliamentary and presidential form of government. The executive branch is distinct in a presidential system, such as the United States, and the President is popularly chosen by the nation’s population. In contrast, the leader of the government under a Parliamentary system is elected from the Parliament and is frequently one of the most senior members or ministers in Parliament, which is where the name “Prime Minister” comes from. In a Parliamentary system, the country usually has a Head of State who serves as a ceremonial figure, similar to the Queen, but does not engage in legislation or politics.

Primary features of the Parliamentary system

The Indian Parliamentary system was inspired by the United Kingdom, and its constitution is considered to be the mother of the Parliamentary concept. The same concept is also called the cabinet system or ministerial system. 

The cabinet or Parliamentary form of government is one in which the given form of executive and legislature are nearly closed to each other and the powers are divided between both of them. This makes the Parliament a superior concept. There are two executives, namely the elected President, or the king, and the Prime Minister. The President represents the State, while the Prime Minister represents the government, and the Cabinet is accountable to the legislature.

Cabinet formation

When a general election is completed and a Prime Minister is chosen, the Prime Minister appoints his council of ministers, often known as his cabinet. This is the Prime Minister’s most important role. The minister list is given to the President for them to approve. They are frequently obtained from the party’s ring leadership. Because of the delicate nature of the Parliamentary system, well-experienced and vigilant members are given precedence. 

Spirit of teamwork

In the system of Parliament, each and every minister works together as a team. They are supposed to agree on an issue in every cabinet meeting. If they happen to disagree, the minister in question will have to resign or will be eliminated from the cabinet.  Each and every difference should be kept hidden as all the cabinet members are going to work together for the goal; either they will win together or lose together.

Premier’s supremacy

The Prime Minister is given utmost importance as they have unlimited powers. They are considered to be the leader of the legislative house, the leader of the council of ministers and even the executives.  The Prime Minister is in charge of appointing, removing, and distributing portfolios, as well as overseeing the activities of the cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister acts as a go-between for the government and the President. In the case of the PM’s resignation, the ministerial council must resign as well.

Power coordination

The primary premise behind this system is that two entities, such as the legislative and executive branches, share authority. Under this setup, both organs (legislature and executive) are dependent on one another. They interfere with other’s business in a variety of constitutional ways. Ministers, for example, propose the bulk of legislative initiatives; they can engage in legislation, address the legislature, summon sessions, and even dissolve the lower house, among other things. Parliament, on the other hand, has the ability to call cabinet members’ activities into question, to propose various resolutions, and to depose the government through a vote of no confidence. Both government institutions have several checks and balances on one another.

Collective political responsibility

The government is also jointly accountable to the legislature, which is another defining element of the Parliamentary system. The operations of the cabinet can be questioned and investigated by the legislature through a number of constitutional instruments. Ministers are only in office for as long as the legislature believes in them. If a single minister is defeated in a vote of no confidence, the entire government must resign. A proposal proposed by a minister must be approved by all ministers, otherwise it will result in a vote of no confidence in the whole cabinet. Cabinet members (ministers) answer to the people through their elected representatives. The general public can voice their concerns through their representatives, and ministers must answer to the people.

Term

The term of the cabinet is specified by the constitution, although not in a strict sense. A minister may be fired or replaced at any time. Parliament can be dissolved in times of national emergency. The government is no longer in power if Parliament is dissolved. By adopting a no-confidence resolution against any minister, the Prime Minister, or the whole cabinet, Parliament can dismiss the government. As a result, the future of the Parliamentary government is uncertain.

Two senior executives

Another distinguishing element of the Parliamentary system is the separation between the nominal executive and the real executive. The head of state, such as Pakistan’s President, is the titular executive. This type of executive is just a symbolic or legally obliged head of state.

A true executive, on the other hand, is one who has genuine state power and serves as the head of government, such as Pakistan’s Prime Minister.

Conclusion

The top executive of the state (Prime Minister) is not directly chosen by the people in the Parliamentary system, but he is usually the leader of the majority party in Parliament. He appoints his own Cabinet, which, again, should be made up of people who are not members of Parliament. The whole Cabinet is answerable to Parliament, and if it loses the confidence of the Parliament, it must resign from office. In contrast, in the presidential system, the top executive, i.e. the President, is directly elected by the people for a definite term, and he appoints his own ministers (known as “secretaries” in the United States). Neither the President nor the Secretaries are answerable to the Parliament, often known as Congress.