Parliamentary vs Presidential Form of Government in Representative Democracy

Democracy is the backbone of governance and administration in any country. Democracies are of two types: representative and direct. Today most countries in the world are representative democracies. The presidential form of government has a single executive system where the president is the head of the executive and is independent of the legislature. The parliamentary form of government is a form of democracy where the executive gains political legitimacy by being responsible to the legislative. In this article, we will discuss the difference between parliamentary and presidential forms of government. 

Presidential form of government

There is only one executive in this form of government, which is the president. Hence it is also called the single executive system. The president is the head/chief executive of the state as well as the government and is chosen by the people directly. 

The legislature is completely independent of the executive, in the presidential form of government. The three organs of the government: the legislative, executive and the judiciary are all independent of each other. The legislature is responsible for formulating laws, the executive, headed by the president enforces those laws and the judiciary carries out judicial tasks. 

Some of the countries with a presidential form of government are the United States, Brazil, South Korea, Turkey, the Philippines, Indonesia etc

Parliamentary form of government

In this form of government there are two executives. The president is the nominal executive and the head of the state. The role of the president is primarily ceremonial. The prime minister is the real executive and the head of the government, who along with the cabinet has the maximum powers. So, it is known as, the “cabinet form of government”.

Since the parliament is directly responsible to the people, it is also called the “responsible government.” The executive is responsible to the legislature. Hence, there is no clear separation of powers as in the presidential form of government.

Some of the countries which have a parliamentary system of government  are Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, India, Portugal etc. 

In the constitution of India, articles 74 and 75 provisions for a parliamentary form of government at the union level, and articles 163 and 164 deal with provisions for the same at the state level. 

Parliamentary system vs presidential system chart

Advantages and disadvantages of parliamentary form of government.

Advantages and disadvantages of presidential form of government

Conclusion:

Although the parliamentary and presidential forms of government are both democracies, there are some fundamental differences between them. Based on the country’s unique needs and socio-political structure, the form of government is chosen. Today, almost all the countries in the world have transitioned from monarchy to democracy, and have either a presidential or a parliamentary form of government.