The Presidential form of the government in India is based upon the principle that separates the executive branch of the government from the legislative branch. In this system, the executive is not dependent on the legislature’s ability to control. If we follow the definition provided by Getell, then we can say that the Presidential form of government in India is a type of government where the chief executive is not dependent upon the legislature to set its tenure, and to a large extent, even its acts and policies. In this particular system, the head of the state, which is usually the President, is the real executive.
If we follow D.V Verney’s definition, then the “Presidential form of the government” term has been chosen since, in this particular type of government, the office of the head of the government of India and the head of the state are merged. The biggest difference between the Presidential and Parliamentary forms of government is that while in the former type of government, the judiciary, legislature, and the executive work separately under the President, in the Parliamentary form, the legislature and the executive are closely tied to one another.
Thus, we can say that there are two main features of the Presidential executive: it is independent and not responsible to the legislature as to its tenure and united structure. A few other countries have this particular type of government, including the USA, Sri Lanka, and Brazil. There are many merits and demerits of the Presidential system of government.
Features of the Presidential Form Of Government In India
The features of the Presidential form of government In India are discussed below:
- It has a real head of the state – in the Presidential form of government, the head of a state is also the actual executive head.
- The powers are separated – The entire Presidential form of government is based on the theory of separation of power amongst the three different organs of the government, which means that the executive is not answerable to the legislature; the executive does not have the power to dissolve the legislative body. The judiciary is not dependent on either the executive or the legislature.
- It is based on the principle of checks and balances. Although the three organs are not dependent on one another, they are still responsible for checking one another’s powers and restraining each other if they find any transgression in their functions and powers.
- The President has the supreme position – In the Presidential form of government, the President has the superior position as all the government’s power is vested upon him.
- There is a low probability of good laws being enacted since there is less harmony between the executive and legislature. Despite this weakness, one must keep in mind there are many cases where the Presidential Form Of Government turned out to be quite successful, such as in the United States.
Merits of the Presidential Form Of Government In India
The merits of the Presidential form of government are listed below.
- It provides for a stable form of government – In the Presidential form of government, the President is elected to serve a fixed tenure of four years. Since the President has a fixed tenure, it works as a stable and efficient form of administration.
- The powers are all separated from one another. Since the powers of all the three organs of the government, namely the legislature, judiciary, and executive, are separated. This gives them the power to check and balance any chances of despotism that may come up in any branch of the government. This makes sure that the rights and liberties of the citizens of the country are always protected.
- It is the best type of government suited in the case of an emergency. One of the most significant advantages of the presidential form of government is that since the President is the head of the state and government, they are in the position to make essential decisions urgently and effectively.
Conclusion
The presidential form of government is when the head of the government, usually the President, takes charge of the executive branch of the government. It comes with many Merits, such as It provides for a stable form of government – In the presidential form of government, the President is elected to serve a fixed tenure that will go for four years. Since the President has a fixed term, it works as a stable and efficient form of administration.