Lesson 1.2. Presidential and Parliamentary Friday, Sept. 16.

​Lesson 1.2 Presidential and parliamentary systems of Government

Friday, September 16​

There are essentially three options for constituting a representative system of government: one based on a parliamentary system, one based on a presidential system, and one based on some mixture of the two (usually called semi-presidentialism).

Parliamentary system of government

Defining characteristics of the parliamentary system are the supremacy of the legislative branch within the three functions of government—executive, legislative, and judicial—and blurring or merging of the executive and legislative functions. The legislative function is conducted through a unicameral (one-chamber) or bicameral (two-chamber) parliament composed of members accountable to the people they represent. A prime minister and the ministers of several executive departments of the government primarily carry out the executive function.

Parliamentary system of government

The political party or coalition of parties that make up a majority of the parliament’s membership select the prime minister and department ministers. The prime minister usually is the leader of the majority party, if there is one, or the leader of one of the parties in the ruling coalition. Some ceremonial executive duties are carried out by a symbolic head of state — a hereditary king or queen in a democratic constitutional monarchy, such as Great Britain, Japan, Norway, or Spain, or an elected president or chancellor in a democratic constitutional republic such as Germany, Italy, or Latvia.

Presidential system of government

Some representative and constitutional democracies have a presidential system of government, which is based on the separation and sharing of powers among three independent and coordinate branches of government: legislative, executive, and judicial.

Presidential system of government

The presidential system has a strong and independent chief executive with extensive powers related to both domestic, or internal, affairs and foreign policy. The president’s independence from the legislature is based on election by the people to whom he or she is directly accountable and not to the legislature, as in the parliamentary system. Furthermore, the constitution grants strong powers to the chief executive in a presidential system.

semi-Presidential system of government

A semi-presidential system, or dual executive system, is a system of government in which a president exists alongside a prime minister and a cabinet, with the latter two responding to the legislature of the state. It differs from a parliamentary republic in that it has a popularly elected head of state who is more than a ceremonial figurehead, and from the presidential system in that the cabinet, although named by the president, responds to the legislature, which may force the cabinet to resign through a motion of no confidence.

Multiple Choice

What is the main DIFFERENCE between a presidential democracy and a parliamentary democracy?

• A President controls a country and a Prime Minister controls a state.

• A Prime Minister does not belong to a political party while a President always does.

• A Prime Minister has more power than a President.

• A President is elected directly by the citizens, while a Prime Minister is elected by the Legislature.

Multiple Choice

In a parliamentary system, who is the head of government?

• Prime Minister

• President

• Monarch

• Dictator

Multiple Choice

Which BEST describes the two predominant forms of a democratic government?

• dictatorship and republican
• presidential and dictatorship
• presidential and confederate
• parliamentary and presidential

Multiple Choice

In this type of democracy, the law-making body (legislature) chooses the leader.

• presidential
• republic
• dictatorship
• parliamentary

Multiple Choice

What is usually the title of chief executive in a presidential democracy?

• prime minister
• CEO
• CFO
• president

Multiple Choice

How is the president in a presidential democracy like the prime minister in a parliamentary democracy?

• Both in charge of legislature
• Both directly elected by citizens
• Both in charge of military and daily operations of government
• Both elected for a fixed term

Multiple Choice

What does democracy mean?

• Ruled by a small group
• Local and Central share power
• Ruled by people
• Ruled by one person

Multiple Choice

In this type of government, the 3 branches of government are separated by checks and balances.

• Presidential Democracy

• Parliamentary Democracy

Multiple Choice

In this type of government, the legislature is the strongest branch of government. Presidential democracy or parliamentary democracy?

• Presidential Democracy
• Parliamentary Democracy

Multiple Choice

The leader serves a fixed term in office

• Presidential
• Parliamentary

Multiple Choice

There are checks and balances between the 3 branches.

• Presidential

• Parliamentary

• Both

Multiple Choice

All 3 branches of government answer to the legislature.

• Presidential

• Parliamentary

• Both

Multiple Choice

All 3 branches of government are separate

• Presidential

• Parliamentary

• Both

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