5.6 Presidential vs. Parliamentary Systems of Gov

Presidential &
Parliamentary Systems
&
Quiz Review

Unit 5-5

Lesson Overview

•Students Will Be Able To:

•Identify the similarities and differences between presidential and parliamentary systems.

•Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the presidential system and the parliamentary system.

•Vocabulary:

•Gridlock

•Parliamentary System

•Presidential System

•Prime Minister

Follow the green
arrows on the
visual and
please tell me
the difference
that you see.

Essential Question- What are the similarities and
differences between presidential and parliamentary
systems?

Government Systems Around the World

•Many countries are democratic republics- a stat in which people are sovereign and elect representatives

•So, these countries are mostly set-up in two major ways-

•Presidential

•Parliamentary

•Both systems have 3 Branches of government (Legislative, Judicial and
Executive)

•The U.S. uses a Presidential System- the head of the executive branch is the
president who is elected and separate from the other branches

•In a Parliamentary System- an elected member of the legislature
(parliament) is elected by other members to serve as Prime Minster- member
of the legislative branch who leads the executive branch

•Key Difference-

•Presidential System there is a clear separation of power between executive and legislative

•Parliamentary System the leader of the executive is also a leader in the legislative branch

British Prime Minister-
Keir Starmer

Japanese Prime
Minister- Sanae Takaichi

​

Governments of the World

• There are many different presidential
and parliamentary systems around the world, from country to country

• For Example-

•Ukraine is a semi-presidential republic with
both a popularly-elected president and a
prime minister

•Many countries model their systems from Great Britain's parliamentary system

•Canada, India and Australia all do this, as they were also former colonies

•The Presidential System seem to be more
common in North and South America as they were influenced by the U.S. System

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Comparing the Presidential and Parliamentary Systems

Advantages and Disadvantages of These Systems

•Separation of Powers

•There is a clear separation in a Presidential System (Checks and Balances)

•In a Parliamentary system the Prime Minister derives authority from the Legislative and is the Executive so there is no separation

•Deadlock/Efficiency

•When the President and the majority in Congress are different Political parties there is Gridlock-government cannot pass significant legislation because neither side will compromise

•In a Parliamentary system the Prime Minister is the same political party as the majority in
Parliament

•Stability/Voter Accountability

•Presidents are elected for a set term (One 4-year term) and it is usually a difficult process to remove them from office

•In a Parliamentary System the Prime Minister can lose the confidence of the party/people and be voted out of office

Essential Question- What are the similarities and differences between presidential and parliamentary systems?

•Most of the world’s governments are representative democracies formed as presidential or parliamentary systems.

•The key difference between these systems is the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.

•In the presidential system, the executive branch and the president are elected independently of the other branches.

•In a parliamentary system, the prime minister is a member of the legislature, chosen by the other members, to serve as the chief executive. The prime minister is both a lawmaker and chief executive.

•The president is independent of the other branches of government and has the ability to check the legislative branch, although political gridlock can occur if the president and the legislature belong to different political parties and do not cooperate to pass laws.

•The prime minister derives power from the legislature and is responsible to the legislature. Because the prime minister faces little opposition in the legislature, the government can efficiently pass legislation.