Parliamentary vs Presidential Form of Government

At a Glance

• Parliamentary system The executive is responsible to the legislature for its policies and acts
• Presidential system The executive is not responsible to the legislature and is constitutionally independent of it in respect of its term of office
• Other names for the parliamentary system Cabinet government, responsible government, Westminster model
• Other names for the presidential system Non-responsible, non-parliamentary or fixed executive system
• Parliamentary examples Britain, Japan, Canada, India
• Presidential examples USA, Brazil, Russia, Sri Lanka
• Exam link UPSC Prelims, Polity: Basic Concepts

Where Does It Fit?

The previous topic showed that the parliamentary system fuses the legislature and the executive, while the presidential system separates them. This topic compares the two systems in full: their features, merits and demerits. India’s own choice of the parliamentary system, and the reasons for it, are taken up in the category on salient features.

What Is the Difference in Brief?

Modern democratic governments are classified into parliamentary and presidential on the basis of the nature of relations between the executive and the legislative organs of the government. In a parliamentary system, the executive is responsible to the legislature for its policies and acts. In a presidential system, the executive is not responsible to the legislature for its policies and acts, and is constitutionally independent of the legislature in respect of its term of office.

Ivor Jennings called the parliamentary system the cabinet system, because the cabinet is the nucleus of power in it. It is also called responsible government, as the cabinet, the real executive, is accountable to the Parliament and stays in office so long as it enjoys its confidence. It is described as the Westminster model after the location of the British Parliament, where the parliamentary system originated.

In the past, British constitutional experts described the Prime Minister as primus inter pares (first among equals) in relation to the cabinet. In the recent period, the Prime Minister’s power, influence and position have increased significantly in relation to the cabinet, and later analysts such as Crossman and Mackintosh have described the British system as prime ministerial government. The same description holds good in the Indian context too.

What Are the Features of Parliamentary Government?

The features or principles of parliamentary government in India are as follows.

1. Nominal and real executives: The President is the nominal (de jure or titular) executive, while the Prime Minister is the real (de facto) executive. The President is head of the State and the Prime Minister is head of the government. Article 74 provides for a council of ministers headed by the Prime Minister to aid and advise the President, and the advice is binding on the President.
2. Majority party rule: The party that secures a majority of seats in the Lok Sabha forms the government. Its leader is appointed Prime Minister by the President, and other ministers are appointed on the Prime Minister’s advice. When no single party gets a majority, a coalition of parties may be invited to form the government.
3. Collective responsibility: This is the bedrock principle. The ministers are collectively responsible to Parliament in general and to the Lok Sabha in particular (Article 75). They act as a team and swim or sink together. The Lok Sabha can remove the ministry by passing a vote of no confidence.
4. Political homogeneity: Usually the members of the council of ministers belong to the same party and share the same ideology. In a coalition government, ministers are bound by consensus.
5. Double membership: Ministers are members of both the legislature and the executive. A person cannot be a minister without being a member of Parliament, and a minister who is not a member for six consecutive months ceases to be a minister.
6. Leadership of the Prime Minister: The Prime Minister is the leader of the council of ministers, of Parliament and of the party in power.
7. Dissolution of the lower house: The Lok Sabha can be dissolved by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The executive thus enjoys the right to get the legislature dissolved.
8. Secrecy: Ministers operate on the principle of secrecy of procedure and cannot divulge information about their proceedings, policies and decisions. They take an oath of secrecy, administered by the President.

What Are the Features of Presidential Government?

Unlike the Indian Constitution, the American Constitution provides for the presidential form of government. Its features are as follows.

1. The American President is both the head of the State and the head of government. As head of State, he or she holds a ceremonial position; as head of government, he or she leads the executive organ.
2. The President is elected by an electoral college for a fixed tenure of four years, and cannot be removed by the Congress except by impeachment for a grave unconstitutional act.
3. The President governs with the help of a cabinet or a smaller body called the Kitchen Cabinet. It is only an advisory body of non-elected departmental secretaries, who are selected by the President, are responsible only to him or her, and can be removed at any time.
4. The President and his or her secretaries are not responsible to the Congress for their acts. They neither possess membership in the Congress nor attend its sessions.
5. The President cannot dissolve the House of Representatives, the lower house of the Congress.
6. The doctrine of separation of powers is the basis of the American presidential system.

How Do the Two Systems Compare?

What Are the Merits of the Parliamentary System?

• Harmony between legislature and executive: The executive is part of the legislature and both are interdependent, so there is less scope for conflict.
• Responsible government: Ministers are responsible to Parliament for all acts of omission and commission, and Parliament controls them through the question hour, discussions, the adjournment motion and the no-confidence motion.
• Prevents despotism: Executive authority is vested in a group of individuals, and the executive can be removed by a no-confidence motion.
• Ready alternative government: If the ruling party loses its majority, the Head of the State can invite the opposition to form the government without fresh elections.
• Wide representation: The executive consists of representatives of the people, so all sections and regions can be given representation.

What Are the Demerits of the Parliamentary System?

• Unstable government: There is no guarantee that a government will survive its tenure; a no-confidence motion, defection or the evils of multiparty coalition can make it unstable.
• No continuity of policies: A change in the ruling party is usually followed by changes in government policies.
• Dictatorship of the cabinet: When the ruling party enjoys an absolute majority, the cabinet becomes autocratic and exercises nearly unlimited powers.
• Against separation of powers: The legislature and executive are together and inseparable; there is a fusion of powers.
• Government by amateurs: Ministers are not experts in their fields, the Prime Minister’s choice is restricted to members of Parliament, and ministers devote most of their time to parliamentary work, cabinet meetings and party activities.

The merits and demerits of the presidential system are the reverse of these: stable government and definiteness in policies, a system based on the separation of powers and government by experts, but conflict between the legislature and executive, a non-responsible government, a possible drift to autocracy and narrow representation.

Why Is This Topic Important?

• A core comparison: The features, merits and demerits of the two systems can be asked directly in Prelims and Mains.
• Foundation for the salient features: India’s choice of the parliamentary system and its differences from the British model build on this comparison.

What Came Next?

The next topic compares the unitary and federal forms of government. Later topics on salient features return to India’s parliamentary system, the reasons for adopting it and its differences from the British system.

Key People and Terms

• Nominal executive The President in India; head of the State
• Real executive The Prime Minister in India; head of the government
• Collective responsibility The bedrock principle: ministers sink or swim together
• Kitchen Cabinet The American President’s advisory body of non-elected secretaries
• Primus inter pares “First among equals”; the Prime Minister in relation to the cabinet
• Ivor Jennings Called the parliamentary system the cabinet system

Exam Corner

Mains Angle

Questions usually ask for a balanced comparison of the two systems. Use these points to add depth.

• Responsibility against stability: The parliamentary system gives a responsible government through collective responsibility and control by Parliament, but it does not guarantee stability.
• Fusion against separation: The parliamentary system fuses the legislature and executive, while the presidential system rests on separation of powers.
• Cabinet dominance: With an absolute majority the cabinet can become autocratic, and the Prime Minister’s position has grown relative to the cabinet.
• Representation: The parliamentary executive can represent all sections and regions, while the presidential system has narrow representation.
• Policy continuity: The presidential system gives definiteness in policies, while a change of the ruling party in the parliamentary system usually changes policies.