What is the difference between the Presidential & the Parliamentary forms of government in terms of the form of Executive?

Every country in the world has its own constitution, according to which policies are framed, government bodies and institutions function and decisions are made. In finer terms, it is the constitution, that covers all the aspects of the political system adopted by the country. There are two forms of government, Parliamentary and Presidential. In Parliamentary System, the political party winning the majority seats in the parliament makes the government and elects a person from among themselves as the Prime Minister who is the head of the Government.

On the other hand, in the presidential form of government, the President is the chief executive, who is directly elected by the people or by the members of the electoral college. The difference between the Parliamentary and Presidential form of government is discussed in the article in detail.

Content: Parliamentary System Vs Presidential System

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

Comparison Chart

Basis for ComparisonParliamentary form of GovernmentPresidential form of Gorvernment

Meaning	In Parliamentay system the legislative and executive body of government are closely related, while the judiciary is independent of the other two bodies of government.	In Presidential system, the legislative, executive and judiciary body of the government are independent of each other.
Executive	Dual executive	Single executive
Accountability	The executive is accountable to the legislature.	The executive is not accountable to the legislature.
Powers	Concentrated	Divided
Ministers	Only the members of Parliament can be appointed as minster.	Persons outside the legislature are appointed as ministers.
Dissolution of lower house	Prime Minister can dissolve the lower house before the expiry of its term.	President cannot dissolve lower house.
Tenure of Executive	Not fixed	Fixed

Definition of Parliamentary form of Government

Parliamentary form of government represents a system of democratic governance of a country, wherein the executive branch is derived from the legislative body, i.e. the Parliament. Here, the executive is divided into two parts, the Head of the State, i.e. President, who is only the nominal executive and the Head of the Government, i.e. Prime Minister, who is the real executive.

As per this system, the political party getting the maximum number of seats during federal elections, in the Parliament, forms the government. The party elects a member, as a leader, who is appointed as the Prime Minister by the President. After the appointment of the Prime Minister, the Cabinet is formed by him, whose members should be out of the Parliament. The executive body, i.e. the Cabinet is accountable to the legislative body, i.e. Parliament

This system is prevalent in the countries like India, Japan and Canada.

Definition of Presidential form of Government

When a country follows the Presidential form of Government, it denotes that there is only one person as the head of the state and government, i.e. the President. The election of the President is made directly by the citizens of the country or sometimes by the members of the electoral college for a fixed period.

The President elects some ministers as the Secretary and forms a small Cabinet, who assist in governing the country. Neither the President nor the Secretaries are accountable to the Congress (Parliament) for their acts. Indeed, they do not attend the sessions as well.

This form of government can be found in the countries like United States of America, Russia, Brazil and Srilanka.

The points presented below are important so far as the differences between parliamentary and presidential form of government is concerned:

1. The Parliamentary system of government is one in which there exists a harmonious relationship between the legislative and executive body, while the judiciary body works independently. As against this, in Presidential form of government, the three organs of the government work independently of each other.
2. In Parliamentary form of government, the executive is divided into two parts, i.e. the Head of the State (President) and the Head of the Government (Prime Minister). On the contrary, the President is the chief executive of the Presidential form of Government.
3. In the Parliamentary form of government, the executive body, i.e. the Council of Ministers is accountable to the Parliament for its acts. Conversely, in the Presidential form of Government, there is no such accountability, i.e. the executive body is not accountable to the Parliament for its acts.
4. Fusion of powers exists in the Parliamentary system, whereas the powers are separated in Presidential system.
5. In Parliamentary form, only those persons are appointed as ministers in the executive body who are the members of Parliament. Unlike, in Presidential form, persons other than those working in the legislature can be appointed as secretaries.
6. In Parliamentary government, the Prime Minister has the power to dissolve the lower house before the completion of its term. As opposed, the President cannot dissolve the lower house, in Presidential government.
7. The tenure of the executive is not fixed in Parliamentary government, as in, if a no-confidence motion is passed in the Parliament, the Council of Ministers is dismissed. Contrary to this, the executive has a fixed term in the Presidential government.

Conclusion

The members of the cabinet possess double membership, i.e. of legislative and executive organ of government. Contrary to this, in the presidential form of government, the members of the cabinet possesses the membership of executive organ only.

When it comes to dominance, in the Parliamentary System, the President is only the titorial head, while the real powers lie in the hands of the Prime Minister. On the contrary, in the Presidential System, the President has got the supreme power.

A representative democracy can be divided into Parliamentary and Presidential democracy. A presidential system, also known as a single executive system, is a form of government in which the president heads an executive branch that is independent of the legislative branch whereas a parliamentary system, often known as parliamentary democracy, is a form of democratic administration in which the executive gains political legitimacy by commanding the support of the legislative, usually a parliament, to whom it is accountable. In this article, we will discuss the difference between both these types of representative governments.

Presidential Form of Government

• A presidential system is a form of government in which the President serves as the Chief Executive and is chosen by the people directly.
• As a result, the executive branch of government is distinct from the legislative branch. It is a type of government in which the three branches (legislature, executive, and judiciary) operate independently and are unable to dismiss or dissolve one another. While the legislative creates the laws, the President is responsible for enforcing them, and the courts are in charge of carrying out judicial tasks.

Parliamentary Form of Government

• A Parliamentary form of democracy is also known as the Cabinet form of government or the ‘Responsible Government’.
• It is a form of government in which residents elect members to the legislative legislature.
• This Parliament is in charge of making state-wide decisions and legislation.
• It is also directly accountable to the general public.

Difference between forms of the Government

Basis Parliamentary Form of Government Presidential Form of Government

Meaning	It is a type of governance in which the legislative and the executive branch are intimately correlated. It is a form of government in which citizens elect representatives to the legislative body.	It is a form of governance in which the executive, judiciary, and legislature all act independently of one another. The President serves as the chief executive and is directly chosen by the people.
Executive	Dual executive as leader of the state and leader of the government are different.	single executive as the head of the state and the head of the government is the same.
Ministers	Belong to the ruling party and are Members of Parliament. Generally, no outsider is allowed to become a minister.	can be chosen from outside the legislature, and are usually industry experts.
Accountability	Executive accountable to Legislature	Executive not accountable to Legislature
Dissolution of the lower house	The Prime Minister is able to dissolve the lower house.	The President cannot dissolve the lower house.
Tenure	Prime Minister’s tenure depends upon majority support in the Parliament. Thus, it is not fixed.	Fixed tenure for President.
Separation of Powers	No clear-cut separation of power.	The principle of Separation of powers is strictly followed.
Party Discipline	Stronger party discipline	Party discipline is comparatively less
Autocracy	Less autocratic	More autocratic.

Conclusion

Depending on whether a country has a Presidential or Parliamentary system, the governing structure varies. Some countries have used a combination of each of these approaches. Separation of powers, accountability, executives, and other factors distinguish these systems. Both of these systems have their own set of benefits and drawbacks. A country chooses the system that best matches its needs. In a varied country like India, the parliamentary system provides for representative governance, which is ideal.

FAQs

Question: What do you mean by parliamentary democracy?

Answer:

A parliamentary system, often known as parliamentary democracy, is a type of democratic administration in which the executive derives political legitimacy by securing the support of the legislature, generally a parliament, to whom it is accountable.

Question: What is the Presidential Form of Government ?

Answer:

It is a type of government in which the executive, judiciary, and legislature all operate separately. The President is the main executive and is elected by the people directly.

Question: What do you mean by Autocracy ?

Answer:

Autocracy is a form of government in which one person holds ultimate authority over a state and whose decisions are not subject to external legal limitations or regularised methods of popular control.

UPSC Mains Practice Question: Question: Distinguish between Parliamentary and Presidential forms of Government. Do you think that changing over to Presidential form will be a solution for better governance? Substantiate your answer. [UPSC 1995]

MCQs

Question: In the context of India, which of the following principles is/are implied institutionally in the parliamentary government? [UPSC 2013]

1. Members of the Cabinet are Members of the Parliament.
2. Ministers hold the office till they enjoy confidence in the Parliament.
3. The Cabinet is headed by the Head of the State.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below.

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 2 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (a) See the Explanation

In a Parliamentary form of government, the Prime Minister leads the Cabinet. Members of the Cabinet are also members of Parliament, as India is a parliamentary democracy. The leader of the government, not the state, is in charge of the cabinet.

Therefore, Option (a) is the correct answer.

Question: Proportional representation is NOT necessary in a country where [UPSC 1997]

(a) there are no reserved constituencies

(b) a two-party system has developed

(c) the first-past-post system prevails

(d) there is a fusion of Presidential and Parliamentary forms of government

Answer: (b) See the Explanation

When a country has a multi-party system, proportional representation is required to represent the interests of minorities or parties that have not received enough votes to win. People who live in areas with a two-party system have a clear choice between two options. After that, the losing party will become the opposition.

Therefore, Option (b) is the correct answer.