Describe merits and demerits of parliamentary and presidential form of govt essay ias
Answers
President or Prime Minister?
Have you ever wondered what the difference between President and Prime Minister is? Or maybe you've wondered why other countries don't have a President. Well, the answers lie in understanding the differences between a presidential versus a parliamentary system of government. Sometimes in the U.S., we forget that not every democracy looks exactly like ours, and learning how a parliamentary system works will help you understand how other democratic countries like Australia and Germany govern themselves.
Defining Parliamentary Government
Parliamentary government is a democratic form of government in which the political party that wins the most seats in the legislature or parliament during the federal election forms the government. This majority party chooses a leader to be the Prime Minister or Chancellor, and other high-ranking members of the party make up the cabinet. The minority party forms the opposition, and its job is to challenge the majority party. If no party is able to win a majority in the election, a coalition government will be formed with a few political parties cooperating together.
It's called 'parliamentary government' because all of the power is vested in the parliament. In a presidential system like the United States, the executive branch is separate, and the president is popularly elected by the citizens of the nation. In a parliamentary system, the head of the government is chosen from the parliament, and is often one of the most senior members or ministers in parliament, which is where we get the term 'Prime Minister.' Often in a parliamentary system, the country will have a Head of State, who is a ceremonial figure like the Queen, but does not engage in legislating or politics.
Countries with a parliamentary government
Examples: Australia and Germany
Parliamentary government originated in Great Britain, and now countries all over the world use this form of democracy. For example, Australia and Germany both have a parliamentary government, but there are a few differences between them.
Australia, a member of the British Commonwealth, has a form of parliamentary government that is similar to Great Britain. Its Parliament has two houses; the Senate and the House of Representatives just like the United States Congress. The political party that wins the most seats in the House of Representatives forms the government and chooses the Prime Minister. In Australia, the floor of the Parliament is the site of vigorous debate. The majority and minority parties face off regularly to discuss legislation. There's often a lot of shouting and taunting! The Prime Minister takes part in the debates, and must be prepared to join the fray to propose and defend his or her decisions.
Australian Parliament: the majority and opposition parties sit opposite one another
parliament
Germany also has a two-house Parliament. The Bundesrat is the upper house like the senate, and the Bundestag is the lower house like the House of Representatives. The majority party in the Bundestag elects a Chancellor who leads the government. Unlike Australia, most debates happen in small committee meetings. Then the committees bring a bill to the plenary chamber where it goes to a vote. That means there's a lot less fighting in the plenary chamber.