Presidential Form Of Government pol.pptx

Presidential Form Of Government pol.pptx

1. By- dr. Garima Singh Unit -1 Political Science Ba.llb, Semester-III Subject Code – 209 VSLLS, VIPS Presidential Form Of Government

2. Introduction The presidential system is that form of government where the head of government is also act as the head of states, not only this but he also leads the executive branch which is separated from legislative branch. The United States of America has a presidential system. In the Presidential form of government the executive is led by the President . In this form of government the President takes up the charge in his own capacity. The President is elected directly by the people . The President is also the supreme commander of the Army and also has the power to carry on the Foreign Policies

3. Characteristics Separation of Powers: There is a separation of powers in the Presidential government. In this system, the executive and legislature are separate from each other and they have equal status. The President and his secretaries (cabinet members) are not members of the Legislature and are not responsible to it. The legislature cannot remove them through a vote of no-confidence . System of checks and balances -Since complete separation of powers is not possible, the Presidential system follows the principle of “ checks and balances ” as well. For instance, through his power of patronage and veto-power over legislation, the President exercises control over the legislature. Similarly, the legislature is empowered to remove the President by impeachment . The Supreme Court can declare the laws passed by the legislature and the orders of the President as unconstitutional.

4. Contd …. Single Executive: In a Presidential government, the President is the Head of the State as well of the government. The President is not merely a nominal head, but is the real executive who enjoys real powers of administration. The President actually exercises all powers given to him under the constitution and the law. Fixed Term of the President: In a Presidential government, the President is elected for a fixed term and except impeachment for the violation of the constitution, he cannot be removed from office before the expiry of his term. Pre-eminence of the President: The President occupies a pre-eminent position in this system of government. The members of the President’s cabinet, who are designated as secretaries, are not his colleagues but his subordinates. The secretaries help the president in the administration and they are appointed by him on the basis of ability. It depends on the will of the president to accept or reject their advice.

5. Merits of Presidential form of Government It is a stable form of government as the President is elected for a fixed term and the process of impeachment is rarely adopted . It can follow a continuous and consistent policy. It is argued that the application of separation of powers and “checks and balances” as the basis of the Presidential system ensures that none of the three organs of the government can become despotic. It ensures individual liberty. The Presidential form of government enables the appointment of experts to head the various departments of the government without consideration of their party affiliations. This leads to efficiency in administration. A Presidential system is suitable for emergencies . It can face national crisis without difficulty. As the President need not depend too much on the direction of the cabinet or legislature, he can afford to take prompt decisions to meet a crisis and also to carry them out.

6. Demerits of Presidential form of Government A Presidential form of government may become despotic as the President cannot be controlled by the legislature and the latter has no control over matters of daily administration. Impeachment is a difficult process and is resorted to only under exceptional circumstances. A Presidential form of government is also very complex . There are too many commissions and committees under it . The Presidential system has been frequently criticized as being incapable of conducting a vigorous foreign policy . It is often said that in the US, the President’s dependence on the Congress in certain foreign policy matters makes US foreign policy a slow moving and uncertain affair.

7. Comparison of Presidential and Parliamentary Systems Basis Executive Accountability Ministers Dissolution of lower house Tenure Parliamentary Dual Executive accountable to legislature Only from among MPs PM can dissolve before the expiry of the term Not fixed Presidential Single Executive not accountable to legislature People outside the legislature can be appointed President cannot dissolve Fixed

8. Explanatory- One of the main differences between the presidential and parliamentary system is that in presidential system the legislative and executive branches are separated from each other , that means the president is not responsible for the government and the government is not responsible for the president as in USA. In the parliamentary system the executive branch is led by the PM and his council of ministers. They are all members of the legislative branch. In the presidential system, there is no such thing as the PM. The secretaries of the departments are answerable to the president only. The biggest difference is in terms of the powers of the president. In the parliamentary system , the president acts as a ceremonial figure and the head of the state who appoints the ministers and the PM, but has no powers in terms of foreign or domestic policy as in UK. In the presidential system as in USA, the president is the key actor in foreign and domestic policy and also a representative of constitutional authority.

9. In the parliamentary form of government there are two heads. One is the nominal head, while other is the Real head . For example, in UK queen is the nominal head and the prime minister is the real head. The Monarch of UK is the head of the state where as the prime minister is the head of the government. But in the presidential form of government, there is only one head. As in USA, the president is the head of not only of the states, but also of the government. There is no strict separation of powers in the parliamentary form of government as in UK and India. The ministers are also the part of the legislature. But presidential form of government strictly follows the principal of separation of powers. In the USA, the president and his ministers are not the part of the congress

10. The major difference between these two systems is that in a Presidential system, the President is directly voted upon by the people. He is answerable to the voters rather than the legislature. While in a parliamentary system, the legislature holds supreme power. The prime minister is chosen by members of the legislature and in practice is the leader of the majority party in the legislature. In the parliamentary system of government, the prime minister is fully free to choose his ministers among the members of the parliament. But in Presidential form of government, the president enjoys much more freedom in selecting his ministers. He selects them from much wider field taking into account there experience and expertise. In the Presidential form of government , both houses of the legislature – i.e. the Senate and the House of Representatives in USA- are directly elected. In the parliamentary form of government , one of the house is directly elected and the second house is nominated i.e. the House of Commons is directly elected and the House of Lords is largely appointed as in UK.

11. Thank you