The Advantages and Disadvantages of Parliamentary and Presidential Democracy

The Advantages and Disadvantages of Parliamentary and Presidential Democracy Most countries in the world have an organized government. The government plays a significant role in looking into its citizens' welfare while promoting its country's overall development. The government also preserves law and order and provides a defense of the country from external forces. The vital point is that, for the government to perform all functions, the country should establish specific primary organs or agents which act on its behalf and through which the state can work effectively. These agents must perform tasks that need some power, sanction, or law. This results in the need for constitutional law that lays down the role, rule, and structure of diverse branches through which the state acts. The constitutional systems in most countries take various forms. Some countries have a constitution with monarchs as its head, while others employ democracy and autocracy. Multiple countries across the globe use a democratic form of government with either presidential or parliamentary systems. The paper compares and contrasts the advantages and disadvantages of parliamentary and presidential democracy. Presidential system In this system, the governmental head serves as the chief executive and is elected by the citizens. The executive is not responsible for the legislature. Therefore, there are separate elections for each position within the government. The two organs are constitutionally independent and perform different roles. The citizens are offered an opportunity to vote for individuals they believe can serve them effectively regardless of their political party affiliation. In the US constitution, this method is applied where a president is directly elected through the Electoral College (McManus and Ozkan 2018, p. 374). Individuals of each state directly elect all federal legislature members. In this system, power separation is a critical aspect. The president, therefore, has unlimited powers. The system was conceived during the French Revolution and took shape under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte. Advantages Powers Separation Separations of powers are a vital component in the presidential system. The officials in different branches serve different office terms and different constituencies. Therefore, the executive does not exist in the legislative branch. A separate election from the legislature is used in choosing the president. The senior personnel in the executive are elected separately, indicating a power separation between these branches (Lee, 2018, p.781). This leads to work efficiency since each component is distinct and autonomous. Expert Governance The system offers the president an opportunity to appoint members of the cabinet. This ensures the president appoints highly qualified individuals in required fields. This, in turn, increases work efficiency and results in smooth operation in the administration since they are appointed per the president's wish. Once experts are chosen to take the cabinet’s office, there is efficiency in coordinating and drafting a country’s policies. Stability This system offers a high stability rate since the presidential term is rigid and lacks the majority’s legislative support. Therefore there lacks no danger of a sudden government collapse. Additionally, there is a lack of political pressure on the head's decision-making. There is rapid decision-making and ease in making required changes to enhance smooth operation. Disadvantages Lack of a Responsible Executive The legislature lacks the executive and the president’s hold over; therefore, the governmental heads can exercise authority. Additionally, the executive tends to be less responsible. In this case, making the right choice in the presidential elections is essential since it is not easy to impeach the president once he works contrary to the rule of law. The president is not dependent on his political party for his tenure. Deadlocks between Executive and Legislature Many tussles often arise when there is power separation between the legislature and the executive. This is usually common when the sitting president's political party does not dominate the legislature. The political deadlocks, in many instances, delay policy enactment leading to inefficiency in the overall governmental operation. Additionally, the deadlocks in the presidential system fail to offer high accountability to the citizens as the two branches shift the blame on each other. Parliamentary In this system, the president does not appoint ministers. Instead, they are appointed by the parliament, and the government answers to the legislature. The parliament can therefore remove or replace members of the cabinet. The legislative power of the parliament can be vested either by a written constitution or unwritten convention. Thus, the parliament controls different government aspects such as budget implementation, judges' appointment, and laws' passage. The parliamentary system can be traced back to the 12th century when English monarchs first ruled as part of an assembly (Ghardallou and Sridi 2020, p. 993). The main intention of creating this type of government is to ensure a power balance between different groups. The United Kingdom employs a parliamentary democracy. Advantages Faster and Quicker Decision Making When the legislature and the executive arms are intertwined, there is a high rate of decisionmaking and implementation. The joint operation makes the approval of parliamentary policies fast. This helps to effectively and efficiently implement programs and policies beneficial to the country (Lee, 2018, p. 779). Additionally, since most of the legislature supports the government, there is ease in the passage and law implementation. Since the executive branch has the highest party in parliament, it is easier to pass legislation with minimal opposition resistance. Minimal Personnel and Cost The system fusion of the legislature and the executive ensures less personnel and costs are needed in running a cabinet system of government. Unlike the presidential system, where different personnel occupies different offices, the fusion in the parliamentary reduces the overall cost due to working together. Promotion of Good Governance The system promotes good governance since people are offered an opportunity to make clear political choices. Additionally, there is people representation since the executive leadership must always serve as the people will. The member of the legislature can question the government and lay a discussion on public interest matters (Gyene, 2019, p. 49). The United Kingdom parliamentary system helps in drawing the attention of ethnic groups. This makes it effective in achieving national and regional objectives. Disadvantage Uncertainty and Government Instability Since the government sustains so long as they can prove a majority in the house, there lacks stability potential if there lacks a single-largest party after electing the leaders. Coalition governments lack stability. Therefore, the executive should focus on establishing mechanisms of remaining in power rather than striving to meet the needs and citizens' welfare. The parliament can offer a vote of no confidence leading to crisis, segregation, and governance instability. Overload of the Functions of the Cabinet There exist a fusion of the roles of the legislative and the executive. This may increase the burden on the cabinet members, and some ministers may not cope well. Additionally, there is the possibility of ineffectiveness in government since the roles of the executive and the legislature may overburden the cabinet. Similarities Advantages The two systems of government employ democracy. This is a significant feature of the system as it allows the citizens to exercise their rights through voting in leadership. Therefore the two systems are superior to other governments that fail to offer an opportunity for people to enjoy popular sovereignty. The United Kingdom and the United States present their citizens with the power to enjoy and exercise their voting rights (Gyene, 2019, p. 39). Additionally, exercising democracy through the two systems helps create security, stability, and prosperity in the global arena where countries advance their national interest. Disadvantages Spoilt System The two systems of government can result in failed systems. In the presidential system, the president is offered extensive patronage powers. Therefore, he can choose the executive based on his will and desire. Therefore those close to him, such as business associates and relatives, get powers in the government. This can lead to unproductiveness in the overall government. In the parliamentary government, a split system can result due to control by the bureaucracy (Linz, 2018, p. 95). The civil servants often exercise extensive power. They offer advise ministers on diverse issues and are irresponsible to the legislature. In conclusion, multiple countries across the globe employ a democratic form of government with either presidential or parliamentary systems. The two systems contain different advantages and disadvantages. The presidential system allows citizens to vote for individuals they believe can serve them effectively regardless of their political party affiliation. The president, in this case, has unlimited powers. In this system, the president does not appoint ministers. Instead, they are appointed by the parliament, and the government answers to the legislature.