Regarding this thematical essay, the discussion being covered regards the ‘ideal political system’, in which I will analyze, as well as investigate, the ideal political system with the support of real-life examples from real-world political systems, in addition, to support my arguments, the use of academic debates and literature on the topic will be prominent in aiding whether, for example, a parliamentary system is more practical and efficient compared to a semi-presidential. The four key areas discussed are the following: system, constitution, legislature, and electoral system.
System
About a political system, the process of the system involves decision-making and governing, which is done in various ways throughout the world, a clear example of a political system is a parliamentary system this system involves a democratic form of government that consists of a governing party whose leader becomes prime minister. On the contrary, the minority party serves as an opposition to the governing party and regularly contests decisions made by the government allowing for legislations proposed by the government to be dissected and criticized, which could appear to be undermining, as in a parliamentary system MPs (members of parliament) generally take a vote in favor of or against bills proposed by the government, in which they are also capable of blocking bills being passed, as well as stalling bills proposed by the prime minister, illustrating the capabilities MPs have, with regards to restricting the influence of the prime minister, but also them being able to have a major role in the decision-making of the country.
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Generally, in most cases, MPs tend to vote based on party allegiances, which further highlights the divide between the values and principles held by members of parliament, indicating frailty in the parliamentary political system, as there are cases in which MPs are forced to vote with their party, even if the bill proposed doesn’t resonate with their beliefs and ethics. The consequences which occur if they breach the party whip can include reduced prospects of promotion within the party or appointment to an MPs preferred committee, a less desirable parliamentary office, or selection for unpopular parliamentary duties, demonstrating an undemocratic style of governance as members of the party must adhere to strict guidelines or face punishment.
Whereas a presidential political system, a system which also adheres to a democratic form of government, enables the head of state to have more independence as they do not need the confidence of the legislature, e.g., the Senate and the House of Representatives, as in a presidential system the head of state cannot be removed by the legislature, this can only occur in situations in which he/she has committed a crime or in circumstances in which they have violated the constitution allowing for more stability and security in the presidential political system. In comparison to that of the parliamentary system, an argument can also be proposed that the presidential political system enables the head of state to be held directly accountable, this differs from systems such as directorial political systems due to the multiple members in the executive branch there is a lack of accountability as multiple individuals will decide on matters creating confusion, which is therefore not ideal, in comparison to a presidential system where there is a clear mandate set.
With regards to the removal of the prime ministers in circumstances in which they do not have the confidence of parliament, the parliamentary political system bases the legitimacy of the prime minister on whether parliament has confidence in the prime minister, not because the individual has been elected in office, in addition, the fact that election schedules are not fixed further forces voters to be put in harsher positions, on the contrary, systems such as presidential systems have fixed elections, allowing voters to vote without the pressure of having an un-scheduled illustrating a more ideal, as well as stable system compared to the rushed parliamentary format.
Constitution
Constitutions depict the rights which citizens hold, in addition, they also illustrate the limitations held by the government. The basis of constitutions are statutes, as well as the common law of the state. Codified constitutions consist of provisions written in a single document, while an uncodified constitution is an unwritten document, yet is illustrated in a variety of official documents, and is also less authoritative and not as entrenched when compared to a codified constitution, which views the constitution as more powerful than standard legislations, making it more of an ideal form of the constitution as this form of the constitution makes it easier to establish when the government has breached the constitution, while also protecting the rights such as freedom of speech placing them on a higher pedestal than legislation. While uncodified constitutions are more relaxed as legislations and the constitution share the same status highlighting that codified constitutions place more value and authority on the constitution, making it more ideal in comparison to an uncodified format.
Legislature
An assembly with the capabilities and authority to put forth laws, a legislature is a vital part of the state. Members of the legislatures are elected individuals who oversee governing these individuals form important parts of government. The legislature can be classified into two classes: bicameral and unicameral. Bicameral legislatures involve two branches, chambers, or houses. As a legislative body, this form of the legislature is the system depicted in the United States of America, in addition, the bicameral legislature enables laws to be thoroughly debated before they are made in the country. Moreover, this legislature also allows for more experienced individuals to be a part of the decision-making of laws, for example, doctors and scientists in cases where laws involve the health and well-being of the public, making this form of the legislature more efficient and ideal.
While the unicameral legislature involves only one house or chamber, allowing for bills to be passed quicker, these bills are insufficiently debated in comparison to bicameral, which go through various stages before bills are passed, therefore making it more ideal as these bills are looked through in detail. In addition, the bicameral legislature spreads the influence and reduces domination of the executive arms within the two chambers, whereas the unicameral legislature allows for unfair representation and also enables the ruling government to influence decisions as they generally have the majority in the house, indicating major flaws in this form of legislature.
Electoral System
A system of voting which decides on the outcome of an election, an electoral system is used in determining electoral results the various forms of an electoral system include: a PR list (open or closed), single transferable vote, mixed member system/additional member system, alternative vote, and first-past-the-post. In a PR list, also known as a party-list proportional representation system, this electoral system allows for parties to construct a list of candidates to be elected, in which their seats are distributed in proportion to the number of votes received by the party. This system is notably used in countries such as Turkey and Argentina. Yet under this electoral system, parties with radical ideologies can gain official representation, even though they don’t provide direct representation to specific communities, as in this format seats are not awarded based on the district voting but on the number of votes gained by the party which creates under-appreciated voters and can lead to increases in crimes, as communities or individuals may feel neglected as issues in their communities aren’t being addressed, this could include issues such as social issues, crimes or even pollution, highlighting how this electoral system under-values voters, therefore, making it not as ideal in comparison to a single transferable vote system.
A system that aims to prevent cases in which one single party takes all the seats, the single transferable vote system reduces the chances of parties or candidates with extremist views from being elected, as this system takes into account which candidate is least favorable and also allows voters to have various preferences in whom to vote for if there chosen candidate is eliminated from the election, yet the major flaw in this system is that it is time-consuming, yet appealing in that voters have various choices and aren’t closed in options and can vote for various candidates. Similar in ways to the party-list proportional representation system, the first-past-the-post electoral system also elects the highest polling candidate, in addition, this system allows for MPs to get elected with only 30% of their constituency in favor of them yet the remaining 70% didn’t vote for this candidate as their MP, sharing further similarities with the party-list proportional representation system, as the lack of representation of underrepresented voters can result in increases in social issues in the said area such as unemployment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, with regards to the ideal political system, I have concluded that as a system the presidential political system displays the most ideal attributes, in relation to which is the most ‘ideal political system’. This is due to a lack of accountability regarding other systems such as the one-party system, directorial system, and also absolute monarch, as these political systems allow for a lack of accountability. As in the case of absolute monarchs the unchallengeable political power held makes it hard for individuals to hold them accountable for actions as they may face discrimination if they challenge the authority. Similarly in the one-party system, the people have no power to change the government as other parties are limited in participation, which therefore makes it hard for them to hold the government accountable as their vote cannot make a difference. Whilst the directorial system differs majorly from absolute monarchs and one-party systems, this political system leads to confusion in that various individuals share the decision-making role and accountability can be shifted. Yet the presidential political system allows for one individual to be elected head of state where they are held accountable to the people who are able to vote in favor or for another candidate once the presidential term has finished, highlighting the power held by the public, which makes the presidential system a more appealing political system as the separation of powers in a presidential system reduces the chances of a corrupt government. Contrastingly, hybrid political systems are much more susceptible to a tyrannical as well as corrupt government due to the president being an un-elected president, therefore, illustrating the practicality of a presidential political system that offers stability, accountability, and freedom of choice. With regards to the ideal constitution, the codified constitution illustrates a more comprehendible format in that the codified constitution establishes cases in which the government has breached the constitution, indicating that this form of constitution adheres to a strict form and also protects the rights of the people. In the case of the legislature, the bicameral legislature enables for a more efficient and stable form of law-making as the process allows for laws to be looked into in detail by various experienced individuals also allowing for thorough debate before passed making it highly ideal in comparison to other forms of the legislature. Lastly, the electoral system, which displays the most rational system of voting, the single transferable vote system indicates a form of voting where the voters aren’t restricted in options but can have to choose various candidates if their first choice has failed to allow for voters to be represented extensively.
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