Comparing Democratic Systems

a. The main difference between a parliamentary and presidential system of

government is that in a presidential system, the president is separate from the
legislative body, but in a parliamentary system, the chief executive is part of the
legislative body, or parliament. A presidential system separates the executive and
legislative functions of the government and provides what are commonly called checks
and balances to limit the power of both the chief executive and the legislature. In a
parliamentary system, the legislature holds the power, and the chief executive must
answer to the legislature. Another main difference is that in a presidential system, the
chief executive and members of the legislature are elected separately by the people, but
in a parliamentary system, the legislature is elected by the people and then must
appoint or recommend for appointment one of its members to be the chief executive.

b. Regarding elections, in the parliamentary system, the legislature holds power. The
prime minister is chosen by members of the Parliament from amongst themselves. The
cabinet members must also belong to the legislature, where they are also questioned. If
the prime minister loses the support of the majority in the legislature on a vote, he or
she must resign, and elections happen immediately. In the United States, elections are
held every four years. In Britain and other parliamentary countries, they can happen at
any time, but in Britain, they must be held at least once every five years.

c. Regarding terms, the parliament must hold elections every five years, and the
presidential system holds elections every four years, the president can run for two terms
only.

d. An advantage of a presidential system is that the people get to choose who runs in
the elections and people have a say. Another advantage of the presidential system is
that there are checks and balances. No one branch of government gets too much power
in a presidential system of government. An advantage of a parliamentary system is that
it is faster and easier to pass laws because there are no checks and balances. Another
advantage for the parliamentary system is that power is more divided amongst the
system.

e. A disadvantage for presidential systems is that it takes a long time for a law to be
passed. Another disadvantage is that there is often tension between the parties. A
disadvantage for parliamentary systems is that the head of government is not directly
elected and there is no checks and balances in a parliamentary system of government.

Citations:

"Research Starters: Presidential and Parliamentary Government." Research Starters:
Presidential and Parliamentary Government. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.

"Parliamentary Versus Presidential Governments." Essortment. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept.
2014.

"Parliament | Scholastic.com." Scholastic Teachers. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Sept. 2014.
Difference Between Parliament and Presidential Governments. Dubroff, M. Dee, and
O. Wallace. WiseGeek. Conjecture, 10 Sept. 2014. Web. 01 Oct. 2014