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Presidential System

Presidents take more direct personal charge of policy than the cabinet does in a parliamentary
system. The majority party and the cabinet are a team in a parliamentary system. But the
president is directly elected by the people. Unlike parliamentary cabinets, the presidential
cabinet does not contain party notables. The president is also the head of the army and
directly responsible for foreign policy.
Article: Chapter 15- Presidential ...
Source: Central Michigan Universi...
Presidents in presidential systems are always active participants in the political process,
though the extent of their relative power may be influenced by the political makeup of the
legislature and whether their supporters or opponents have the dominant position therein. In
some presidential systems such as South Korea or the Republic of China (on Taiwan), there is
an office of the prime minister or premier, but unlike semi-presidential or parliamentary
systems, the premier is responsible to the president rather read more
Article: Presidential system
Source: Bioreference
On September 6,1787, the Founders in Philadelphia abandoned their plans for parliamentary
governance in favor of a presidential system. The presidential system, with its separation of
powers among the different branches of government, is at the core of the Constitution. James
Madison thought that presidential systems are more likely to preserve liberty.
Article: Going North
Source: Offline Book/Journal
It is hard to make comprehensive policies in a presidential system than in a parliamentary
system because a bill can be blocked at any stage in a presidential system, the governments
are relatively slow to respond. Responsibility for policy is more difficult to identify in a
presidential system because it is hard to blame anyone: the President, the Congress or the
Supreme Court. However, presidential systems tend to be more efficient for large countries.
Article: Presidential Government
Source: Central Michigan Universi...
In presidential systems, presidents, combining the roles of head of state and head of
government, are dominant in the executive, but due to an institutional separation of powers
they have to find majority support for their policy preferences on an issue-by-issue basis in
the legislature.
Article: Prime Ministerial and Pre...
Source: Sage Reference
Presidentialism alone is neither a necessary nor a sufficient condition for democratic
instability. Presidential constitutions, because they are designed to create checks and balances

by pitting one branch of government against another, may set in motion characteristic
patterns of political struggle involving sharp disputes over the powers of the president, the
legislature, and the courts when other forces trigger a crisis.
Article: Presidentialism/President...
Source: Charles Scribner's Sons
Compared to parliamentary systems, the presidential system suffers less from the danger of
oppression of minorities since votes are led by issues that concern the majority. The
presidential system is better from the point of view of accountability since executive can be
directly voted down.
Article: Building a Dynamic Europe
Source: Offline Book/Journal
Presidential systems possess several defining features including the separation of power
between the executive and the legislative branches of government, weak party discipline, and
a powerful committee system. Presidential systems, first devised in the United States as an
alternative to the monarchical system, are characterized by a separation of powers. Not only
do the executive and the legislature exist independently of one another, but they are also
elected independently of one another.
Presidential Republic is the form of government in which sovereignty is vested in the people
and their elected or nominated representative (president). A presidential republic may also be
understood to be a state in which all segments of society are enfranchised and the power of
the state is limited.
Article: Republic
Source: Oxford Reference Online
In a presidential system, the president is popularly elected, either directly or indirectly, and
holds office for a fixed term. The legislature cannot remove the president from office, except
by impeachment.

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