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Question

Differentiate between the parliamentary and presidential form of Democracy

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Solution

Parliamentary form of democracy:
In this system, the parliament is generally supreme and the executive is responsible to the legislature. It is also known as the Cabinet form of government, and also Responsible Government’.

Features of the parliamentary system
Here, the Prime Minister along with the Council of Ministers form the executive and the Parliament is the legislature. The PM and the ministers are elected from the members of parliament, implying that the executive emerges out of the legislature. Moreover, the executive is responsible to the legislature. There is a collective responsibility, that is, each minister's responsibility is the responsibility of the whole Council. The nominal executive is the head of state (president or monarch) while the real executive is the Prime Minister, who is the head of government. The leader of this form of government is the Prime Minister. Generally, the leader of the party that wins a majority in the lower house is appointed as the PM.
Presidential form of Democracy
In a presidential system, the head of the government leads an executive that is distinct from the legislature. Here, the head of the government and the head of the state are one and the same. Also, a key feature is that the executive is not responsible to the legislature. Some of the features of the Presidential System are:
The executive (President) can veto acts by the legislature. The President has a fixed tenure and cannot be removed by a vote of no-confidence in the legislature. Generally, the President has the power to pardon or commute judicial sentences awarded to criminals.
The President is elected directly by the people or by an electoral college.

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