Contemporary India : 24103

Presidential and Parliamentary Form of

Government
There are basically two forms of democratic government systems:

• Presidential
• Parliamentary
India follows a parliamentary form of government modelled on UK system.
Our founding fathers had strong reasons for adopting this, as opposed to the
presidential system.
Apart from the parliamentary and presidential systems, there can also be a
hybrid system incorporating features of both systems.  The chief difference
between these systems is the extent of power separation between the
legislative, the executive and the judiciary.
Another major difference between the presidential and parliamentary systems
is the accountability of the executive to the legislature. 
First, we will discuss both forms of government systems enumerating their
merits and drawbacks and then do a comparison of both the systems.

1. Presidential System of Government

In a presidential system, the head of the government is 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.
Features of the Presidential System
1. The executive (President) can veto acts by the legislature.
2. The President has a xed tenure and cannot be removed by a vote of
no-con dence in the legislature.
3. Generally, the President has the power to pardon or commute judicial
sentences awarded to criminals.
4. The President is elected directly by the people.
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 Merits of Presidential System
The advantages of the presidential system are given below:

• Separation of powers: Ef ciency of administration is greatly enhanced

since the three arms of the government are independent of each other.
• Expert government:  Since the executive need not be legislators, the
President can choose experts in various elds to head relevant
departments or ministries. This will make sure that people who are
capable and knowledgeable form part of the government.
• Stability:  This type of government is stable. Since the term of the
president is xed and not subject to majority support in the legislative,
he need not worry about losing the government. There is no danger of a
sudden fall of the government. There is no political pressure on the
president to make decisions.
• Less in uence of the party system: Political parties do not attempt to
dislodge the government since the tenure is xed.
Demerits of Presidential System
The disadvantages of the presidential system are given below:

• Less responsible executive:  Since the legislature has no hold over

the executive and the president, the head of the government can turn
authoritarian.
• Deadlocks between executive and legislature: Since there is a more
strict separation of powers here, there can be frequent tussles between
both arms of the government, especially if the legislature is not
dominated by the president’s political party. This can lead to an erosion
in ef ciency because of wastage of time.
• Rigid government:  Presidential systems are often accused of being
rigid. It lacks exibility.
• Spoils system:  The system gives the president sweeping powers of
patronage. Here, he can choose executives as per his will. This gives
rise to the spoils system where people close to the president (relatives,
business associates, etc.) get roles in the government.
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 2. Parliamentary System of Government
India chose a parliamentary form of government primarily because the
constitution-makers were greatly in uenced by the system in England.
Another reason the founding fathers saw was that the parliamentary model
would only work to accommodate the varied and diverse groups within our
population. Also, the strict separation of powers in the presidential system
would cause con icts between the two branches, the executive and the
legislature, which our newly-independent country could ill-afford.
There are more parliamentary forms of government in the world than there
are presidencies. 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
1. Close relationship between the legislature and the executive: 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.
2. Executive responsible to the legislature:  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.
3. Dual executive: There are two executives – the real executive and the
titular executive. The nominal executive is the head of state (The
President ) while the real executive is the Prime Minister, who is the
head of government.
4. Secrecy of procedure: A prerequisite of this form of government is that
cabinet proceedings are secret and not meant to be divulged to the
public. 
5. Leadership of the Prime Minister:  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.
6. Bicameral Legislature:  Most parliamentary democracies follow
bicameral legislature.
7. No xed tenure: The term of the government depends on its majority
support in the lower house. If the government does not win a vote of no
con dence, the council of ministers has to resign. Elections will be held
and a new government is formed.
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Although India follows this system chie y in uenced by the British model,
there are a few differences between the Indian and British systems. They are:

• In India, the PM can be from either the Rajya Sabha or the Lok Sabha.
In Britain, the PM will always be from the lower house, the House of
Commons.
• In Britain, the speaker once appointed, formally resigns from his/her
political party. In India, the speaker continues to be a member of his/her
party though he/she is expected to be impartial in the proceedings.
• The concept of a shadow cabinet is absent in India. In Britain, the
opposition forms a shadow cabinet that scrutinises the actions and
policies of the government. It also offers alternative programmes.
Merits of Parliamentary System
The advantages of the parliamentary system are as follows:

• Better coordination between the executive and the

legislature:  Since the executive is a part of the legislature, and
generally the majority of the legislature support the government, it is
easier to pass laws and implement them.
• Prevents authoritarianism:  Since the executive is responsible to the
legislature, and can vote it out in a motion of no con dence, there is no
authoritarianism. Also, unlike the presidential system, power is not
concentrated in one hand.
• Responsible government:  The members of the legislature can ask
questions and discuss matters of public interest and put pressure on
the government. The parliament can check the activities of the
executive.
• Representing diverse groups:  In this system, the parliament offers
representation to diverse groups of the country. This is especially
important for a country like India.
• Flexibility: There is exibility in the system as the PM can be changed
easily if needed. During the Second World War, the British PM Neville
Chamberlain was replaced by Winston Churchill. This is unlike the
presidential system where he/she can be replaced only after the entire
term or in case of impeachment/incapacity.
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 Demerits of Parliamentary System
The disadvantages of the parliamentary system are as follows:

• No separation of powers:  Since there is no genuine separation of

powers, the legislature cannot always hold the executive responsible.
This is especially true if the government has a good majority in the
house. Also, because of anti-defection rules, legislators cannot exercise
their free will and vote as per their understanding and opinions. They
have to follow the party whip.
• Unquali ed legislators:  The system creates legislators whose
intention is to enter the executive only. They are largely unquali ed to
legislate.
• Instability:  Since the governments sustain only as long as they can
prove a majority in the house, there is instability if there is no single-
largest party after the elections. Coalition governments are generally
quite unstable and short-lived. Because of this, the executive has to
focus on how to stay in power rather than worry about the state of
affairs/welfare of the people.
• Ministers:  The executive should belong to the ruling party. This rules
out the hiring of industry experts for the job.
• Failure to take a prompt decision:  Since there is no xed tenure
enjoyed by the Council of Ministers, it often hesitates from taking bold
and long-term policy decisions.
• Party politics:  Party politics is more evident in the parliamentary
system where partisan interests drive politicians more than national
interests.
• Control by the bureaucracy:  Civil servants exercise a lot of power.
They advise the ministers on various matters and are also not
responsible to the legislature.
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 Comparison of Presidential and Parliamentary
Systems
Basis Parliamentary Presidential

Executive Dual Single

Accountability Executive accountable Executive not

to legislature accountable to legislature

Ministers Only from among MPs People outside the

legislature can be
appointed

Dissolution of PM can dissolve before President cannot dissolve

lower house the expiry of the term

Tenure Not xed Fixed

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