Forms of Government

Parliamentary System

Presidential System

Federal Government

Unitary Government
 Parliamentary System
Features:

Dual Executive

Nominal President, Head of the State

Real Prime Minister, Head of the Govt, heads Council of Ministers

Majority party rule

Party with majority seats in Lok Sabha forms the Govt.

Leader of that party is appointed as the Prime Minister by the President

Collective responsibility

Ministers are collectively responsible to the parliament

Lok Sabha can remove the Council of Ministers by passing a vote of no confidence

Political homogeneity

Members of Council of Ministers belong to the same party thus same political ideology

In case of coalition, ministers are bound by consensus.

 Parliamentary System
Parliamentary System
Double membership

Ministers are members of both- Legislature & Executive

Cannot be a minister without being a Member of Parliament

Leadership of Prime Minister

Leader of Council of Ministers, Leader of the Parliament

Leader of the party in power

Dissolution of Lower House

On recommendation of Prime Minister, President can dissolve the Lok Sabha

Executive enjoys the right to get the legislature dissolved in a parliamentary system
 Parliamentary System
Merits:

Harmony between Legislature and Executive

Interdependence and cooperation

Responsible government

Ministers are responsible to the Parliament

Parliament exercises control over the ministers through question hour, discussions,

adjournment motions, no confidence motions

Prevents despotism

Executive authority is vested in a group of individuals i.e. Council of Ministers and not in a single person

Ready alternative government

In case ruling party loses majority, Head of State can invite opposition to form govt.

Wide Representation
 Parliamentary System

Demerits:

Unstable government

No continuity of policies

Against separation of powers

Governments by amateurs
 Presidential System
Features:

Single Executive

Both Head of the State and Head of the Government

President and legislators elected separately for a fixed term

President is directly elected by an electoral college

Cannot be removed by Congress except by impeachment for grave unconstitutional act.

Non-responsibility

President governs with the help of smaller kitchen cabinet

An advisory body consists of non-elected departmental secretaries, appointed and removed by the

President

Political homogeneity may not exist

 Presidential System
Single membership

President and his Secretaries are not members of the Congress

Domination of President

President and his Secretaries are not responsible to the Congress for their acts

No dissolution of Lower House

President cannot dissolve the Lower House of Congress House of Representatives

Separation of powers

Legislative , Executive and Judicial powers of the government are separated and vested

in three independent organs of the government

 Presidential System

Merits:

Stable government

Definiteness in policies

Based on separation of powers

Government by experts
 Presidential System

Demerits:

Conflict between Legislature and Executive

Non-responsible government

May led to autocracy

Narrow representation
 Federal Government
Dual government national and regional governments

Written Constitution

Division of powers between the national and the regional

governments

Supremacy of the constitution

Rigid Constitution

Independent judiciary

Bicameral Legislature
 Single government National government which may create regional
governments

Constitution may be written (France) or unwritten (Britain)

No division of powers. All powers are vested in the National

government

Constitution may be supreme (Japan) or may not be supreme (Britain)

Constitution may be rigid (France) or flexible (Britain)

Judiciary may be independent or may not be independent

Legislature may be bicameral (Britain) or unicameral (China)