Advantages and disadvantages of presidential system of government
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Advantages & Disadvantages of Presidential, Parliamentary and Semi-Presidential Systems
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journal article Government Systems, Party Politics, and Institutional Engineering in the RoundInsight Turkey Vol. 18, No. 4, PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM AND TURKEY PROPOSALS, DEBATES AND DRAFT (Fall 2016) , pp. 79-92 (15 pages) Published By: SET VAKFI İktisadi İşletmesi, SETA VAKFI https://www.jstor.org/stable/26300453 Read and download Log in through your school or library Alternate access options For independent researchers Read Online Read 100 articles/month free Purchase article $10.00 - Download now and later Abstract Countries often debate the issue of constitutional reform. Typically, such debates focus on whether a country should have a presidential, semi-presidential, or parliamentary system of government. The advantages and disadvantages of each of these systems are now very well-known. However, it is important to move beyond the simple headline debate about the respective pros and cons of each system. This is because the operation of all three systems of government is conditioned by both the party political context in which they operate and the specific powers that are given to actors in the executive and legislative branch of government. This means that when considering constitutional reform, it is important to think about the specific context in which the reform will be introduced and the totality of changes that are being considered. Journal Information Insight Turkey is a quarterly journal published by SETA Foundation since 1999. A peer reviewed academic journal with a policy-oriented perspective, Insight Turkey covers a broad range of topics related to Turkish domestic and foreign policy issues and global affairs, in particular in the Middle East, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Europe. Publisher Information SETA Foundation for Political, Economic and Social Research is a non-profit research institute dedicated to innovative studies on national, regional, and international issues. The objective of SETA is to produce up-to-date and accurate knowledge and analyses in the fields of politics, economy and society and inform policy makers and the public on changing political, economic, social and cultural conditions. SETA evaluates national and international issues in an historical and cultural context. Presidential Democracy refers to a form of government that dates back to the 19th century. We can define this Democracy as a government system in which the executive arm is separate from a legislature. Like the president’s fixed term of office, the legislature, too, stays on for a fixed term of office and can never be done away with before the schedule. In this article, we shall have a thorough and detailed overview of the pros and cons of Presidential Democracy and a few other
facts about Presidential Democracy. Top 20 President Interview Question... Please enable JavaScript Pros of Presidential Democracy1. Elections are direct. In Presidential Democracy, the people are often elect their president directly. Direct elections make the president’s powers more legitimate in comparison to the powers of a leader who is appointed indirectly. In most countries that use Presidential Democracy, such as Ghana and Nigeria, their president is elected by popular vote. However, some presidential democratic countries like the United States use an electoral college- the Electoral College itself is directly elected. Alternatively, some other method is used. Through this method, the president is given personal authority to lead the country. 2. There is a separation of powers in a presidential democracy. Presidential Democracy establishes the legislature and the presidency as two parallel structures. This separation allows each arm to check and monitor the other, which prevents the abuse of power. A Presidential Democracy’s separation of the legislature from the executive is occasionally seen as an advantage in that each branch may question the actions of the other. 3. Speedy decision-making. A president vested with strong powers can regularly affect changes in a speedy manner. In this way, a Presidential Democracy can respond quickly to emerging situations since the president is often less constrained and does not need approval from other bodies when making decisions. 4. Presidential Democracy is more stable. A president, using a predetermined term, is likely to offer more stable leadership. In a presidential system, elections are fixed. These predetermined elections become a welcome “check” on the executive’s powers, which keeps the executive checked and on its toes. 5. The place of the judiciary in governance. In a Presidential Democracy, the courts possess judicial review power, which can determine unconstitutional laws. These judicial powers check on both the legislature and the executive, which minimizes almost zero instances of abuse of power. 6. Presidential Democracy enhances a government’s accountability and loyalty to its people. In a Presidential Democracy, the president is elected by the people, not by other bodies or groups of people, such as political parties. This keeps the head of state on their toe in a bid to keep true to their manifesto. 7. Presidential Democracy is more likely to offer able leadership. In a Presidential Democracy, the president appoints experts to head various departments and portfolios, paying no regard to the appointees’ political affinities. 8. In a presidential democracy, the presidency is more significant. This means that the president bears a lot of power, which might, for instance, make decision-making so fast in case of emergencies and urgent situations. Additionally, it minimizes the misuse of power by other government arms, such as the legislature. 9. There are clear outlines and demarcation of power. This clear outline of power means that every government’s arm knows what to do and when to do it. This clarity is critical to measure the performance of the government’s various arms and avoid confusion in governmental roles and responsibilities. Cons of Presidential Democracy1. There is a likelihood of authoritarianism. Presidential Democracy can intensify their divergence and can cause authoritarianism or resemble an authoritarian regime. In a presidential democracy, the president and the legislature have similar mandates from the public. This means that Conflicts between the executive and the legislative arms of government might prove hard to reconcile. When the president and the legislature are at crossroads, and the government no longer works effectively, there is a vigorous motivation to employ extra-constitutional expedients to break the stalemate. Among the three regular arms of the government, the executive lies in the best position to employ extra-constitutional expedients, mostly in situations where the president serves as the head of government, head of state, and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. This means that the president might take advantage of their position to abuse office and misuse power. 2. Political congestion and barriers. The separation of powers of a presidential democracy sets apart the legislature and the residency as two parallel structures. This separation is likely to create an unpleasant and long-lasting political gridlock whenever the legislative majority and the head of state come from various parties, which is expected since the electorate typically expects better results from new policies than are practical. Additionally, these political stalemates minimize accountability by giving the legislature and the president a chance to play blame games. In these cases of political gridlock, presidential democracies fail to offer the electorate desired accountability. It is easy for either the legislature or the president to escape mistakes by shifting blame to the other. 3. There are many Obstacles to change of leadership in a presidential democracy. Frequently, a Presidential Democracy makes it difficult to dismiss a president from office earlier, for instance, after the state’s head takes unpopular actions. Even when a head of state is proved inefficient, even when the president turns unpopular, even when the president’s policy is not acceptable to most of the president’s countrymen, the head of state and their methods must be put up with until it is time for another election. Additionally, while dismissing from office by Impeachment is authorized by most of the constitutions, the process of Impeachment often can be initiated only in events where the head of state has either broken the law or acted against the constitution. Often, Impeachment is made extremely difficult; compared to the removal of a party leader, which is usually dictated by the (often informal) rules. Almost all parties (inclusive of governing parties) have comparatively uncomplicated processes for dismissing their ineffective leaders. Moreover, even when the process of Impeachment against a sitting head of state succeed, whether by causing their dismissal from office or by pressuring their resignation, the legislature often has little or no discretion in appointing the successor to the ousted president since presidential democracies typically follow a fixed succession process which is put into action the same way no matter how a vacancy in the presidency comes into existence. The regular result of an ousted president is that the vice president automatically succeeds the ousted president. Vice presidents are often a choice of the president, either as a running mate who is elected alongside the president or by the appointment of a sitting head of state, so that when a vice president succeeds to the ousted president, it is likely that they will continue a majority of the entire collection of policies of the former president. This means the perpetuation of bad leadership. 4. Presidential Democracy is subject to the rigidity of the constitution. Flexibility is critical to cope with the occasional rapid changes. Constitutional rigidity is such an impediment to change. 5. There is a significantly less likelihood of effective laws in presidential Democracy. There is less harmony between the executive and the legislature. In this regard, the government’s arms are likely to make and implement laws that favor their interests and give less power to the other, ignoring public interests, which leaves the electorate at a loss. 6. Presidential Democracy may bring about incompetent public service. In a presidential democracy, the head of state can appoint whoever they wish for individual public offices and head various portfolios. This means that whoever the president appoints is not subject to any scrutiny or approval by the government’s other arms, especially the legislature. 7. Slow decisions. A presidential democracy runs on a system of balances and checks. This means that helpful decisions might take time due to criticism from the legislature, which leads to slow development or withholding of constructive decisions to the electorate. Features of a Presidential Democracy1. The Executive Power is integrated. It is vested in a president who is the head of state and the head of government. 2. The people elect the president, not the Legislative Branch. This direct election by the people gives the head of state independence before this arm of the government. 3. The president is at liberty to either appoint or dismiss the secretaries of the state. 4. Neither the secretaries of state nor the president are politically answerable before Congress. 5. as a general rule, neither the president nor the secretaries of state can be Congress members. 6. The president can be attached to a political party different from that of the congress majority. 7. The president has no power to dissolve Congress. However, Congress can give the head of state vote of censure. Countries that use Presidential DemocracyPresidential Democracy in South American: Peru ConclusionThe above outstanding details are not applied in all presidential democracies, less in their original structure. However, establishing their principles is vital in determining whether Democracy is presidential or parliamentarian or entirely presidential or the other way. In a presidential democracy, the balance of power is likely to be more accountable as it aims to define the boundaries between the Legislative and the executive arms of the government, although there are numerous partnership alliances between the legislature and the executive arms of the government, and that members of one branch are not members of the other branch at the same time, though there are exceptions. It is also important to note that Presidential Democracy is closely compared to parliamentarian democracy, a form of Democracy in which the head of state is a prime minister. In parliamentarian democracy, the party (or a congress of parties) enjoying the most massive numbers in the parliament forms the government. The majority party leader becomes the prime minister or chancellor. In parliamentary Democracy, parliament exercises executive functions, with the prime minister’s appointment to the cabinet. The minority parties serve in opposition and challenge the government. A Prime minister may be removed from office whenever they become unpopular. We want to spread the word about energy and help make our world a better place for all people. We will never spam your email. Please Support Us if you like our content! I am a conservationist at heart and on a journey to provide the best information on energy in a format that is easy to understand. Those topics include but are not limited to: Renewable energy, Energy Statistics, Company reviews and facts/information about different energy sources. What is the advantage of presidential system of government?The fixed tenure in office enjoyed by a president under the presidential system makes for the stability of the government and the continuity of policies. A stable government also allows for both medium and long term planning, rather than the instability that characterises a parliamentary system of government.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of parliamentary systems of government?Parliamentary Government Key Terms, Advantages & Disadvantages. What are some disadvantages of presidential democracy?Critics generally claim three basic disadvantages for presidential systems:. Tendency Towards Authoritarianism: Some political scientists say presidentialism raises the stakes of elections, exacerbates their polarization and can lead to authoritarianism (Linz). ... . Political Gridlock: ... . Impediments to Leadership Change:. What are the advantages of a presidential government quizlet?An advantage of the presidential system is that it has a checks and balances system whereas no one branch of government could become too powerful. Each branch is restrained by the other two in several ways. For example, the president may veto a law passed by Congress.
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