ee Presidential System of Government 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. Features of the Presidential System 1. The executive (President) can veto acts by the legislature. 2.The President has a fixed tenure and cannot be removed by a vote of no- confidence 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 “A people or by an electoral college.Merits of Presidential System The advantages of the presidential system are given below: ¢ Separation of powers: Efficiency 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 fields 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 fixed 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 influence of the party system: Political parties do not attempt to dislodge the government since the tenure is fixed.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 efficiency because of wastage of time. * Rigid government: Presidential systems are often accused of being rigid. It lacks flexibility. ¢ Spoils system: The system gives the president sweeping powers of patronage. Here, he can choose executives as per hi will. This gives rise to the spoils syaten| > where people close to the president (relatives, business associates, etc.) get roles in the government.Parliamentary system of Government India chose a parliamentary form of government primarily because the constitution-makers were greatly influenced 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 conflicts 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 (president or monarch) while the real executive is the Prime Minister, who is the head of government. 4. Secrecy of procedure: A prerequisite of thig ~ 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 fixed 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 confidence, the council of ministers has to resign. Elections will be held and a new government is formed.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 confidence, 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. A 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 flexibility 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.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. Unqualified legislators: The system creates legislators whose intention is to enter the executive only. They are largely unqualified to legislate.* 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 fixed 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. =INTRODUCTION v + Unitary and federal systems were the two main politir~* structures that developed due to the di authority among the many political subdi state. * The lines between the unitary and federal have blurred due to the changing character of the state and economy in the years after World War II. + Most political systems in use today have both unitary and federal elements. Therefore, we must determine whether a government is fundamentally federal or fundamentally unitary. UNITARY GOVERNMENT & *A unitary government is one in which the whole Q government is under the sole jurisdiction of one power, known as the central government. * The center is where all administrative divisions and powers are located. “Both democracy and a monarchy can be forms of unitary administration. *All the power and the authority is vested in one hand. +Example- Japan, England, France Sri Lanka, ADVANTAGES OF UNITARY GOVERNMENT Y Q The key benefits of a unitary system of government are A unitary structure is best suited for smaller countries. There is less funding required because there is less total power. Because only one authority makes choices, unitary structures have rapid decision-making. Because the center holds all the authority,1. Concentration of Powers: A unitary government is one in which all the powers of administration are vested in a single centre. The centre is omnipotent. A unitary state may be divided into small units for the sake of administrative convenien but the units do not have any constitutional status of their own. Page 1 of 4 In other words, the constitu jon does not confer any powers on the units, It is the central government which dele gates certain powers to the units on its own accord, The units are, therefore, subordinate agents of centre. Th powers enjoyed by them are th gifs of the centre and as such these can be taken wack at any moment, The units are thus not autonomous and independent in any way. ingle Government: In a unitary government, there is a single set of governmental apparatus. There is a single supreme legislature, single executive body and one supreme judiciary. England, for example, is a unitary state, She has one parliament as her legislature, the King-in-Council as the executive and the judicial committee of the House of Lords as her supreme judiciary 3. Written or unwritten Constitution: A unitary government may or may not have a writ ten constitution. As for example, England and France are unitary states. France has a written constitution but England has non 4, Rigid or Flexible Constitution: Unlike a federation, a unitary state may or may not have a rigid constitution, e.g., the constitution of England is flexible but that of France is slightly rigid, 5. No Special Judiciary: ‘There is no need of having a special judiciary with wide powers of judicial veto in a unitary government, Even the highest court of U.K., for example, cannot sit in judgment over the law passed by Parliament; tary S} Countries with expansive geographic areas should not use the unitary system. Because the center alone holds the absolute authority under a unitary government, they are unlikely to have access to rural areas. the central government may be unaware of the issues and requirements of those who live in rural regions. The central government is typically overburdened with duties and activities, which results in a lack of efficiency. Under a unitary system of governance, the nation could experience uneven growth and development. Without delegation of authority and powers, it may be exceedingly difficult for the central government to develop every area of the country at once.FEDERAL GOVERNMENT x It is a system of government that divides the powe: between a large central government and the local and regional Rovere were established by the constitution. It is composed of 3 branches oo legislative, executive and judicial. The national government is known as federal government of the central government or the union JOUETNERE is known as the state government or he provincial government. Powers are divided between the Central and the State government. Examples- U.S.A., Canada, Russia, Brazil. the Federal. x The following are the primary benefits of the federal system of government: The concentration of power breeds tyranny. The federal structure protects the division of powers, which deters tyranny or dictatorship. This structure is effective in governance and administration since authority is shared between the union and the state. The nation’s states or provinces have some unique rights. The separation of authority between the federal and state governments results in effective resource use. The national government can concentrate more on foreign policy and defense while the state governments can take care of local issues.Disachantages ofthe Federal Ste x The federal system has significant drawbacks in 0 addition to its advantages. Which are: » This type of governance is expensive since there are numerous candidates for office at the national and state levels. > an excessive number of elected officials with overlapping responsibilities might encourage corruption. > Natural resources, job prospects, etc., vary by area and state, facilitating regional inequality. >» Sometimes, it gets harder to make decisions.1. Division of Powers: Ina federal government the powers of administration are divided between t centre and the units. The powers may be distributed in two different ways, Rither the constitution states what powers the federal authority shall have, and leaves the remainder to the federating units, or it states what powers the federating its shall possess and leaves the remainder to the federal authority. The rem inder is generally known as resi y powers. The first method employed in America and the second in Canad: ‘The federal governme in US.A., for example, is weak in relation to the states whereas the federa ‘government in Canada is more powerful. In a fed ation both the federal and state governments are indey ident and ‘autonomous in the spheres of their powers. ‘One is not subordinate to the other. Both derive their powers from the constitution which is the supreme law of the land, The powers enjoyed by the units are, therefore, original and not delegated by the centre. In a federal form of government both the centre and the units have their separate set of governmental apparatus. America is a federation of states, States have therefore separate legislatures and Separa 3. Written Constitution: A federal government must have a written constitution, As a federation is a political partnership of various states and consequently there must be a written agreement in the form of a written constitution Page 30f 4 4, Rigid Constitution: ‘The constitution of a federation should be more or less rigid. It is regarded as a sacred agreement, the spirit of which should not be easily violated. A flexible constitution allows a scope to the central government to curtail the autonomy of the federating states, 5. Special Judiciary: In a federation, there are possibilities of constitutional disputes arising between the federal centre and the units or between one unit and another, All these disputes are to be adjudicated in the light of the constitution, For this purpose a special judiciary with wide powers must be established, Ik should act as the custodian and guardian of the constitution, It should be vested with powers of declaring any law, national or local, ultra vires if itis at variance with the articles 10 which both the of the constitution, The constitution is thus the supreme law in a federation centric and the state must adhere to