A parliamentary system of government is a form of government where the majority of the legislature supports the executive branch of government. The government is formed by the political party that obtains the most legislative or parliamentary seats during the federal election.
The constitution of India provides for a Parliamentary form of government. Article 74 and 75 describes the parliamentary form of government at the centre. Article 163 and 164 describes the parliamentary form of government in the state.
Ivor Jennings on Parliamentary Form of Government
Ivor Jennings was a British legal scholar who contributed significantly to the study of constitutional law and parliamentary government. He strongly advocated the parliamentary form of government, which he believed was the most effective system for ensuring democracy, accountability, and the rule of law.
Jennings argued that parliamentary government was based on the principle of the separation of powers, where the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government are distinct but interdependent. He believed that this system was superior to the presidential system, which he saw as being prone to authoritarianism, gridlock, and instability.
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Features of the Parliamentary System
- Harmony of Legislature and Executive: In a parliamentary system, the legislature and executive are fused together. It essentially means that both the Prime Minister and the Cabinet are drawn from the Legislature and they are accountable to it.
- Head of State: The head of state is a ceremonial figurehead (President/Monarch) and has limited powers. The role of Head of State is symbolic in nature and they act as a unifying figure in the country.
- Responsible Government: The government is responsible to the Parliament, which holds it accountable for its actions. The government needs to maintain the confidence of the legislature.
- Cabinet system: The executive branch in a parliamentary system is led by a cabinet, which is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the government. The cabinet is headed by the prime minister, who is the leader of the party or coalition that has the support of the majority in the parliament.
- Party discipline: Parliamentary systems are often characterized by strong party discipline, which means that members of parliament are expected to vote according to the party line. This ensures that the government can maintain the confidence of the parliament and pass legislation.
Merits of the Parliamentary System
- Accountability: The executive is accountable to the legislature and for the government to stay in power it needs to enjoy the legislature’s confidence. This ensures that the government is held accountable by the Legislature which represents the will of the people.
- Flexibility/Adaptability: This system is capable to respond quickly to changing circumstances and new challenges, as the government can be easily replaced through a vote of no confidence and new elections can be called.
- Wide Representation: It provides greater representation to all sections of society and regions.
- Prevents Despotism: The executive authority is diffused to a group of ministers as a result power is not concentrated with a single person. Furthermore the executive is accountable to the legislature, which can remove it, if in case it loses confidence.
Demerits of the Parliamentary System
- Unstable Government: In a Parliamentary form of government, there is no guarantee that the government will survive its tenure. Devices like no-confidence motions make the government unstable. 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.
- Lack of separation of powers: In a parliamentary system, there is a fusion of powers between the executive and legislative branches of government, which can result in a lack of checks and balances. This can lead to the concentration of power in the hands of the government, and limit the ability of the opposition to hold the government accountable.
- Party Politics: Party politics is more evident in the parliamentary system where partisan interests drive politicians more than national interests.
- Dictatorship of cabinet: When the ruling party enjoys majority in Lok sabha it become authoritative. Such political party poses unlimited executive power.
Parliamentary vs Presidential Form of Government
| Parliamentary Form of Government | Presidential Form of Government | |
| Meaning | It is a type of governance in which the legislative and the executive branch are intimately correlated.
| It is a form of governance in which the executive, judiciary, and legislature all act independently of one another.
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| Executive | Dual executive as leader of the state and leader of the government are different. The executive is divided into two components under parliamentary government: the Head of State (President) and the Head of Government (Prime Minister). | a single executive as the head of the state and the head of the government is the same. The President is the head of the Presidential form of government. |
| Ministers | Belong to the ruling party and are Members of Parliament. Generally, no outsider is allowed to become a minister. | Can be chosen from outside the legislature, and are usually industry experts. |
| Accountability | Executive accountable to Legislature. The parliamentary system of government is one in which the legislative and executive bodies work in tandem, but the judiciary branch operates independently. | Executive not accountable to Legislature. In contrast, in a presidential form of government, the three branches of government operate independently of one another. |
| Dissolution of the lower house | The Prime Minister is able to dissolve the lower house. | The President cannot dissolve the lower house. |
| Tenure | Prime Minister’s tenure depends upon majority support in the Parliament. Thus, it is not fixed. | Fixed tenure for President. |
| Separation of Powers | No clear-cut separation of power. | The principle of Separation of powers is strictly followed. |
| Party Discipline | Stronger party discipline | Party discipline is comparatively less |
| Autocracy | Less autocratic | More autocratic. |
| Examples | India and The United Kingdom | Costa Rica and the United States |
