Answer in detail

Write about the presidential form of government and what is the difference between presidential and parliamentary Forms of Government.

The presidential (or non-responsible, or non-parliamentary, or fixed-executive) is the kind of system seen in Brazil, the USA, Sri Lanka, Russia, etc.

• The President (as in the case of the United States of America) is both the head of government (leading the executive), and the head of state (a more ceremonial role). This form of government is based on separation of powers, where the legislative, executive and judiciary are separate and independent bodies.

• In the USA, the President is elected for four years, and governs with a small cabinet (the ‘Kitchen Cabinet’), an advisory body of non-elected people, who are appointed and removed by him. The President and his secretaries are not answerable to the Congress.

• The presidential system is democratic, controlled effectively by the president-leader, and allows for speedy decision-making. However, the president’s rule can easily become authoritarian, and the legislative and executive bodies do not work in unison, which can lead to problems of governance.

The following are the differences between presidential and parliamentary Forms of Government:

Therefore, a presidential form of government is one where the head of government is also head of state, and leads the executive. The president is normally elected by the people.