FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Parliamentary system of Government

The essential characteristics of a parliamentary system of government  are that under such a system:

(i) the head of the state is merely a constitutional head.

(ii) the Council of Minsters, vested with real and effective powers, is made answerable to the Legislature.

(iii) The Council of Ministers, which is the real Executive, consists of members of the Legislature belonging to the partly in power having support of the  majority in the Legislature. The council of ministers is a part of Legislature and is responsible to it.

(vi) The Prime minister, who is the head of the Council of Ministers occupies a dominant position, having absolute discretion in appointing and dismissing the Ministers and allocating the Government business among them. A minister, in the Council of Ministers, therefore, holds his portfolio during he pleasure of the Prime Minster.

(v) Since the council of ministers is answerable to the Legislature, its tenure is dependent on the will of the Legislature. The Ministers are collectively responsible to the Legislature and on the defeat of the government on a policy matter in the Legislature (if the Legislature is a bi-cameral, in the popular House of the Legislature) leads to the resignation of the whole Council of Ministers.

(vi) Since the Ministers are collectively responsible to the Legislature, they stand and fall together. If there is a disagreement among the Ministers, the dissentient Minister or Ministers must either keep silent or resign. It therefore, requires the Ministers to function as  team. 

Presidential System of Government

The chief characteristics of a Presidential system as adopted under the Constitution of the United States of America are:

(i) Under the Presidential system of government, the President, the Chief Executive, is the real Executive Head of the government. He is the de jure and de facto head of the entire administration and not a nominal head as in a Parliamentary system. 

(ii) The President enjoyed full discretion in selecting he members of his Cabinet. The Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the President and are responsible to the President alone for their functioning . They are neither collectively nor individually responsible to the Legislature.

(iii) Under the Presidential system, the President cannot be removed by a vote of no-confidence in Parliament.

(iv) Under such a system, the Legislature cannot dictate to the President.

(v) The President, under such a system, is not responsible as far initiation of legislation. It is the President who frames the policy and proposals for legislation. 

Merits of Presidential System

1. It enables the President to have best outstanding persons of competence and integrity as Ministers. 
2. Since the Ministers are not elected, they are not motivated to adopt cheap populist measures.
3. The Minsters devote their time for development, instead of wasting their time and potential in endless politicking.
4. It ensures discipline among the party members and stops defections or desertions for thirst of power and hunger for office. 

Indian Parliamentary System

Indian adopted Parliamentary system mainly because, the country had grown familiar with this system during the British regime. It had drawn upon the traditions of the traditions of the British Constitutional Law. Secondly, this system ensures harmony between the Executive and the Legislature. Thirdly, it gives more responsibility, daily as well as periodic.

Experience of the last more than fifty years has shown that they system has not worked well. A debate has been going on as to whether India should switch over to Parliamentary system. Many reasons have been attributed to the failure of this system. The multiplicity of political parties; evil of defections; lack of cohesiveness and leadership in national parties; illiteracy of voters; large growth of regional parties espousing the cause of local issues rather than national issues criminalisation of politics, are some of these.

Many political and legal thinkers of the country have expressed their view for the adoption of Presidential system. But, if India decides for such a change, it will have to evolve a system specially tailored to suit our own requirement. It must be inconformity with the philosophy of freedom and liberalism underlying our constitution and should preserve all fundamental rights. It is, however, correct to sya that a constituion having any kind of system of government,is a mere scrap of paper unless the people who perate the government machinery are competent, sincere, hones and well-meaning. What is, therefore, needed is that instead of dissipating our energies in new experimentation, we should find and plug its loopholes, if any, root our corruption and prevent the degradation of our political life.