pol sci 14 report on politics

8/9/2019 Pol Sci 14 Report on Politics

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Comparative Analysis ofthe Parliamentary and

Presidential System


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Presidential System – a system of government in

which the president is constitutionally independentof the legislature.

Parliamentary system – a system which governs inand through the assembly or parliament, thereby

fusing the legislature and executive.

Definitions


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Clear separation of power between the legislative,executive and the judiciary branches wherein they

are independent of each other. The president as chief executive.

De-centralization of power (Equilibrium of power toavoid tyranny)

A fixed term for all elected officials.

Presidential System


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The President


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Elected by the PEOPLE

The head of the executive branch.

Enacts laws

Appoints certain

positions in the cabinet

Can declare emergency powers

Can declare martial law (With the intervention of thesenate)

The President


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Members of the government or cabinet or the

executive, are simultaneously members of the

legislature. The government or cabinet consisting of political

leaders of the majority party or a coalition who arealso members of the legislative is in effect acommittee of the legislature.

The government or cabinet has a pyramidal structureat the apex of which is the prime minister or hisequivalent.

Parliamentary System


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The government or cabinet remains in power onlyfor as long as it enjoys the support of the majority of

the legislature. Both government and legislature are possessed of

control devices with which each can demand of theother immediate political responsibility. In the hands

of the legislature is the vote of no confidencewhereby government may be ousted.



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The Prime Minister


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In the UK, The Prime Minister is notdirectly elected. Instead, the public vote for a single

Member of Parliament, a representative from theirconstituency. There are 650 MPs in total. If onepolitical party has a majority in the Commons, thenthe leader of that party will be appointed Prime

Minister by the monarch.

The Prime Minister


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De-centralized power

Fixed terms for all elected officials

Autonomy of every branch

Through the electoral process, the people havegreater power.

Arguments for

Presidential System


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The legislative can propose without fear of itsdissolution because the members are considered on

their merits unlike in the parliamentary, themembers are considered on their vote of confidenceon the PM.

Fixed terms provide more predictability and

stability to the policy making process than thefrequent dismantling and reconstructing of cabinetsthat afflicts some parliamentary systems.

Arguments for

Presidential System


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Parliamentary systems can bring about conflicting

claims of legitimacy.

Parliamentary system suffers from executive-legislative gridlock in policy making.

Strong parties are more likely to favor rules andinstitutions that further buttress party disciplinesuch as strong oversight or control committees,

extensive agenda setting and committee assignmentpowers for party leaders and weak policycommittees.

Arguments for

Presidential System


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Cultural argument

Personalistic political culture in the Philippines is not

appropriate to the de-personalized behavior of aparliamentary.

“Personality not the system argument”

It’s not the system that needs changing, but the

personalities in the system.

Arguments for

Presidential System


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PARLIAMENTARY


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More efficient and harmonious executive-legislativerelations/less gridlock in the political systems.

Fixed terms enjoyed by both the executive andlegislative branches act as a disincentive for them tocooperate.

In the presidential system, the president must

contend with institutional deadlocks brought aboutby the checks and balances from both legislative and

judiciary powers.

Arguments for



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In the Philippine context, the Presidential Systembecomes a popularity contest where candidates with

little or no track-record emerge victorious. By using the parliamentary system, candidates

would compete using their individual track records,competence, leadership abilities.

Arguments for the



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No Dual-democratic legitimacy conflict

Flexibility of tenure (Power to dismiss each other)

They will not experience the same problem of policyimmobilism that the presidential system faces.

The bigger the majority, the more veto players.

Arguments for the



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Suggested courses ofaction for the Phil.

Context


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Rather than changing the constitution, reform theparts of the presidential system that are failing.

- Reform is politically manageable and politically lessrisky to undertake.

Presidential System


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rationalwiki.org/wiki/Prime_Minister _of_the_ United_Kingdom

Bernas, Joaquin. 2009. The 1987 Constitution of thePhilippines: A Commentary REX Book Store pp. 52-53

Torres, Tom. 2004. “The Philippine Pro-Parliamentary Position and the Comparative

Constitutional Design Literature.” PhilippinePolitical Science Journal vol. 25 no. 48, pp. 55-78.

https://correctphilippines.org/parliamentary_shift/

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