Advantages of The Presidential System

Advantages of the Presidential System
1. One of the advantages of a presidential system is that the head of state is usually
elected through election. In terms of democracy, this makes the president’s authority
more legitimate as he is elected directly by the people as oppose to being appointed
indirectly.
2. Additionally, presidential system allow for the separation of powers as the legislature
is a completely different structure and institution. This allows a system of checks and
balances to be created, allowing one to monitor the other. A presidential system's
separation of the executive from the legislature is sometimes held up as an advantage,
in that each branch may scrutinize the actions of the other. A formal condemnation of
the executive by the legislature is often considered a vote of no confidence. According
to supporters of the presidential system, the lack of checks and balances means that
misconduct by a prime minister may never be discovered.
3. Speed and decisiveness: the presidential systems can respond more rapidly to
emerging situations than parliamentary ones. A prime minister, when taking action,
needs to retain the support of the legislature, but a president is often less constrained.
In Why England Slept, future U.S. president John F. Kennedy argued that British
prime ministers Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain were constrained by the
need to maintain the confidence of the Commons.
4. Another advantage of a presidential system is the stability it brings as presidents are
usually elected to fixed terms while a prime minister’s government can fall at any
time. An example of this is in Canada; where in a minority government the leader of
the opposition, Michael Ignatieff, could bring down Stephen Harper’s government
and has threatened to do so several times. This is in contrast to President Obama’s
tenure which is secure till the elections of 2012. Many people consider presidential
systems more able to survive emergencies. A country under enormous stress may,
supporters argue, be better off being led by a president with a fixed term in
government. The fact that elections are fixed in a presidential system is considered by
supporters a welcome "check" on the powers of government .The presidential model
is said to discourage this sort of opportunism, and instead forces the executive to
operate within the confines of a term they cannot alter to suit their own needs.
Proponents of the presidential system also argue that stability extends to the cabinets
chosen under the system, compared to a parliamentary system where cabinets must be
5. drawn from within the legislative branch. Under the presidential system, cabinet
members can be selected from a much larger pool of potential candidates. This allows
presidents the ability to select cabinet members based as much or more on their ability
and competency to lead a particular department as on their loyalty to the president, as
opposed to parliamentary cabinets, which might be filled by legislators chosen for no
better reason than their perceived loyalty to the prime minister.
Disadvantages of the Presidential System

1. Flouting the public opinion
The president may flout public opinion with impunity due to the president has full of powers
to the government. As example, state that implemented this system is United State, the
American president continued to support war in Vietnam in spite of popular opposition to this
policy in United State.
2. Non-Democratic
As we know, in presidential system citizen can choose their own president through election.
Then, though the president is elected by the people but members of his cabinet may not be
elected. This procedure makes the government undemocratic.
3. Irresponsible
Not being responsible to the legislature. The government in a presidential form becomes
irresponsible to the people. The president and his cabinet are not responsible to the legislature
in this form of government. So, no questions may be asked about their performance or
activities or they can be condemned.
4. Absence of harmony
In presidential system, the executive is isolated from the legislature and others. So, different
organs of the government that is the executives, the legislature and the judiciary will lack of
harmony and communication to each other due to being completely independent of each
other. The separation of powers in the presidential form a government indicates a limited
level of accountability and the legislature and executives end up blaming each other.
5. Tendencies towards authoritarianism
Because of the overacting power given to one person, presidential system could quickly
transform into authoritarian regimes if circumstances permit. Also the centralization of
authority could lead to the president becoming a more influential figure in society and the
In Why England Slept, future U.S. president John F. Kennedy argued that British prime
ministers Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain were constrained by the need to maintain
the confidence of the Commons.
media. This high priority on the president could lower and undermine civic participation as
people might feel they cannot play any an active role in law making or place a lower
significant on the legislative branches of government relative to the executive.
6. Separation of power
Presidential system might create gridlock and stalemates within the government. One
example of this could be if the president continues to veto bills that the legislature ratifies,
impeding government from passing laws. This can be seen in 1995 when Democrat Bill
Clinton was president with a Republican controlled Congress. The government could not get
consensus on anything, not even one budget.
7. Impediments to leadership change
It can be more difficult to remove an unsuitable president from office before his team is
concluded, creating a potential situation where an idol or unhelpful president could not be
removed and be replaced a better alternative.
References
1. Syamil, M. (2019). Presidential system. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at:
https://www.slideshare.net/mrtedds/presidential-system?next_slideshow=1 [Accessed
10 Nov. 2019].
2. Lawteacher.net. (2019). Advantages of the Presidential System. [online] Available at:
https://www.lawteacher.net/free-law-essays/administrative-law/advantages-of-the-
presidential-system-administrative-law-essay.php [Accessed 10 Nov. 2019].
3. George, Edwards; Warrenberg, Martin (2016). Government in America: People,
Politics, and Policy, AP* Edition – 2016 Presidential Election, 17th Edition. Pearson
Higher Education. p. 16. ISBN 9780134586571.
4. Debate.org. (2019). Is a parliamentary form of government better than a presidential
form of government?. [online] Available at: https://www.debate.org/opinions/is-a-
parliamentary-form-of-government-better-than-a-presidential-form-of-government
[Accessed 10 Nov. 2019].

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