The republican system is currently the most popular form of government in the world. There are two main forms of the republic. In this article, they will all be considered. An answer will also be provided to the question of how the presidential republic differs from the parliamentary one.
What is known about the parliamentary republic?
As it is already clear from the name of the presented form, the parliament plays the main role in the management and formation of the state structure. Parliament, in turn, elects a prime minister (prime minister). This process takes place on the basis of a majority vote of a parliamentary faction. The executive branch of the parliamentary republic is thus headed by the prime minister, not the president.
In addition, any parliamentary republic has a number of important features. Here it is worth highlighting:
- election of the head of state by a parliamentary majority;
- strictly speaking, the president remains aloof: only rare representative functions are assigned to him;
- the government is controlled by parliament.
Before talking about how the presidential republic differs from the parliamentary one, it is necessary to highlight the basic facts about the presidential form of government.
What is known about the presidential republic?
The head of state (president) in states with a presidential type of government is also considered the head of government, that is, the executive branch. It is completely independent of parliament. The president is elected by popular vote.
Signs of a presidential form of government are as follows:
- the president forms the government;
- the president cannot form parliament;
- the president has the right to veto parliamentary bills;
- the president directs foreign and domestic policy.
The main differences
Which countries have a parliamentary form of government? It is worth noting that there are not so many states with such a device. However, the most classic forms of parliamentary structure are recorded in Germany, Austria, India, Italy, Greece and some other countries. Examples of a presidential republic stand out in the USA, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Mexico and many other countries.
What is the difference between a presidential republic and a parliamentary one? It is worth highlighting the most basic and important differences:
- a parliamentary republic implies the election of a president by a parliamentary majority rather than a popular vote — as in a presidential republic;
- in a presidential republic, the head of state has much greater and broader powers than in a parliamentary one;
- in the presidential republic, the head of state elects the chairman of the government and various ministers; under the parliamentary form of government, these officials are elected by a special parliamentary apparatus.
What common?
It is not so difficult to understand the question of how the presidential republic differs from the parliamentary one. Now it’s worth talking about the main points that are equally present in both the presidential and parliamentary form of government. It is worth highlighting the following main points:
- the position of head of state is present in countries of either one type or another;
- with both devices, a parliament operates, and it is formed by popular vote;
- in both cases, parliament forms a government, albeit in slightly different ways.
It is also worth noting that there is a third form of government: the so-called mixed republic.
A classic example of such a state system can be observed in France or Russia. Such a device is probably the most effective type of control: this is what is called the “golden mean”. The strong power of the head of state is combined with high-quality
parliamentary control. There is also the principle of the so-called double responsibility, which allows extremely effectively exercise state power.