The parliamentary republic is a type of republican form of government. Its main difference from the monarchy is that the ruler in the country is replaceable and elected. The power of the chapter is considered derived from voters or from a representative body.
Parliamentary republic. Signs
Under this form of government, the president is the head of state only constitutionally. The sphere of leadership of the ruler does not extend to parliament and all its activities.
The parliamentary republic assumes that the head of the executive branch is the prime minister (Chancellor of Austria and Germany). It is he who implements all politics. The prime minister and his government report to parliament.
The Italian constitution states that the president represents the unity of the whole people and is the head of the country. At the same time, another article of the Basic Law states that the leadership of the general policy and responsibility for its implementation lies with the head of the Council of Ministers. Thus, according to Italian constitutional norms, executive power is concentrated in the hands of the chairman of the government, but not the president.
Almost all parliamentary republics determine the status of the president in a similar way.
A somewhat uncharacteristic legal structure for this form of government is present in the Austrian Constitution. The law states that the highest executive bodies include the federal president, state secretaries, federal ministers and members of the land government. Along with this, the Constitution also contains a very detailed listing of presidential powers. This list makes it clear that the head of state is only a formal ruler.
The same situation is observed in the Basic Law of Greece.
It should be noted that a parliamentary republic as a form of government is built on the principle that the president acts as an “arbiter” that balances the branches of state power. Thus, the place of the head of the country in the structure of bodies is determined, the scope of authority, the election system is established. The specifics of interaction with other authorities is also determined.
The powers of the head of the parliamentary republic are similar to the powers vested in the constitutional monarch. In both the first and second cases, the power of the ruler is purely symbolic. Along with this, during the period of the political crisis, the role of the head of the country increases dramatically. Only the president is able to ensure the preservation of the continuity of power, maintaining political stability.
A parliamentary republic (as a form of government) is characteristic of many countries. For example, such a political system was established in Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Austria, Ireland, and other powers. Of the former republics of the Soviet Union, only in Latvia is a parliamentary republic established.
The specified form of government, of course, has positive and negative features.
The main advantage of the system is that more power is concentrated in one body. Decisions are made by a majority vote. In a parliamentary republic there is no official or any body that may impede the implementation of parliamentary decisions.
In this system, the boundaries of responsibility for political actions are viewed. In this case, the voter knows exactly who to blame for failures.
It is also important that the government is formed directly by voters. During the elections, all candidates undergo a kind of confidence check.
In a parliamentary republic, the supremacy of parliament precludes the concentration of power in one hand.