Home
GOVERNMENT
Posted by Chester Morton / Wednesday 6 April 2016 / No comments
The advantages and disadvantages of a Presidential system of Government
ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT
Definition of a presidential system of government
A presidential system of government is a system of government in which the President is directly elected by the people to govern for fix number of years, usually four years. The number of years may vary from country to country. The president, so elected, acts as both head of state and
head of government. The United States of America is a good example of a
Presidential System of Government.
It is democratic
The presidential system of government is usually regarded as
democratic in the sense that, under the system, the president is directly
elected by the electorates and is therefore directly responsible to the people.
Effective Control by President
In a Presidential system, since the Ministers are appointed
by the President, the President is able to effectively control them. As his
direct appointees, they are answerable to him for every action they take in the performance of their duties.
Room for quick decision-making
The Presidential system promotes quick decision-making and
execution of government policies. This is so because, the president is single
executive and there does not need to do too many lengthy consultations before a
decision is arrived at.
Stability of government
One of the features of a presidential system of government is
that there is a fixed term of office. After each is ended, the voters must
elect another person or renew the mandate of the current president. As a
result of this feature, anybody interested in the presidency, patiently waits
for his or her turn to have a shot at it. The presidential system, therefore, ensures the stability of the government.
Cheaper to operate
In a presidential system of government, there is only one
executive that must be catered for and once that is done, that is all. This is
unlike the parliamentary system where there are two people making the executive
so the state must find resources to cater for the two of them. This makes the
presidential system less expensive.
Easy to locate responsibility
In the presidential system, it is easy to determine where
responsibility lies. One man can be held responsible for any acts of commission
and omissions. In fact, in Africa for example, the president is blamed for
anything that goes wrong even it is clearly not his fault.
DISADVANTAGES OF THE PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM
Can degenerate into dictatorship
The Presidential system has the tendency to degenerate into a
dictatorship. The result is that the rights of the citizens may be trampled
upon, the views of political opponents, suppressed and their individual
liberties are taken away from them.
The thin line between partisan and national issues
In a presidential system, sometimes, it is difficult to
differentiate between issues that are purely national and those that are purely
partisan issues. This is because the same person represents the face of the
party in power and at the same time the leader of the state.
Cannot change government midstream
In a Presidential system, the executive stays in power for a
fixed term. The disadvantage is that if by the middle of his term of office his
policies no longer favour the people, he cannot be removed unless he serves his full term.
Strain relationship between executive and legislature
In a presidential system, if majority of members of the
legislature belong to a party different from that of the president, they can
oppose policy proposals from the executive. Also when the executive proposes
nominees for vetting and approval by Parliament, the nominees may be rejected
by Parliament. On the other hand, the president can also refuse to give his
assent to bills from parliament for it to become law. This could lead to a
stalemate.
Fixation on how to remain in power
Since there is a fixed term of office for the president and
periodic elections to renew mandate, the executive may lose focus too much on
winning the next election and therefore lose his focus on his core function.
Also, the party of the president will be more concerned about staying in power
than on the problems of the people.
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
SAMPLE QUESTION(S)
1. a. What is a presidential system of government? [2 marks]
b. Give five
advantages of a presidential system of government. [10 marks]
2. a What is a presidential system of government? [2 marks]
b. Give five
disadvantages of a presidential system of government. [10 marks]
3. Highlight six advantages of a presidential system of
government. [12 marks]
4. Highlight six disadvantages of a presidential system of
government. [12 marks]
5. Highlight three advantages and three disadvantages of a
presidential system of government. [12 marks]
ALSO READ:
The advantages and disadvantages of a parliamentary system of government
The disadvantages of a multi-party system
The disadvantages of a multi-party system
Labels:
GOVERNMENT
Related Posts