Presidential systems most clearly show the separation of power between the
executive and legislative branches. These systems, a minority of the world’s
governments, have a president who combines the offices of head of state with
chief of government. He or she is elected more or less directly by the people (in
the United States, the quaint Electoral College mediates between the people and
the actual election), is invested with considerable powers, and cannot be easily
ousted by the legislature. In parliamentary systems, the head of state (figurehead
monarch or weak president) is an office distinct from the chief of government
(prime minister, premier, or chancellor). In this system, the prime minister
is the important figure.
Notice that in parliamentary systems, voters elect only a legislature (see
Figure 12.1); they cannot split their tickets between the legislature and executive.
The legislature then elects an executive from its own ranks. If the electoral system
is based on proportional representation, there will likely be several parties in parliament.
If no one party has a majority of seats, two or more parties must form a
coalition. Whether one party or several, a majority of parliament must support
the cabinet; if not, it “falls.” Usually a monarch (as in Britain and Spain) or weak
president (as in Germany or Israel) “asks”—there’s no real choice in the matter—
the head of the largest party to become prime minister and “form a government.”
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