Posted by Chester Morton / Saturday, 19 March 2016 / No comments
Six features of the presidential system of government
Definition of the presidential system of government
A presidential system of government can be defined as the
system in which a President is directly elected, during a general election, to
rule a state for a specific term of office, acting as both head of state and
head of government. The United States of America is a good example of a
Presidential System of Government.
Single Executive
One of the features of a Presidential System of Government is
the existence of a single executive. In other words, the executive is headed by
only one person. The person acts as both the head of state and the head of
government, meaning the person performs the ceremonial functions as well as the governmental functions.
Executive Accountability
The President is usually directly elected by the people in a
general election. For this reason, the president derives his mandate from the
people directly and therefore accountable to them directly for his actions and
in-actions in office.
Fixed Term of office
In a Presidential system, the president is elected for a
constitutionally accepted fixed term of office. Usually, it is for four years
but in other countries, it is for five years or for seven years. This can be
renewed for a second term but after the second term, that person cannot stand
for office anymore.
Presidential Nomination of Ministers
In a Presidential system, all the Ministers are nominated by
the president, from outside the legislature. This Ministers-designate are then
vetted and endorsed by the parliament before they are appointed by the
President.
Recognized opposition
Another feature is that in the presidential system, the role
of the opposition is clear, it is cut out by the constitution. Party discipline
is, therefore, not very strong.
The supremacy of the Constitution
In a presidential system of government, the constitution is
deemed to be supreme. Anybody who exercises powers outside the constitutionally
mandated power is deemed to be in contravention of the constitution. Such
actions can be declared null and void by the judiciary.
