1. Legislatures and Legislators:
Functions of Government, Formulating Policy and Implementing it

2. Presidential v. Parliamentarianism
Parliamentarianism:
Prime Minister
PM & Cabinet are members of a legislature
fusion of powers - executive and legislative branches are mixed, share power
5 yr term limits, unless PM/majority party loses confidence of the legislature (H of C)
PM has not limitation on term limits…….W. L. M. King served 22 years as Canadian PM!
Majority v. Minority (coalition)
Presidentialism:
President
President & Cabinet are separate from legislature (House of Representatives/Senate)
separation of powers – executive and legislative branches are separate bodies elected by citizens
checks and balances – limits each branch’s power
4 yr term limit (max. 2 terms for President….FDR, )
President accountable to voters, not legislature….elections held at set intervals
Hybrid (France, Russia)
President nominates PM, but latter must enjoy the confidence of parliament
Both can claim a mandate from the people, which leads to often uneasy relations
Of the two system – Presidentialism and Parliamentarianism – which is better?

3. Advantages/Disadvantages
Presidentialism
stability in executive
popular election
independent legislature
separation of powers
pan-national view
danger of gridlock
fixed terms = rigidness?
waste of experience (see George W. Bush?)
winner takes all
Concentration of power in a presidency –
too much dependent on only one person
exaggerated by media, and leads to unrealistic expectations (see Barack Obama?)
Parliamentarianism
more flexible political process
encourages compromise
power sharing, coalitions
PM can lose confidence of legislators
promotion of MPs to Cabinet
tighter discipline (party solidarity)
too much power invested in the PM’s office