• In parliamentary republics, however, presidents head the state.
• Of its 50 sovereign states in Europe, 32 are parliamentary democracies.
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A parliamentary system is a democracy under which the executive draws its legitimacy or powers from the legislature, usually a parliament.
In most cases, the state and government are two entities headed by different individuals and ministers are appointed from members of parliament to serve in the cabinet.
In constitutional monarchies with parliamentary democracies, a monarch is the head of state. The head of government is usually an MP. Countries with such systems include Japan, the UK and Sweden.
In parliamentary republics, however, presidents head the state. This is the case in countries such as India, Italy, Germany and Ireland. But in some parliamentary republics such as South Africa and Botswana, the president heads both the state and government.
Where such systems have a bicameral parliament, the head of government is mostly from the lower house. In the UK, for instance, the Prime Minister is a member of the House of Commons of Westminster and not the House of Lords.
In South Africa, the president is a member of the National Assembly at the time of his election, not the National Council of Provinces. He is elected by the assembly and leads the largest party but resigns as a member after his election.
Ethiopia is another notable parliamentary republic in Sub-Saharan Africa. It has a president as the head of state and a prime minister as the head of government. The House of People’s Representatives elects Ethiopia’s president for a six-year term. One the other hand, parliament chooses the prime minister who has to be designated by the ruling party after legislative polls.
Across Europe, the parliamentary system is the dominant form of government. Of its 50 sovereign states, 32 are parliamentary democracies.
There is a misconception that in all parliamentary democracies, MPs elect prime ministers. Different countries, however, take different routes to arrive at their heads of government, who, usually, lead the majority party or coalition of parties.
In countries such as India, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, no vote is taken in Parliament to decide who becomes the head of government. Political parties have a hand as they decide their leaders, who are then entrusted with the position.
In some countries, prime ministers have to get a vote of confidence in parliament. In Greece, for example, this must be achieved within three days, starting with the leader of the majority party. If it is not possible, the leader of the second-largest party is considered and so on.
The heads of state in some countries nominate the heads of government and submit the names to parliament for approval before the final appointment. In others, however, parliament nominates a candidate and submits the name for appointment by the head of state.
In France, the president is the head of state and the prime minister the head of government. The president appoints the prime minister. He is at liberty to choose whomever he wants but has to ensure the appointment takes into account the will of the majority in parliament. This is crucial because the French government is answerable to the French Parliament. The PM nominates ministers and presents them for approval by the president, who can veto the nominations.
In some cases considered as semi-parliamentary systems, the head of government can be elected through a popular vote.
Advocates of parliamentarism say it works well for countries that are racially, ethnically or ideologically divided. Unlike in a presidential system where executive power is vested in one person, parliamentary systems distribute power, as the cabinet is answerable to parliament and cannot make unilateral decisions. This stifles domination by certain groups. Proponents say it can work well in Kenya, which has a culturally and ethnically diverse population.
Even so, opponents of the system argue that it is prone to instability because a prime minister remains beholden to parliament and can easily be dismissed. They say the system can only work well in countries with strong economic foundations.