Parliamentary System of Government – SS1 Government Lesson Note (Second Term)

A parliamentary system of government is a system in which the head of state is separate from the head of government, in both person and function.

• Other name: it is also called the cabinet system.
• Head of state: may be called King, Queen, Emperor, Governor-General or President, and has mainly ceremonial duties.
• Head of government: is called the Prime Minister, who runs the government with the cabinet.
• Examples: Britain, Canada and India. Nigeria’s First Republic (1960 to 1966) also used it.

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. define the parliamentary system of government;
2. state the functions of a cabinet;
3. explain collective responsibility;
4. list the features of a parliamentary system;
5. state the merits and demerits of a parliamentary system;
6. distinguish between the parliamentary and presidential systems of government.

What is a cabinet?

A cabinet is a group of senior ministers who head government departments and help the head of government to make policy.

• Members: the Prime Minister and the ministers he or she chooses.
• Parliamentary system: ministers are usually members of the legislature.
• Other names: Council of Ministers, Government Council or Federal Council (in Switzerland).
• Nigeria (presidential): the cabinet is called the Federal Executive Council.

What are the functions of a cabinet?

The cabinet decides government policy and directs the work of the ministries, and its role differs from country to country.

• Policy making: it decides the direction of the government.
• Legislation: in a parliamentary system such as the UK, it decides which bills the government presents to parliament.
• Co-ordination: it keeps the ministries working together.
• Advice: it advises the head of state or head of government.
• Collective decisions: in some countries it is a decision-making body with collective responsibility.
• Advisory role only: in a presidential system such as the United States, the cabinet does not shape legislation as a group. It acts as an official advisory council, so the President gets opinions before decisions.

What is collective responsibility?

Collective responsibility, also called collective ministerial responsibility, is the convention that all cabinet members must publicly support every decision made in cabinet, even if they disagree privately.

• Origin: it is a convention of governments that use the Westminster system.
• Public support: ministers defend cabinet decisions and vote for the government in the legislature.
• Open disagreement: a minister who objects publicly must resign from the cabinet.
• Other parties: some Communist parties use a similar rule, called democratic centralism, in their central committee.

What happens when parliament passes a vote of no confidence?

1. Parliament votes that it no longer trusts the government.
2. The whole government is held responsible and resigns together.
3. A new government is formed, or parliament is dissolved.
4. If parliament is dissolved, a general election is held.

What is individual ministerial responsibility?

Individual ministerial responsibility is the rule that each minister is answerable for the running of his or her own department.

What are the features of a parliamentary system?

The main features of a parliamentary system are listed below.

• Two executives: the head of state is separate from the head of government.
• Ministers from the legislature: all ministers are chosen from the legislature.
• Responsibility to the legislature: the prime minister and key ministers answer directly to the legislature for any policy they start.
• Collective responsibility: the cabinet stands or falls together.
• Majority party rule: the party with the majority in the legislature forms the government.
• Party discipline: members are expected to follow the party line.
• Fusion of powers: the executive and legislature are closely joined.
• Official opposition: the largest party outside the government criticises its work.

What are the merits of a parliamentary system of government?

The merits are the advantages of the system.

• Good working relationship: the executive and legislature work closely together.
• Responsible to the people: the executive answers to the people indirectly, through the legislature.
• Team spirit: cabinet ministers work as a team.
• Effective watchdog: the official opposition checks the government.
• Quick decisions: party discipline helps the government make decisions and pass laws quickly.

What are the demerits of a parliamentary system of government?

The demerits are the disadvantages of the system.

• Instability: a coalition government is often unstable.
• Hard to assign credit or blame: collective responsibility makes it difficult to praise or blame one minister.
• Risk of dictatorship: the fusion of powers may lead to dictatorship.
• Weak initiative: party discipline limits the individual initiative of ministers and legislators.

What is the difference between a parliamentary and a presidential system of government?

What is a presidential system?

A presidential system is one in which the President is both head of state and head of government and is elected separately from the legislature.

• Examples: Nigeria today and the United States.

What is a parliamentary system?

A parliamentary system is one in which the Prime Minister leads the government and comes from the legislature, while a separate head of state is mostly ceremonial.

How do the two systems compare?

Evaluation

1. Define the parliamentary system of government.
2. What is collective responsibility?
3. State four features of a parliamentary system.
4. State two merits and two demerits of a parliamentary system.
5. State two differences between the parliamentary and presidential systems of government.

Assignment

Explain the difference between collective responsibility and individual ministerial responsibility, and describe the role of the cabinet in a parliamentary system and in a presidential system.