Presidential vs.
Parliamentary Form of Government
By: Dean Pacifico Agabin
Presidential
I. Advantaged of the Presidential Form
1. Since the President is directly
elected by the people, he has a
strong claim to democratic
legitimacy.
2. Direct election by the people gives
him the resolve to govern
independently and to disregard
pressures from vested interests.
3. The President’s fixed term of
office makes for stability and
strength to push even unpopular
but necessary programs of
government and to accelerate
economic development
4. The presidential system accords
with personalistic culture of the
Filipinos
III. Disadvantages of the Presidential
Form
1. The presidential system
concentrates too much power in
the hands of one man, and sets the
stage for personalistic rule.
2. This personalistic culture impinges
adversely on the quality of other
political leaders.
3. A strongman rule undermines
political programs and weakens
political parties based on ideology.
4. The President is under the
strongest temptation to usurp
powers of the other main
departments of government.
Parliamentary
II. Advantages of the Parliamentary
Form
1. The parliamentary form is more
suited for countries with deep
ideological or religious cleavages
or numerous political parties or
sectoral factions
2. Parliamentary democracy provides
opportunity for the people to make
a clear choice of political
alternatives.
3. The parliamentary form makes for
stability in mature democracies as
executive power depends on
legislative majorities constituted
after parliamentary election.
IV. Disadvantages of the Parliamentary
Form
1. The political development of the
country has not yet reached that
level of maturity where political
parties have been strengthened
around clear-cut national
alternatives and ideologies.
2. In the parliamentary form, the
representatives of the people are
sometime weakened as against the
cabinet, which can threaten to
make issues matters of
“confidence”. This can lead to
paralyzation of governmental
functions.
3. Since the parliamentary form is
based on compromises and horse-
trading, collective responsibility
leads to a weak government.