A Comparison and Contrast Between The Presidential and Parliamentary Systems of Government.
This paper presents a comparison and contrast of the presidential and parliamentary systems of government in terms of their key characteristics as well as their strengths and weaknesses. It finds that, to varying degrees, both systems are concerned with the promotion of accountability, responsibility and efficiency. Each system has a leader, the President and the Prime Minister, respectively, and power is held on the basis of popular support through political constituencies that are generally equal in population. A major difference between these two systems of government is that while the Senate in the American presidential system of government is an important and integral part of the day-to-day functioning of the system, the same cannot be said for the Senate in the Canadian parliamentary system. A major weakness of the American presidential system of government is that the legislative process can be slow and cumbersome. 10 pgs. 27 f/c. 9b.
