Parliament and the Presidential System

Parliament; Faster? More Efficient?

If Congress and Parliament were ever in a race to see who could get a last passed quicker, Parliament would most likely win. Faster is only better when speed is being measured. That would only be the case in government when there is an emergency or a crisis.

The presidential/congressional system of government has a "separation of powers." Power is divided between three branches of government, legislative, executive, and judicial. Each of the separate branches has equal power over the other which is displayed with the doctrine of checks and balances. Each branch checks the activity of the other branches to make sure that power remains evenly distributed. After a law is passed in both Houses, the President can still veto it. Therefore, sending the bill back to the House and so on and so on. It can take days, weeks, or months for a law to be formed.

Unlike the presidential/congressional system, the Prime Minister doesn't have the power to reject a bill. He has power to dissolve congress. Other than that, Parliament has supreme power over everything. The Parliament can even check on the executive branch, but the executive branch cannot check on Parliament. As a whole they are disciplined enough to run themselves. "Majority rule" is how Parliament functions. Bills can be made into laws quickly.

Although Parliament has the advantage of speed in terms of making laws, speed doesn't always parallel to efficiency. The president may be able to decide whether the law would benefit the citizens better than the Congress can. Both systems have their ups and downs. Although, Parliament has the upper-hand in making laws faster and "efficiently."

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