Theoretical overview
Parliamentary form of government
It is also known as a Cabinet Government or Parliamentary Democracy. The power in the Parliamentary form of government is held by the Head of Government, i.e. the Prime Minister. He runs the country. He/she is responsible for all the major decisions and actions to be taken in order to maintain law and order in the country. There is also a Head of State in the Parliamentary system. In India, the Head of State is known as the President who does not hold equal power as the Prime Minister and does not participate in the day-to-day decision-making of the Parliamentary form of government.
Features of parliamentary form of government
The Parliamentary system of government in India has been inspired by the United Kingdom.
- Real and Nominal Executives: The Prime Minister is the true executive (de facto executive), while the President serves as the nominal executive (also called the titular executive or de jure). As a result, the Prime Minister serves as the head of the Government, while the President serves as the head of the State.
- Dual Membership: The Parliament is the legislature, while the Prime Minister along with the Council of Ministers, forms the executive. The Prime Minister and other ministries are chosen by the members of parliament, hence the executive is derived from the legislative.
- Bicameral Legislature: The Parliament is bicameral which means it consists of two houses: the Lower House or Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha or the Upper House. The election of members to each of the houses is done by two different procedures.
- Election of the PM: The Prime Minister in a Parliamentary form of government is elected by the President which is mentioned in Article 75 of the constitution of India.
- Rule of Majority: The Parliamentary system allows the party having a majority in the Lok Sabha to form the government. Further, the leader of the party is invited by the President to form the government. In the case where none of the parties attains a majority, the President proposes a coalition government.
- Maintenance of Secrecy: It is required from all cabinet ministers & other members of the Parliament to refrain from discussing the Parliament proceedings outside.
- Mutual Responsibility of the Ministers: A major feature of the Parliamentary form of government is that the council of ministers are all responsible to the Parliament mutually. In adverse circumstances, the Lok Sabha can introduce a no-confidence motion and uproot the existing government.
- Political Homogeneity: Because they typically come from the same political party, the members of the ministers’ council share similar political philosophies. A coalition government‘s ministers are obligated by agreement.
- No fixed term: The majority support of the lower house determines the length of the government’s mandate. If a motion of no confidence in the government is unsuccessful, the ministers must resign. Elections will take place, and a new administration will be established.
Benefits of the Parliamentary Form of Government
The Parliamentary form of government refers to the concept of Parliament being the highest authority. It consists of a bicameral legislature. There are many challenges as well as benefits of the Parliamentary system.
- The Parliamentary government is a representative of the diversity of a country like India. It provides encouraging opportunities for people of all ethnicities, cultures and ideologies to participate in the lawmaking and administration of the country.
- This system of government is flexible and can be moulded as per the circumstances and for the benefit of the people.
- The Parliamentary system in India allows the legislators to question the executive and raise concerns if something isn’t going right.
- In this particular system of government, there is no scope for authoritarianism. The whole group of cabinet ministers are jointly responsible and accountable for their actions to the Parliament.
- The Parliamentary form of government also facilitates the possibility of an alternate government in case of the Lok Sabha passing a no-confidence motion in Parliament.
Demerits of the Parliamentary Form of Government
- In this case of the government, the irregularities in the distribution of power often may lead to certain unwanted circumstances. The lawmakers are at times unable to impose their right decisions due to various reasons.
- The Parliamentary government mostly leads to the sidelining of the public’s interests in order to focus on maintaining the ruling party’s position.
- Politics within the party is a major concern for the legislators which deviates them from thinking of the public sphere.
- Control of the Bureaucracy is high in the Parliamentary form of government. This leads to a negative effect on the decision-making process of the government.
Points to remember
- The power in the Parliamentary form of government is held by the Head of Government, i.e. the Prime Minister.
- The Prime Minister is the true executive, while the President serves as the nominal executive
- This system of government is flexible and can be moulded as per the circumstances and for the benefit of the people.
- The whole group of cabinet ministers are jointly responsible and accountable for their actions to the Parliament.
- The Parliamentary system of government in India has been inspired by the United Kingdom.
- This system have both merits n demerits.
