Today, many countries have chosen for themselves democracy as a form of government. From the ancient Greek language, the word "democracy" is translated as "the power of the people", which means the collective adoption of political decisions and their implementation. This distinguishes it from authoritarianism and totalitarianism, when the management of state affairs is concentrated in the hands of one person - the leader. This article will talk about what parliamentary democracy is.
Democratic system
In order to consider such a form of government as parliamentarism, one should pay attention to the democratic system as a whole, what it is. Democracy itself can be of two types: direct and representative. The means of expressing direct democracy is the manifestation of civic interests directly, through referenda, strikes, rallies, collection of signatures, etc. The purpose of these actions is to influence the authorities, people directly demand the fulfillment of their requirements. In this case, citizens themselves express their interests, without resorting to the help of certain intermediaries.
Representative democracy differs from direct democracy in that the people take part in the political life of the state not independently and directly, but with the help of intermediaries they choose. Deputies are elected to the legislature, whose duties include protecting the interests of civilians. Parliamentary democracy is one of the classic examples of such a political system.
What is parliamentarism
In short, parliamentarism is such a form of government when deputies of legislative assemblies themselves elect and appoint members of the government. They are appointed from members of the party with the most votes in parliamentary elections. Such a form of government as parliamentary democracy is possible not only in states with a democratic system. It can exist in monarchical countries, but in this case the ruler does not have a wide range of powers. We can say that the sovereign reigns, but does not take any state-important decisions, his role is minimal and, rather, symbolic: this is participation in any ceremony, a tribute to traditions. It should be noted that the existence of a bipartisan system, which is necessary to ensure political stability, is considered an ideal condition for establishing parliamentarism.
Also, this type of democracy can exist within the framework of a parliamentary republic, which means the possibility of a representative body of power to elect the head of state. But also the functions of the head can be performed directly by the chairman of the governmental authority.
Parliamentarism: implementation mechanisms
The essence of the mechanism by which such kind of state system as parliamentary democracy is realized lies in the elections held in constituencies. An example is the US Congress. In order for a single representative of the government - the congressman - to express the interests of an approximately equal number of voters, every decade there is a review of the boundaries of the constituencies to recount the number of citizens with the right to vote.
Candidates for deputies are nominated mainly by parties that are doing a great job to identify the political mood of society, with the support of various social groups. They organize public events, disseminate campaign materials and become an integral part of civil society.
As a result of the voting, the deputies of the parties that have passed in the parliament form the so-called “factions”. One of the political organizations with the largest number of votes has the largest number of deputies. It is from this party that the ruling party is appointed - whether it be the prime minister or other relevant post, as well as members of the government. The ruling party pursues its policy in the state, and those that remain in the minority represent the parliamentary opposition.
What is presidentialism?
Presidential democracy is the antithesis of parliamentarism. The essence of such a political system is that all actions carried out by the government and parliament are under the control of the president. The head of state is elected by the citizens of the country. Some scholars believe that this type of power jeopardizes the idea of democratic values and can move to totalitarianism, since many decisions are made by the president, and parliament has much less authority.
The merits of parliamentarism
Parliamentary democracy as a form of government of a modern state has a number of positive aspects. Firstly, it is openness and publicity. Each parliamentarian is responsible for his actions and words, not only to his party, but also to the citizens who elect him. The separation of the deputy from the people is excluded, since his place is not assigned to him forever - meetings with the population, correspondence, receiving appeals and other methods of interaction are mandatory. Secondly, the parliamentary type of democracy implies the existence of equal rights not only among the “ruling" party, but also among the opposition. Everyone has the right to express their opinion in the debate and to submit any projects and proposals. The right of a minority to freedom of expression is protected.
The flaws of parliamentary democracy
Like any other political system, parliamentarism has a number of weaknesses. Political scientists often compare this type of democracy with presidentialism. Parliamentary democracy has characteristic flaws and weaknesses in relation to it.
- This type of government is convenient in small states. The fact is that voters need to collect the most information about the candidate in order to be sure of their choice. This is easier to implement in small, stable countries - then the knowledge about the applicant will be more complete.
- Redistribution of responsibility. Voters appoint parliamentarians, and they, in turn, form the cabinet of ministers and delegate a number of duties to him. As a result, both deputies and members of the government are trying to please not only the voters, but also the parties that nominated them. It turns out a “two-field game”, which sometimes leads to difficulties.
States with parliamentary democracy
Today, a large number of different forms of power are represented in the world, starting with democratic and liberal, ending with totalitarian regimes. A classic example of a country with parliamentary democracy is the United Kingdom. The head of the English government is the prime minister, and the royal house reigns, but does not take government decisions and acts as a symbol of the country. Two British parties - conservatives and Labor - are fighting for the right to form a government body.
Many other European states have chosen parliamentary democracy as a form of government. This is Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, as well as many others.
