Expert: Phil Woodford - 8/10/2004

Question
Hi there Mr Phil Woodford!

I'm from the Philippines. I'm not good with government procedures or something. I just wanna know what's a parliamentary form of government like? You see our country practices the presidential form of government. But recently, since there's just so many conflicts in our country.. the house of representatives are sugegsting if we can shift from presidential to parliamentary. So is this good news? Would it take some time for our country to adjust? What are the advantages of a parliamentary and what are its disadvantages? THank you very much!

Answer
Hi Antonette

Please forgive my ignorance of politics in the Philippines.  I'm not aware of the detail of the kind of system that's being discussed in your country.  I am happy to answer in general terms though.

Essentially, instead of directly electing a President (who normally has executive powers to initiate new laws and powers to govern under the constitution), you would probably have a Prime Minister or equivalent. This person would most likely be the leader of the political party with an overall majority in your legislature, or, failing that, the party with the largest number of seats.  In theory, parliamentary systems allow for greater accountability, as the Prime Minister and his or her Cabinet are required to answer directly to the legislature and their power stems from this body.  In Presidential systems, it is possible to build in a number of checks and balances, but the President will always have some degree of autonomy and executive power of their own.  This may allow for stronger and more decisive government and a greater sense of accountability to the people, rather than political parties.

The two systems blur at the edges.  Our Prime Minister, Tony Blair, is often accused of acting in a Presidential manner and, in reality, has a fair amount of power to act autonomously.  US Presidents can often find themselves hemmed in by Congress and the American Supreme Court.

I hope this is useful.

Best wishes

Phil W