Clarification on Separation of Powers in Parliamentary and Presidential Systems of Government

Memorandum 1
MEMORANDUM
By Name
University
Date

Memorandum 2
MEMORANDUM
TO: Head of Government
FROM: Margaret Brenzaida
DATE: TBA
SUBJECT: Clarification on Separation of Powers
A parliamentary system of government
A parliamentary system of government is a system which the parliament has the power to make
executive laws. Such a system has no distinction in the separation of powers between the
legislature and the executive1. The head of the state in this system is the president who is
different from the head of the government referred to as the prime minister. A parliamentary
system of government has a number of characteristics including; there is no separation of powers
between the legislature and the executive, there is a distinction between the head of government
and the head of state2. The monarch or the president heads the state while the prime minister
heads the government. In such a system, there are always two parties, the ruling, and the
opposition. Another characteristic of a parliamentary system is that the party with the majority of
members rules the legislature and the executive. In such a system the parliament can make a vote
of no confidence which can force the prime minister and the ministers out of the parliament. In
1 Strøm, Kaare. "Delegation and accountability in parliamentary democracies." European journal of political
research 37, no. 3 (2000): 261-290.
2 García-Trevijano, Antonio. A pure theory of democracy. Rowman & Littlefield, 2009.