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parliamentary systemA parliamentary system of government is one of the two basic
forms of
representative democracy
, the other
being a presidential system. The distinguishing characteristic of
parliamentary government is that the
government
of the day is chosen from
representatives who have been elected to a parliamentary
assembly
. That is, the most
important elected offices of government—the
premier
or prime minister and the
other
ministers
who together with the
premier form the government—are not elected directly
but indirectly through parliamentary elections. Since the emergence
of
parties
with strong
party discipline
, parliamentary
government has meant that governments in Canada usually have
control over stable parliamentary majorities (see
majority government
). This greatly
reduces the ability of parliamentary assemblies to challenge the
wishes of the government of the day in parliament.
Parliamentary systems make a distinction between the head of
government (the premier or prime minister) who is the chief elected
official in the government, and the
head of state
who represents the
formal exercise of executive power (see
lieutenant governor
).
The other system of representative democracy is presidential
government. In this system, the president who is both head of
government and head of state, is elected separately from a
representative assembly. Ministers are not usually permitted to be
members of the assembly but are appointed by the president.
Presidential systems combine the offices of head of government and
head of state in the president, but aim to check the power of the
government of the day by separating power between the president, a
powerful
legislature
, and an independent
judiciary
.
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