Parliamentary System

Basics

• The constitution provides a parliamentary form of government for both the center and states.
• Articles 74 and 75 deal with the parliamentary system at the Centre and Articles 163 and 164 in the states.
• The parliamentary system of government is the one in which the executive is responsible to the legislature for its policies and acts.
• The parliamentary government is also known as cabinet government or responsible government or Westminster model of government and is prevalent in Britain, Japan, Canada, and India among others. 

Features of the Parliamentary System

1. Nominal and Real Executives
   • The President is the nominal executive while the Prime Minister is the real executive. 
   • The President is hthe ead of the State, while the Prime Minister is head of the government.
2. Majority Party Rule
   • The political party which secures majority seats in the Lok Sabha forms the government.
3. Collective Responsibility
   • The cornerstone of the parliamentary system of government is collective responsibility (Art. 75) to the Lok Sabha.
   • They act as a team, and swim and sink together.
4. Political Homogeneity
   • Usually members of the council of ministers belong to the same political party, and hence they share the same political ideology.
   • In case of a coalition government, the ministers are bound by consensus. 
5. Double Membership
   • The ministers are members of both the legislature and the executive.
6. Leadership of the Prime Minister
   • The Prime Minister plays the leadership role in this system of
7. Dissolution of the Lower House
   • The lower house of the Parliament (Lok Sabha) can be dissolved by the President on the recommendation of the Prime Minister even before completion of tenure.
8. Secrecy
   • The ministers operate on the principle of secrecy of procedure and cannot divulge information about their proceedings, policies and decisions. 
   • They take the oath of secrecy before entering their office. 
   • The oath of secrecy to the ministers is administered by the President.

Difference between Parliamentary and Presidential Systems