How does a parliamentary system of government works?

Answer 1

A parliamentary system is a system of government in which the ministers of the executive branch are drawn from and accountable to the legislature, such that the executive and legislative branches are intertwined. In such a system, the head of government acts as de facto chief executive and chief legislator.

Parliamentary systems have no clear-cut separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches, which leads to a different set of checks and balances than are found in presidential systems.

Parliamentary systems usually have a clear differentiation between the head of government and the head of state, with the former being the prime minister or premier, and the latter often being a figurehead, either a president (elected by popular vote or by the parliament) or a hereditary monarch (often in a constitutional monarchy).

Answer 2

A parliamentary system tends to be dominated by the legislative assembly (usually called a Parliament, but not every parliamentary country calls it that), while the judicial branch stays independent. Unlike the presidential system where the legislative and executive branches are separate, in a parliamentary system the two branches must work together - or else it's time for a new government.

The leader of the executive branch is a Prime Minister, also called a Chancellor in German-speaking countries. The Prime Minister is appointed by the monarchy or the President, but has to be supported by Parliament. If Parliament has two chambers, usually only the lower chamber is required to support the Prime Minister. If the majority oppose the Prime Minister, the Prime Minister (and the Cabinet) can be removed from power by a Vote of No Confidence. Usually, the appointment process is a formality and the leader of the ruling party usually becomes Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister appoints members of the Cabinet and can dismiss them at will. Unlike Presidential systems, where members of the Cabinet cannot serve in the legislature, in Parliamentary systems, members of the Cabinet are required to be in the legislature. The rest of the executive branch (the Civil Service) is required to be non-partisan. This means the executive branch has less centralised control.

Finally, almost all parliamentary systems (except South Africa, Switzerland and Botswana) have a separation between the Head of Government and the Head of State. The Head of the State is the figurehead of the country, and the Head of Government runs the government. Some parliamentary systems do elect a President, but normally he does not have much power. Others have a monarchy with similarly limited powers. In Presidential systems, the President serves both roles.