PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

It is a system of government whereby the head of state is separated from the head of government in terms of personalities and functions. It is also called cabinet system. The head of state may be called queen, Emperor, General or President while the head of government is tagged Prime minister. Examples of countries operating this system are; Britain, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, etc.

The functions of a cabinet are varied: in some countries it is a collegial decision-making body with collective responsibility, while in others it may function either as a purely advisory body or an assisting institution to a decision-making head of state or head of government. In some countries, the cabinet is called “Council of Ministers” or “Government Council” or lesser-known names such as “Federal Council” (in Switzerland), “Inner Council” or “High Council”. These countries may differ in the way that the cabinet is used or established.

In some countries, particularly those that use a parliamentary system (e.g., the UK), the Cabinet collectively decides the government’s direction, especially in regard to legislation passed by the parliament. In countries with a presidential system, such as the United States, the Cabinet does not function as a collective legislative influence; rather, their primary role is as an official advisory council to the head of government. In this way, the President gets opinions and advice in upcoming decisions.