Parliamentary democracy is a form of government, which started in Britain and adopted by many countries around the world, specifically by former British colonies. This form of political system acknowledges that the parliament is supreme or sovereign. The people elect representatives to the parliament, the party with the greatest representation in the parliament forms the government, and the leader of the winning party becomes the prime minister or chancellor. There is no perfect form of government, and as such, there are advantages and disadvantages to parliamentary democracy.
List of Pros of Parliamentary Democracy
1. Quick and Easy to Pass Legislation
Parliamentary systems including parliamentary democracy generally quicken legislative action because the executive branch requires the support of the legislative before it can pass legislation. Since the executive is voted into office according to the party’s manifesto, this institutes the will of the people more easily than other political systems.
2. Passage of Legislation Requires Coalition
There should be a coalition of parties before passage of any legislation. This prevents partisanship in that the alliance of more than two parties compels them to work together towards their interests. As a result, special interests are set aside for the greater good.
3. Beneficial to Racially, Ethnically or Ideologically Diverse Nations
Ethnically or ideologically diverse nations benefit greatly from parliamentary democracy because unlike in a presidential system, power is more divided and more evenly spread. A prime minister does not have as much importance or power as a ruling president, and the people get to elect a party and not an individual.
List of Cons of Parliamentary Democracy
1. Indirect Election of the Head of Government
Parliamentary democracy is highly criticized since the head of government or prime minister is not directly voted for by the electorate but by the legislature. There is a degree of certainty as to who wins the prime minister position since it is already known who the party campaigns for as head of the government.
2. Parliamentary Systems Can be Unstable
Parliamentary systems are often unstable as in the case of Israel, Canada, and Weimar Germany where effective governance is constantly challenged by issues such as demanding minority parties, votes of no confidence and unstable coalitions. Some people argue that proportional representation, political culture and highly polarized voters are some of the leading causes of instability. Flexible scheduling of elections under parliamentary democracy is prone to abuse, and a ruling party may delay elections to overcome risk of unpopularity.
3. Voice of the Minority is Often Ignored
Ruling or bigger parties are prone to ignore the concerns of the smaller parties mainly because this does not offer substantial incentives. In this case, the dominant party may pass legislation without considering the smaller parties. In addition, the less direct representation and great degree of separation make it harder for politicians to act for the greater good with the lack of accountability.
It is futile to categorize parliamentary democracy as bad or good, advantageous or disadvantageous. It has its own share of positives and negatives, as briefly pointed out here, and it is just a matter of taking responsibility as a citizen when it comes to electing a party and as a politician when it comes to using the power vested during elections.