Semi-presidentialism is a type of government system that mixes characteristics of presidentialism and parliamentarism.
In this system, the president shares the obligations of the public administration (executive power) of the state with a prime minister. Both have decision-making power in the government and are responsible for complementary functions.
How semi-presidentialism works
In this system, the president is the head of state, elected by direct vote of the people. The prime minister is the head of government.
An important feature of this system is that the president is responsible for appointing the prime minister and sharing with him the activities of head of state and head of government. The head of state is responsible for executive power and the head of government is responsible for legislative power.
The president is also responsible for representing the country at the international level and choosing some officials from government offices. He can dissolve Parliament, suggest and propose laws and control the country’s foreign policy.
The prime minister has his duties submitted to Parliament. He is responsible for the head of government, for choosing ministers, coordinating their work and implementing social development policies.
See some semi-presidential countries:
- France
- Portugal
- Mozambique
- Russia
- Finland
- Algeria
- Romania
- Poland
What are the advantages of semi-presidentialism?
The biggest advantage of the semi-presidential system is that it guarantees more balance between the decisions of the executive and the legislative powers, because there is a decentralization of power and greater sharing of political decisions. In other words, decisions are not centralized in one person or in a single power.
It also proves to be effective in showing rapid reactions in political crises because it allows for a faster change in these powers, in the event of a lack of governability or popular representation.
For example: if the prime minister has no support from Congress in a decision he can be replaced by another prime minister, without the need for new elections or the impeachment process.
Another example is that if Congress does not effectively represent the interests of the population, the president can remove him and call new elections.
See also the meaning of Impeachment .
Differences between semi-presidentialism, presidentialism and parliamentarism
Despite gathering elements from other systems, semi-presidentialism is different from parliamentarism and presidentialism.
In parliamentarism, for example, the bills are subject to the vote of Parliament and the figure of the head of state is used more for ceremonial purposes or to represent the country.
In presidentialism, on the other hand, the president accumulates the functions of head of state and head of government, being a centralizer of most government decisions.
In the semi-presidential system, the head of state (president) is elected by the people and has specific functions and decision-making power in the government. The role of head of government is assumed by the prime minister, who, although appointed by the president, is responsible for the decisions of the legislative branch.
