Following are main demerits of presidential system:
1. Unanswerable and autocratic governance:
In presidential form of government, President is the real head of executive. He is not responsible towards anyone for his works, thus, he may become autocratic because he cannot be easily ousted. In the lack of control and responsibility, sometimes, an ambitious and aspiring President, by using his powers arbitrarily, may inflict harm upon national interests.
2. Lack of flexibility:
Presidential government is rigid. It has lack of flexibility according to time. In this system, the constitution is generally written and rigid, where in changes cannot be easily made in accordance with necessity. On the other hand, if President is proved to be incapable or inefficient, then too he cannot be ousted before his expiry of tenure. People have to accept him, though under compulsion.
3. More chances of impediment in governance:
In such a form of government, there develops impediment between executive and legislature, if the president is leader of one party, whereas legislature has the majority of other party.
4. Uncertainty of responsibility:
In presidential form of government, there exists fear of uncertainty of answer-ability. As all the three organs of this system – executive, legislature and judiciary are independent in their respective fields, hence any one of these cannot be held responsible for an undesirable outcome.
5. Uncertainty in foreign policy:
In this form of government, another defect is that there cannot be a strong foreign policy, because in order to operate and give final shape to the foreign relations, President has to be dependent on the consent of legislature.
6. Harmful for administrative work efficiency:
This form of government is harmful for administrative work – efficiency, because in it, there is a lack of coordination and cooperation between executive and legislature.
7. Against organic theory:
Like human body, there is an unity and mutual dependence among-st organs / parts of administration, but in presidential system, due to separation and independence of all the three organs of government, there remains a lack of mutual rapport and cooperation. This damages the unity of government. Hence this form, of government is against the organic theory of state.
8. Lack of political awareness in people:
In presidential form of government, there is little mutual interaction and cooperation between executive and legislature, whereas in parliamentary system, ministers come under legislature, they attend meetings of legislature, reply to the questions asked by its members and also indulge in debate on different subjects. People get cognizance of all this through newspapers and other media, resulting into awareness in people, but in presidential system, there is lack of it.
