Six salient features of parliamentary form of government : Governments are classified as parliamentary and presidential on the basis of relationship between executive and legislature. If executive is responsible to the popular house of legislature, it is known as parliamentary form of government. If executive is not responsible to the legislature, it is known as presidential form of government.
Following are the salient features of parliamentary form of government:
Responsibility of executive to legislature : In parliamentary system, executive (council of ministers) is responsible to the power house of legislature. That means the legislature may pass a no-confidence motion any time to remove the executive.
Close relation between executive and legislature : In parliamentary system, there is close relation between the executive (council of ministers) and legislature (parliament) as the members of council of ministers are required to be the members of legislature and they participate in the meetings of legislature.
Indeterminate term of executive : In parliamentary system the term of office of executive is not fixed as it can be removed by legislature any time before its normal term by passing a no-confidence motion.
Collective responsibility : In parliamentary system, the members of executive are collectively responsible to legislature. It means that if a no-confidence motion is passed against a single member of council of ministers, the entire executive has to go.
Difference between real and nominal executive : In parliamentary system, there are two types of executive e.g^one nominal and another real. In India, the president is nominal executive and the council of ministers is the real executive, which exercises all powers in practical.
Strong position of Prime Minister : In parliamentary system, the executive or council of ministers is headed by the Prime Minister, who presides over the meetings of council of ministers and plays key role in the appointment and removal of members of council of ministers.
