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Countries with parliamentary systems may be constitutional monarchies, where a monarch is the head of state while the head of government is almost always a member of parliament, or parliamentary republics, where a mostly ceremonial president is the head of state while the head of government is regularly from the legislature.
Parliamentary system, democratic form of government in which the party with the greatest representation in the parliament (legislature) forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister or chancellor.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 22, 2021 · The method by which the head of government is chosen is the primary distinction between a parliamentary government and a presidential system. The head of a parliamentary government is chosen by the legislative branch and typically holds the title of Prime Minister, as is the case in the United Kingdom and Canada.
In a parliamentary system, there is a very close relationship between the legislative and executive branches, as the head of the executive, often called the prime minister, is also a leader in the legislative branch. In a presidential system, there is a much stronger separation of powers between the legislative and the executive.
Jun 28, 2018 · In a parliamentary regime, however, the roles are separate, with a president (as in Germany or India) or emperor (as in Japan) serving as head of state and the prime minister (or, in Germany, the chancellor) serving as head of government.
Of course, not all parliamentary systems have a monarchy, so the prime minister can be both the political AND the figurative head of state in many countries, which is closer to the role our president plays in a presidential system.
Parliamentary systems also vary in the role performed by the head of state. In constitutional monarchies the monarch occupies office by virtue of heredity. In parliamentary republics the head of state is usually a president.
