Station #1: Unitary, confederation, and federal governments



Station #3: Forms of Democratic Governments: parliamentary and presidential.

TWO PREDOMINANT FORMS OF DEMOCRATIC GOVERNMENTS

Democratic forms of government vary by country. Citizens take part in the government by voting on laws or electing leaders to make decisions. In a direct democracy, all citizens have the right to assemble and create the laws and make the decisions. Town meetings in some New England towns are like this. In a country with millions of citizens, this model is not practical. Instead, citizens elect leaders to make the decisions for the country. There are two main types of democratic governments: parliamentary and presidential.

PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

The parliamentary form of government is the most common type of democratic government. In a parliamentary system, citizens elect members of parliament called MPs. The MPs choose a leader from among themselves called the prime minister. The prime minister is the chief executive of the country. The chief executive heads the military, enforces laws, and keeps the country running day to day. The prime minister leads the lawmaking body- parliament. MPs are elected to serve for a certain amount of time, but the parliament can be dissolved and elections held again if the prime minister feels the government is not working well. If MPs believe that the prime minister is not making good decisions, they can vote to have new elections.

The country may have a king or queen with little running power or a president who serves as the head of state. In a parliamentary system, the head of state is the symbolic leader of the country. Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom are examples of countries with a parliamentary system. The king and queen of the United Kingdom is the head of state for each of these countries.

PRESIDENTIAL SYSTEM

In a presidential system, the citizens elect the members of the legislature and the chief executive known as the president. The president serves as the head of state, runs the government on a day-to-day basis, and heads the military. However, the president does not make the laws. The legislature has the job of making laws. The president serves for a fixed amount of time; then elections are held again. The legislature does not have the power to force an early election, and the president does not have the power to dissolve the legislature. The United States, Mexico, and most South American countries have presidential democracies.

1. How is the president in a presidential democracy like the prime minister in a parliamentary democracy?

a. They are both in charge of the legislature.

b. They are both in charge of the military and the day-to-day operations of the country.

c. Each leader is elected directly by the citizens of the country.

d. Each leader is elected to serve for a fixed term, which cannot be changed by the legislature.

2, Which is TRUE of a parliamentary democracy?

a. The prime minister is head of state.

b. The prime minister is the chief executive.

c. The president is the chief executive.

d. The president is the head of the legislature.

3. A presidential democracy is used in which country?

a. Australia

b. Canada

c. Mexico

d. United Kingdom

4. A parliamentary democracy is used in which country?

a. Brazil

b. Canada

c. Mexico

d. Venezuela

5. Which is true about how the president in a presidential democracy is different from the prime minister in a parliamentary democracy?

a. The prime minister is the head of state for the country, but the president is not.

b. The prime minister is the chief executive and head of the military, but the president is not.

c. The prime minister is elected directly by the people, but the president is elected by the legislature.

d. The prime minister is chosen from among the members of parliament, but the president runs for office separately.

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