Okuzeka
Politics & Government vocabulary · Political Systems

Parliamentary system

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

nounCommon term

In politics & government, parliamentary system means: A system of government in which the government comes from parliament and must keep the support of a majority there to stay in power.

In Turkish: parlamenter sistem, parlamenter hükümet sistemi

How it is used

Used when comparing systems of government. In a parliamentary system the prime minister is usually the leader of the largest party or coalition, and parliament can remove the government with a vote of no confidence. The head of state is a separate, often ceremonial figure.

Example sentences

  1. In a parliamentary system, the government can fall if it loses a confidence vote.

  2. The lecture compared the parliamentary system with the presidential model.

Common collocations

  • parliamentary system of government
  • parliamentary democracy
  • move to a parliamentary system
  • presidential systemA system of government in which an elected president leads the executive, is separate from the legislature and cannot normally be removed by a vote of no confidence.
  • prime ministerThe leader of the government in many countries, usually the head of the largest party or coalition in parliament, who chairs the cabinet.
  • vote of no confidenceA vote in parliament to decide whether the government or a minister still has the support of a majority; if the government loses it, it may have to resign.
  • head of governmentThe person who leads the government and runs its daily work, such as a prime minister or, in presidential systems, the president.
  • parliamentThe elected body of representatives that makes a country's laws, approves the budget and checks the work of the government.

More terms: Political Systems

Practise with graded reading

Reading at the right level is the fastest way to make new words stick. Pick free English books by level: