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Politics & Government vocabulary · Political Systems

Presidential system

Meaning in politics & government, with examples

nounCommon term

In politics & government, presidential system means: A 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.

In Turkish: başkanlık sistemi, başkanlık hükümeti sistemi

How it is used

Used in comparative politics. In a presidential system the president is both head of state and head of government and is elected separately from the legislature for a fixed term. Systems that mix features of both models are often called semi-presidential.

Example sentences

  1. In a presidential system, the president and the legislature are elected separately.

  2. The chapter explains how a presidential system handles conflict between the executive and the legislature.

Common collocations

  • presidential system of government
  • semi-presidential system
  • presidential republic
  • parliamentary systemA system of government in which the government comes from parliament and must keep the support of a majority there to stay in power.
  • presidentThe head of state in a republic. In presidential systems the president also leads the government, while in parliamentary systems the role is often mainly ceremonial.
  • executiveThe branch of government that puts laws into effect and runs the country day to day, made up of the head of government, ministers and their departments.
  • separation of powersThe principle that the legislative, executive and judicial powers of the state should be held by separate bodies, so that no single body becomes too powerful.
  • term of officeThe fixed period of time during which an elected or appointed person, such as a president, mayor or MP, holds an official position.

More terms: Political Systems

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