presidential system

Examples of presidential system in the following topics:

• Head of State

  • A presidential system is a system of government where an executive branch is led by a president who serves as both head of state and head of government .
  • In the 1870s, in the aftermath of the impeachment of President Andrew Johnson and his near-removal from office, it was speculated that the United States, too, would move from a presidential system to a semi-presidential or even parliamentary one.
  • In presidential systems, such as that of the United States, appointments are nominated by the President's sole discretion, but this nomination is often subject to parliamentary confirmation (in the case of the US, the Senate has to approve cabinet nominees and judicial appointments by simple majority).
  • Moreover, in presidential systems, the president often has the power to fire ministers at his sole discretion.
  • Even in presidential systems the head of state often formally reports to the legislature on the present national status, e.g. the State of the Union address in the United States of America.

• Chief Executive

  • Chief Executive is a term commonly used to refer to Presidential powers given by the Constitution.
  • It is commonly used to refer to Presidential powers given by the constitution.
  • This is in contrast to a presidential system in a democracy, where the head of state often is also the head of government, and most importantly: the executive branch does not derive its democratic legitimacy from the legislature.
  • The Parliamentary system can be contrasted with a presidential system which operates under a stricter separation of powers, whereby the executive does not form part of, nor is appointed by, the parliamentary or legislative body.
  • Since the legislative branch has more power over the executive branch in a parliamentary system, a notable amount of studies by political scientists have shown that parliamentary systems show lower levels of corruption than presidential systems of government.

• The Two-Party System

  • These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress to some extent since at least 1856.
  • In the U.S., forty-eight states have a standard winner-takes-all electoral system for amassing presidential votes in the Electoral College system.
  • The winner–takes–all principle applies in presidential elections, thus if a presidential candidate gets the most votes in any particular state, all of the electoral votes from that state are awarded to the candidate.
  • In all but Maine and Nebraska, the presidential candidate must win a plurality of votes to wins all of the electoral votes; this practice is called the unit rule.
  • There are two main reasons winner–takes–all systems lead to a two-party system.

• Presidential Candidates

  • Presidential candidates seek the highest office of the executive branch of government and carry out campaigns in pursuit of election.
  • Elections may depend upon a candidate, or a person who is seeking presidential office, winning the popular vote.
  • The United States has generally embraced a two party political system, in which two primary candidates seek the office of president.
  • As a result of the cost of presidential campaigns, many U.S. presidential candidates tend to be wealthy.
  • Assess the costs and benefits -- to candidates and the public -- of the two party system

• The General Election Campaign

  • The presidential general election occurs after the primary season and is the process through which a national vote chooses the president.
  • In the United States, a presidential election is held every four years and includes both a primary season and a general election.
  • The winner of a presidential general election is not simply the person who receives the majority of votes nationwide.
  • Under this system, statewide elections take place in which voters cast ballots for candidates.
  • In the presidential general election, the winner is determined based on who receives the greatest number of votes in the Electoral College system.

• The Election of 1796

  • The election of 1796 was the first contested presidential election between two distinct political factions in the nation's history.
  • The election of 1796 was the first contested American presidential election and the only one in which a president and vice president were elected from opposing tickets.
  • This system of balloting was not changed until the Twelfth Amendment (1804), which allowed for the notion of a running mate by stipulating separate balloting for president and vice president.
  • This election marked the formation of the first party system and established a permanent rivalry between Federalist New England and the Republican South, with the middle states holding the balance of power.
  • This map illustrates the 1796 presidential election results, with presidential electoral votes by state.

• The Electoral College

  • Thus, though many people do not realize it, Presidential and Vice-Presidential elections are determined not by a popular vote.
  • Voters in each state and the District of Columbia cast ballots selecting electors pledged to presidential and vice presidential candidates.
  • They argue that the two party system has provided stability through its ability to change during times of rapid political and cultural change.
  • In the presidential general election, the winner is determined based on who receives the greatest number of votes in the Electoral College system.
  • Assess the compatibility of the Electoral College system with the nation's federalist and democratic commitments

• The Transfer of Authority

  • In the United States, transfers of authority generally occur after presidential elections.
  • A presidential transition refers to the period of time between the end of a presidential election and the inauguration of a new president.
  • In the United States, the presidential transition extends from the date of the presidential election, in early November, until the twentieth day of January in the following year.
  • During a presidential transition, the outgoing president, also known as the "lame duck," has lost many of the intangible benefits of a presidency.
  • As a project, transitional justice has a number of goals, including rebuilding social trust, repairing a fractured judicial system, and building a democratic system of governance.

• Chile's Presidential Era

• The Disputed Election of 2000

  • In the disputed and extremely close 2000 presidential election, Democratic candidate Al Gore lost to Republican George W.
  • The United States presidential election of 2000 was a contest between Republican candidate George W.
  • Because the 2000 presidential election was so close in Florida, the U.S. government and state governments pushed for election reform to be enacted before the 2004 election.
  • Many of Florida's election night problems stemmed from usability and ballot design factors with voting systems.
  • Presidential election results map: red denotes states won by Bush/Cheney, Blue denotes those won by Gore/Lieberman.