Practice question · Multiple choice
Ireland, Germany, Italy and Portugal all have presidents. Why are none of them presidential systems?
Hints
- The defining question is about dismissal, not about titles.
- Ask in each case whether the assembly can bring the government down.
Show the answer
B. In each, the executive depends on the confidence of the legislature
Why
Because the classification turns on who can dismiss whom, not on what the head of state is called. In all four the government falls if the assembly withdraws confidence, which makes them parliamentary regardless of the presidency. Note that direct election does not settle it either: Ireland and Portugal elect their presidents directly.
Practise Institutions and the Distribution of Power
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