Global journal of arts humanities and social sciences vol. Although nigeria was a dictatorship from 1983 through 1998, the presidential system of government was. In september, the first election took place in lagos and calabar. Nigerias political independence was ushered in by the 12 december 1959. Once the operators of a given political system lack adequate knowledge and intellectual training, the system will not work. The modern system of parliamentarian system finds its origin to 1707 1800 in the great britain. Malam tanko yakassai in the report canvassed a return to the parliamentary. The 1979 constitution, however, did not revert to the erstwhile parliamentary system that was in use prior to the military coups, but adopted a presidential system of government. Nigeria is still in the process of searching for a workable and effective grassroots administration and development strategy that will cater to the yearning and aspiration of the. The president, elected to a fiveyear term by a joint session of the parliament, replaced the crown as the symbol of national sovereignty and the british monarch as head of state. Commonwealth parliamentary association, cpa headquarters secretariat, richmond house, houses of parliament, london sw1a 0aa, united kingdom hq.
Between 1960 and 1966, nigeria operated a parliamentary system of government whereby the power to make and execute laws was held by the parliament. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation in. More than most democratic or semidemocratic nations, nigerians are wellplaced to assess the two political systems visavis. In nigeria, the presidential system of government is the type of political organization in which the.
This is a list of countries by system of government. A parliamentary system of government means that the executive branch of government has the direct or indirect support of the parliament. The incumbent president, goodluck jonathan sought his second and final term. This head of government is in most cases also the head of state, which is called president in presidential countries, the executive is elected and is not responsible to the legislature, which cannot in normal circumstances. We previously wrote on the structure of nigerias federalism where we talked on federalism in nigeria.
This constitution made the president the head of state and head of government, as well. Alongside this system, the uk is also a constitutional monarchy. A parliamentary system or parliamentary democracy is a system of democratic governance of a state or subordinate entity where the executive derives its democratic legitimacy from its ability to command the confidence of the legislature, typically a parliament, and is also held accountable to that parliament. Table 2 women representation in 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 general elections in nigeria s n position no of availab le seats no of women elected in 1999 no of wome n. A study of lagos and ogun states, nigeria, 19992011 by oni, samuel olorunmaiye cugp070188 a thesis submitted to the department of political science and international relations, school of social sciences, college of development studies, covenant university, ota, nigeria in partial. Most of this chapter will concern itself with the way in which law is made by parliament. General elections were held in nigeria on 28 and 29 march 2015, the fifth quadrennial election to be held since the end of military rule in 1999. Why nigeria needs parliamentary system ekweremadu daily. Parliamentary government definition is a system of government having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature. It is even more compelling in the light of recent happenings in the countrythe 2007 elections.
There is no better time than now to assess the suitability of the 1999 constitution than now. The country was at its infantile stage and was still trying to adapt to. A modified presidential system that embodies parliamentary system will help us reduce. Parliamentary system of local government in osun state. The nigerian electoral process in perspective elections under colonial rule before independence in 1960, nigeria, which existed as an amalgamation of the. Like the united states, brazil and india, nigeria as a federation, a colonial heritage necessitated by her multiculturality has 36 states, a federal capital territory abuja and a 774 local government area structure and adopted the united states presidential system since 1979 which replaced the british parliamentary system of government. Wellexperienced, alert and learned members are given preference because of the sensitive nature of parliamentary system. At independence in 1960, nigeria adopted a parliamentary system of government mirroring that of its former colonizer, the united kingdom. It is almost 10 years of democratic rule in nigeria. Legislatureexecutive relations in the presidential system. Introduction this article is an account of structural changes in the nigerian polity through the historic shifts in the political system and economic resources since the colonial period.
Military rule in nigeria first started on january 15, 1966, when a group or army officers overthrew the npcnndp government and killed many of the countrys political rulers. This support is usually shown by a vote of confidence. A balanced relationship between the executive and the legislature in a parliamentary system is called responsible government the separation of powers between the executive and law making branches is not. They are commonly taken from the partys ring leadership. But a political system crippled by corruption and dogged by ethnic tensions threatens to derail the. A bicameral parliament usually consists of a directly elected lower house with the power to determine the executive government, and an upper house which may be appointed or elected through a different mechanism from the lower house. The change in status called for no practical alteration of the constitutional system. The presidential and parliamentary models of national. Head of state and executive the head of state is a president, elected for a fouryear term, renewable once only. An overview of presidential system at the local government. Every adult has the right to vote known as universal suffrage. Presidential and parliamentary systems are the two universally acclaimed systems of organizing.
Parliamentary system, democratic form of government in which the party or a coalition of parties with the greatest representation in the parliament legislature forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister or chancellor. From independence onwards, nigeria has been grappling with the task of. A parliamentary or cabinet system of government is one in which there is no distinct separation of powers between the executive and the legislature. Nigerias creaky political system council on foreign. A presidential system separates the executive and legislative functions of the government and provides what are commonly called checks and balances to limit the power of both the chief executive and the legislature. The uk political system the united kingdom is a parliamentary democracy. The governorgeneral, who served as the representative of the queen and the head of state, appointed the prime minister as the head of government, and his cabinet from among members of the legislature.
Download citation parliamentary system of government. Presidential system has failed nigerians, says yakassai, was the screaming headline in the guardian of may 29, 2017. Nnamdi azikiwe became the republics first president. The two great systems of political governance known to the world of democracy, the parliamentary and the presidential, have been. The nigerian electoral process in perspective elections under colonial rule before independence in 1960, nigeria, which existed as an amalgamation of the northern and southern protectorates since 1914, had already witnessed three different elections. Opinion a parliamentary system of government in nigeria. According to the structure of this organization, the president is the head of states. What are the main characteristics of parliamentary system. The list of ministers is presented before head of state for his approval. Parliamentary democracy originated in britain and was adopted in several of its former colonies.
The relationship between the executive and the legislature in a parliamentary system is called responsible government. As against this, in presidential form of government, the three organs of the government work independently of each other. The two great systems of political governance known to the world of democracy, the parliamentary and the presidential, have been embraced by nigeria since independence in 1960. The system of governance in countries differs depending on whether a country has a presidential, parliamentary or hybrid political system. Presidential system of government in nigeria facts you. At independence in 1960, nigeria adopted a parliamentary system of. There is also a political mapping of the world that shows what form of government each country has, as well as a brief description of what each form of government entails. Dec 28, 2017 the deputy president of the senate, chief ike ekweremadu has made a strong case for parliamentary system of government in the country. The british constitution, law reform and the parliamentary.
Voters elected the president and members to the house of representatives and the senate. Electoral system 14 inclusiveness of parliament 15 eligibility rules 15 age of the population 16 youth quotas 16 youth and the legislative process 18 networks and caucuses 18 parliamentary committees 19 engaging youth with parliament 21 youth parliaments 21 youthinitiated parliamentary transparency 22. Similarly, in the presidential system, the president is both nominal and political head of state as he exercises executive powers as spelt out in the. The ag led by awolowo formed the opposition in the parliamentary westminster system of government. Executive functions are exercised by members of the parliament appointed by the prime minister to the cabinet. The deputy president of the senate, chief ike ekweremadu has made a strong case for parliamentary system of government in the country.
Between presidential and parliamentary system of government. Pdf the electoral process and democratic consolidation. A presidential system is a democratic and republican government in which a head of government leads an executive branch that is separate from the legislative branch. The study examines the introduction of a parliamentary system of local government in osun state, nigeria to replace the presidential system that was on the ground. For instance, nigeria after independence practised the parliamentary system of government. The presidential and parliamentary models of national government. Difference between parliamentary and presidential form of. The presidential and parliamentary governance forms.
The list is colourcoded according to the type of government, for example. Current constitution 5 may 1999, marking a return to civilian democratic government. Although the first postindependence parliamentary elections were held in december 1964, the. In 1963 nigeria became a republic within the commonwealth. In a parliamentary republic, the head of government is selected by, or nominated by, the legislature and is also accountable to it, except in the case of assemblyindependent systems like suriname. This constitution made the president the head of state and head of government, as well as the commander in chief of the armed forces. The parliamentary system can be with a bicameral legislature or unicameral legislature. Jun 25, 2019 the main difference between parliamentary and presidential form of government is that in the parliamentary system, there exists a harmonious relationship between the legislative and executive body, while the judiciary body works independently. The main difference between parliamentary and presidential form of government is that in the parliamentary system, there exists a harmonious relationship between the legislative and executive body, while the judiciary body works independently. Wikimedia commons has media related to nigerian general election, 2015. This time we are going to look at the presidential system of government as practiced by nigeria and the united states of america. Unfortunately, it was brought to an abrupt end after the first military coup of january 15, 1966. In 1988, finland instituted a new system for presidential elections. It operates the presidential system of government with three distinct but complementary arms namely the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, each acting as a check on.
Parliamentary system, democratic form of government in which the party with the greatest representation in the parliament legislature forms the government, its leader becoming prime minister or chancellor. The electoral process and democratic consolidation in nigeria. Though each country has its own variance based on political structure, the characteristics of each of these systems and their relationship to political conflict, executive and legislative power differ. A study of parliamentary and presidential form of government. May 02, 2020 a presidential system separates the executive and legislative functions of the government and provides what are commonly called checks and balances to limit the power of both the chief executive and the legislature. Nigerias best hope for democratic stability it is almost 10 years of democratic rule in nigeria. In this system, the head of state called president, is different from the head of government called prime minister. Parliamentary strengthening in developing countries alan hudson, odi and claire wren, one world trust 12th february 2007 final report for dfid this is a report for dfid produced by the overseas development institute odi. Parliamentary government definition of parliamentary.
The parties in the minority serve in opposition to. The version of this system of government in nigeria has its advantages and disadvantages. The presidential system of government in nigeria defines the political organization of this country. The parliamentary form of government can be further divided into two types. Census bureau, international programs, international database. The elections were first scheduled to be held on 14 february 2015. By an act of the british parliament, nigeria became an independent country within the commonwealth on october 1, 1960. The military history of nigeria since the colonial rule began precisely on the 1 st october 1966. List of countries by system of government wikipedia. Parliament creates written law referred to as legislation.
Parliamentary system simple english wikipedia, the free. Herein lies a very basic difference between the presidential system of government as it exists in the united states and the parliamentary system that has evolved in great britain. This report by the law library of congress provides information on the law on national parliaments in nigeria. The population pyramids illustrate the age and sex structure of chinas and nigerias populations. Take a look at a few facts about nigerian presidential system that. For this reason, in a parliamentary system there is no true separation of powers between the legislature and the executive, at least in the sense in which there is in a presidential system. In 1979, nigeria abolished the parliamentary system of government in favor of a presidential system of government, in large part for the purpose of achieving a sharper separation of powers between the legislative and executive branches. In this chapter, the systems of administration as practiced in nigeria since. Parliamentary strengthening in developing countries. Local government is divided into wards across all states of nigeria and each ward elects a.
The head of state is ordinarily called president, and in most parliamentary republics is separate from the head of government and serves as a largely apolitical, ceremonial figure. An overview of presidential system at the local government level in nigeria prof. The presidential system is good for nigeria punch newspapers. What is the difference between a parliamentary and. Executive powers are vested in the cabinet, headed by the prime minister. Under this system, the prime minister who was the leader of the party with majority seats in the parliament was the substantive head of government at the centre federal while the president was a mere ceremonial head. May 30, 2017 between presidential and parliamentary system of government.