Presidentialism versus Parliamentarism

Abstract

The article reviews the debate over the relative advantages and disadvantages of various constitutional frameworks, the characteristics of regimes that have been of particular interest to academics and reformers, and some recent trends in the design and performance of regimes. Most of the focus is on Latin American presidential regimes. It is adressed that the past decade has witnessed two important trends in the operation of these regimes: loosening restrictions on reelection, and the rise of legislative replacement of presidents during crises. Both imply convergence with parliamentary systems in that they relax the fixed nature of presidential terms.