Executive systems in France, Germany, and the United States

¶ … executive factors among France, Germany and the United States

France

France is one of the most important republics of the European Union and Europe as a continent. Given its historical background, it represented a true inspiration to other European countries and outside Europe regimes, such as for instance Iraq after the fall of the Saddam Hussein administration.

The reason for which the executive organization of the French state represents such an important model is largely connected to the relation between the president, the government, and the parliament.

In this sense, the major issue with the decision to adopt one executive system or another laid in the need for a political balance between "accountability to citizens and protection of their basic rights against the need for government that is strong enough to be effective"

. Therefore, there are three aspects to be taken into account. On the one hand, there is the voting mass which is essential for any type of system because it represents the actual essence of Rousseau's social contract. On the other hand, there is the role of the president to be envisaged. In most situations the role of the president is crucial because it can set the balance between the executive and the legislative powers. Finally, there is also the matter of the parliamentarian control and activity. In this sense, it is important to note that the parliament represents the first subject in the political life.

The semi-presidential republic aims at striking a balance between the symbolic function of representation of the president as opposed to the executive powers it entangles.

The choice of semi-presidential republics is relatively new, as only few countries in Europe chose it for more than half a century. Such examples include France, Finland, or Portugal

. This is largely due to the fact that in effect semi-presidential countries imply an increased power of the president in the executive branch. This in turn enables a more comprehensive role for the executive and the actions taken in this sense imply a less important accountability issue.

France is an important example of semi-presidential republic. In this case, the president is directly elected by the people but at the same time it exercises executive attributions. Unlike the other body directly elected by the people which are the parliament, the president is fully implicated in the activities of the government.

The president is the head of the state; he represents the state at the highest level of foreign policy which means that he is also in charge of foreign policy affairs. This is an important issue because it offers the precise perspective of the role of the president. However, in semi-presidential systems, such as France, the role of the president is much extended. It includes a strong connection with the executive branch as he is the one to name the prime minister. In this sense, there is a better understanding between the two entities and often disputes on matters of internal politics do not take place.

The role of the president, especially in France is very important. This is largely due to the influence he has on the political life. He appoints the prime minister who in turn should propose for approval his own choice of ministers. More precisely, the Constitution states that "On the recommendation of the Prime Minister, he shall appoint the other members of the Government and terminate their appointments"

This is a crucial moment because it offers the niche of agreement for the new government.

The semi-presidential model is now spreading throughout Europe, especially among the newly democratized countries from the former communist bloc. The choice for semi-presidency is relevant because at the moment of the fall of communism there had to be a strong power to deal with executive matter and from this point-of-view, the president is the person which bears the most legitimacy because he is elected by all the population. In turn, unlike the Parliament he holds the executive power. From this perspective the legitimacy with the actual power of the president enabled these post communist countries to have a stronger grip on the changing events

Another important element of the semi-presidential republic and thus of France is the power to dissolve the National Assembly. In this sense, the Constitution of the French republic states that "the President of the Republic may, after consulting the Prime Minister and the Presidents of the Houses of Parliament, declare the National Assembly dissolved"

. This aspect is important because it represents the element of control towards the Parliament. From this perspective it can be considered that the President holds superior rights on the Parliament. However, such events occur only in situations such as in 1968 when the French people were called to the polling stations twice in less than two years.

The United States

The United States is a particular case for the study of politics because it offers one of the most interesting systems of government around the world.

The executive branch is represented most importantly by the President of the United States. In this sense, as stated in the Constitution, "the executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America. He shall hold his Office during the Term of four years…together with the Vice President"

. The Cabinet led by the Vice President is the other part of the executive body. The increased role of the President, even if the Constitution had always envisaged it as strong, became visible during the presidency of F.D. Roosevelt who experienced the Big Crisis and thus the New Deal projects

. At that time, there was a need for an increased role of the president, one which was legally supplied by the Constitution.

The president and therefore the vice president and the Cabinet are directly elected by the people. Unlike other countries, the United States holds elections not for the parliament but rather for the president and for the executive branch. In this respect, it is important to note the issue of responsibility which could be considered at a higher degree as the semi-presidential republics. The President, given his direct link to the people, is also directly accountable. This has had a major importance in the last decades in terms of elections because it influenced the presidential candidates because it offered them a different and more in touch experience with the voters. More precisely, the candidacies and the run off to the elections are more people oriented

. Finally, this is one of the major points in terms of popularity and voters' choice throughout the four-year mandate.

The executive branch is built also on the 15 departments which are run by the Vice President. They include the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice, among others

. The legislative body however, represents an independent part of the U.S. administration and while the latter can impeach the president, the former has limited powers in this sense.

Efficiency of the systems

It is rather difficult to consider the efficiency of each system or the better applicability of one or the other. In general terms it depends on the historical background and the experiences in terms of political executives. However, in terms of democratic processes, it could be said that the semi-presidential republic is more accountable.

As opposed to the presidential and the parliamentarian republics, the semi-presidential republic takes into account the voting of the people when electing the president. In turn, he or she has larger political powers as part of the executive. His role as a mediator between the executive and the legislative powers implies a better use of democratic principles. Given the nature of directly elected official, he represents the actual embodiment of the will of the people. The parliament is usually elected in groups, whereas the president is voted as an individual. Furthermore, the possibility of impeachment or suspension of the president implies the strong connection between the executive and the legislative from the point-of-view of the constitutional prerogatives.

Cases have been seen throughout Europe in countries that adopted the semi-presidential system of government in which the president was suspended for a period of time as a result of a parliamentarian vote. Especially in countries which have applied this system in the last twenty years, the democratic mechanism of suspension of the presidential prerogatives was applied. Such a case was present in Romania in 2008. This event proved the functionality of the state mechanism.

By comparison, the presidential republic implies less mechanisms of control and an increased power of the President. An aspect which balances the power equilibrium is the relatively bipolar political system in countries such as the U.S. Better said, the political spectrum in the U.S. is based on a two party system, the Republican and the Democrat system. Given the fact that the specificity of the American political system implies the variation of the political party, the presidential powers can also change.

The powerful presidential presence in the United States is diminished also by the clear differentiation between the elections for the Congress as opposed to those for the president. It is not necessarily the process which is important but rather the fact that unlike the German parliamentarian system, the majority in the Congress may not have the same political color as the president. This is an important aspect because it offers a mechanism of control over the administration and implicitly the Cabinet.

Overall, it can be said that a clear differentiation between the three types of executives can be made in particular by presenting concrete examples. In this sense, the presidential republic, the U.S., the semi-presidential which is France, and the parliamentary republic, Germany are all focused on democratic principles. However, one of the dividing points, the power of the executive, often sets in balance the accountability of the executive branch in front of the Congress, National Assembly, and Bundestag. Even so, it is difficult to ascertain the applicability of one system to another historical background and experience.