O semi-presidential system is a way of organizing the political structure of a country that has elements of parliamentarism and presidentialism and has been used by countries such as France, Finland and Portugal to ensure country governability. From this perspective, the semi-presidential system seeks to bring together the main qualities of these two models to implement more democratic governments, with greater popular participation and with greater efficiency to overcome crises policies.
Semi-presidentialism x Presidentialism and Parliamentaryism
Unlike the presidential system, in which the president accumulates the function of Head of state (responsible for representing the country internationally) and head of government (responsible for governing the country with ministers and other elements of the executive branch), in the system semi-presidential, the president has his functions, as in the parliamentary system, shared with the figure of a Prime Minister. Nevertheless, in this system, the president has a stronger role than in the parliamentary system (in which he only plays the role of Head of State), as he can appoint the Prime Minister, dissolve the Parliament or Congress, propose laws, control the country's foreign policy, choose some high-ranking officials, request referendums etc. already the
Prime Minister is chosen by the Congress, to which he is subordinate, and performs most of the duties of the Head of Government (choose and coordinate the work of ministers, implement economic and social development policies etc).One of the advantages of semi-presidentialism over the two other political models is the greater balance between executive power (which is more powerful in the presidential system) and the legislature (much more influential than the executive in the system parliamentarian). This balance occurs from the deconcentration of power and greater sharing of political decisions between these two powers.
Another advantage of this system is that it is more efficient in providing a response to a possible political crisis than the system presidentialist, as it allows for a faster change in these two powers (legislative and executive) in case of lack of governability or popular representation. This means that if the Prime Minister does not have the support of Congress, he can be replaced more quickly without the need for new elections or without having to go through the Impeachment or ReCall processes, which are very stressful, both for the country's economy and for its image International. On the other hand, if the congress does not represent popular interests, the president has the power to remove it and call new elections.
Semi-presidentialism in Brazil?
Brazil is currently experiencing a serious political crisis. As a result of the economic downturn, popular dissatisfaction and lack of support in the federal Congress, President Dilma has difficulties to maintain the country's governability, that is, the ability to govern and the legitimacy of its government before the State and the will popular. To try to overcome this crisis, which is already having harmful effects on the Brazilian economy, the Senate studies the replacement of the current political system, which is based on the presidential model, for the model semi-presidential.
For this system to be implemented in Brazil, it is necessary to change the Brazilian Constitution, which defines the current political system in Brazil. This change can be done in two ways. The first would be through a constitutional amendment legitimized by a popular consultation, such as a referendum, in which the population would approve the change in the country's political system. The other alternative would be to convene a new constituent to build a new Constitution. As the elaboration of a new Constitution would demand a lot of time and negotiations that involve all sectors of the social, political and economic organization of the country, the most likely is that this change will pass for approval popular.
It is also necessary to emphasize that, although this system tries to balance the powers between the legislature and the executive in Brazil, its implementation must be studied carefully. This is because, like any system, it has limitations, and its implementation does not guarantee that Brazil will be able to overcome the crisis in which it currently finds itself.
By Thamires Olimpia
Graduated in Geography
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/geografia/o-que-e-semipresidencialismo.htm
