What Is The Difference Between A President And A Prime Minister?

U.S. president Barack Obama next to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe in 2016.

When discussing leaders of countries, the terms “president” and “prime minister” often get thrown around. Even though both of these titles refer to someone in charge of a government, the jobs differ a lot depending on how a country’s system is set up. This article will explain those differences and focus on what each leader does, how they get their position, and how they fit into their government’s structure.

The Basics of Their Roles

A president usually acts as the head of state in a country with a type of government called a presidential government. This makes them the country’s top representative for its citizens. In the United States and other countries like it, the president is the leader of the executive branch as well, which enforces the laws that are passed by the legislative branch. The duties of the executive branch range from things like giving orders to government departments and signing laws into existence to appointing judges and negotiating with other countries.

A prime minister is the head of government in a parliamentary form of government. They're not usually the head of state because someone else, like a king or queen, serves in that role. The prime minister instead focuses on overseeing the daily business of running the government. In countries such as the United Kingdom and Canada, they lead the cabinet, which is a group of senior officials who set policies and run departments. The prime minister's power is based on their status as being the leader of their political party, which needs the majority of the seats in the legislature to remain in power. The office is heavily dependent upon cooperation with other lawmakers, unlike for presidents, who are more independent.

How They Get the Job

How a president or prime minister gains office reveals a lot about what they do. Presidents are elected pretty much directly by the people in most cases. In the U.S., citizens vote for the president through a process called the Electoral College, where each state chooses electors, who cast their vote for the winner. This takes place every four years, and the president doesn’t need the approval of legislators to start working. Once they are elected, they serve a fixed term (eg. for four years) and can’t be removed unless the president is found to have done something very bad like a criminal act.

Prime ministers are not accountable to the people in the same way. They are not directly elected by anyone but are chosen by their party or by a group of lawmakers. In the United Kingdom, the political party with the most seats in Parliament chooses its leader as prime minister. The prime minister is not elected by the public, who choose local representatives. Rather, the leader is decided after the election, depending on who controls the legislature. This makes the prime minister's fate depend on their party's success, not their own popularity.

Another important difference is timing. Presidents have a set schedule because elections are held at regular intervals, and their term is over when it's over, unlike for prime ministers, who have no such restrictions. Their term in parliamentary governments is for as long as their party holds power. However, when lawmakers hold a "no confidence" vote in the government, the prime minister might be forced to quit, leading to a new election to take place.

Power and Responsibility

The amount of power each leader has depends on the laws that their country has put in place. Presidents generally have a lot of power in their own right. In the United States, the president commands the armed forces, negotiates treaties, and appoints people to key roles like being a Supreme Court justice. Congress has to approve some of those choices, but the president makes the first move. They can also veto legislation and stop it from happening unless lawmakers vote to override it by a huge margin. That makes presidents very powerful in determining what the government does.

On the contrary, prime ministers rely a lot more on their peers. They preside over the cabinet, where decisions are made jointly, and they need the backing of the legislature to get anything done. As an example, in Canada, the prime minister proposes policy, but it has to be approved by Parliament. If their party loses its grip, they won’t be able to push it through. Their power comes from agreement among lawmakers, not from a single office. They also don't usually lead the army or directly select judges because that normally belongs to the head of state or other governmental representatives.

Who They Work With

Presidents and prime ministers are not in the same league. A president in a nation such as Mexico or Brazil leads the executive branch separately from the legislature. They appoint their own personnel (cabinet members, advisers, etc.) and don’t need the immediate endorsement of legislators. That distance gives them room to fight things out with the legislature, especially if different parties hold power in each branch. The president's independence gives them the ability to go about their own way, but it slows things down when there isn’t consensus.

Prime ministers are kept close to the legislature. They're a part of it, usually leading the largest party or coalition. In Australia, the prime minister is in Parliament, debates legislation, and answers questions from other members. Their cabinet is selected from the same party and therefore, they work as a team. This closeness helps them to pass bills faster when their party is strong, but it also leaves them high and dry if support diminishes.

Why It Matters to People

These differences affect how the governments respond to citizens. Presidents, with set terms and direct elections, take heed of what voters want in the long run. They campaign in the whole country, so they might focus on bigger and broader issues. Prime ministers, tied to their party and the legislature, are more likely to respond promptly to what fellow lawmakers want. This "shorter leash" means they switch policies faster when pressure builds.

For everyday life, it changes who people blame. Under a presidential system, the president is blamed for most problems, even if the legislature is what is causing those problems behind the scenes. Under a parliamentary system, the prime minister and their party are in the spotlight together, so the blame is shared.