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The principle of checks and balances means that each organ of government should exercise control over the other. The objective is to ensure that no organ of government dominates another.

The difference between representative government and responsible governments depends on the nature of the legislature and the relationship between it and the executive. If the legislature is elected by the people, the system of government is representative and this is the ordinary system in all democracies, except in one-party states. In one party states where there is only one officially-recognized political party, there is no real choice between candidates and programmes.

Unitary system of government may be described as a government organized under a single central government. A Federal system of government is one in which sovereignty is not confined exclusively to either the central government or the component units, but rather, is divided between them.

The presidential system of government is a type of government in which most executive powers are vested in the President who is the chief executive (Head of State and Head of Government). The system was originally derived from the British monarchs of the 18th century who were very powerful.

Presidential system of government is a form of government where there is a separation of functions between the executive organ and legislative organ of government. In this system, all the three arms of government are independent of one another.

The presidential system of government is based on separation of power where the Executive is separated from the Legislature. It can also be regarded as a system where executive powers are invested in one person called the president and in which the Executive arm of government is separated from the Legislature but equal to it.

Parliamentary Supremacy or Parliamentary Sovereignty can be defined as the exclusive right of parliament to make and unmake laws without any form of extemal control.

In a parliamentary system, a clear distinction is made between the head of  state and the head of government (Prime Minister), a executive and the executive. Here, the head of the state, King or Queen in Britain or President in India, possesses nominal or titular authority whereas the real authority rests with the government of which the Prime Minister is the head.

The principle of individual ministerial responsibility refers to the convention that a minister is responsible to every actions of their department / ministry and it's applicable in the presidential system of government. Collective responsibility is to cabinet or parliamentary system of government where ministers are collectively responsible for there decisions.

The Cabinet or parliamentary system of government is an executive based on parliamentary majority. It is sometimes known as party government. It is the leader of the party that wins the largest majority in parliament in a general election that is called upon to form a government. He becomes the Prime Minister if he is able to form a government.

Parliamentary or Cabinet system is defined as a system of government in which the head of state is distinct from the head of government. Both offices and functions attached to them are in the hands of two individuals, unlike the presidential system where the two offices (head of state and government) are fused.

The Judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes. Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make law (in a plenary fashion which is the responsibility of the legislature) or enforce law (which is the responsibility of the executive) but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case.

A bill is not a law until it is signed into law by the executive. It is a proposal of action discussed in the parliament and later signed to become a law by the President.

How Bills Become Law? | A public bill goes through three stages, namely, the first reading, second reading and third reading before it becomes an Act of Parliament or a law.

The executive is the branch of government which carries out the will of the state. It enforces the laws made by the legislature and carries out court decisions and also takes action on matters which are not covered by the law.

As the hub around which the wheel of government revolves, the executive is the active force in government. As such, it performs a number of functions and exercises certain powers which are necessary for the survival of the political system. Some of these powers and functions of the executive are explained below.

Limitations on the Powers of the Executive Branch | 1. There is parliamentary control of the executive, especially in a cabinet system of government. The prime minister and his cabinet are responsible to the lower house. That is, they must explain and defend their policies in the house, and if the parliament withdraws its support for the government, the prime minister either resigns or advises the king or president to dissolve parliament in order to seek fresh support through a general election.

Just as citizens have certain rights, duties and obligations, a government also enjoys a number of rights and performs certain obligations. It is, however, more appropriate to talk about the obligations rather than the duties of government, as it may be difficult to compel a government to discharge its responsibility to the Citizens.

The simple majority means that the candidate with the largest number of votes wins the election. For example, five candidates (A, B, C, D and E) contested election in a federal constituency. Their respective votes are as follows.  

The behaviour of political parties is determined by the kind of party systems in existence. Where the party system is competitive, the parties will likely be engaged in continual political activities. But where there is no inter-party competition, as in one-party states, the political party will be primarily engaged in the practice and justification of political authority.