Over the years, I’ve heard of those events in many countries, even in democratic Western countries. Why did they happen so casually and regularly, although they sound like something that only happens in a chaotic, anarchic dystopia.
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In parliamentary systems the word “government” is used for what we Americans would usually call the “administration.” When a government collapses or is dissolved, it usually means that government has lost a confidence vote or some of its members have resigned. In those countries, it is a normal part of the democratic process and part of the peaceful transfer of power.
There are lots of major differences between a parliamentary republic and a presidential republic, such as the following (although this is just a generalization, different countries have different laws and political norms, although I’ll be focusing on the difference between the US and Westminster countries like the UK and Canada).
1. A prime minister is not usually elected directly by the people. Instead, whichever party has the most seats in parliament forms a governing coalition, and they nominate one of their sitting MPs to be PM, e.g. Boris Johnson is MP for the constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip. In a presidential system it is not unusual for the presidency and the legislature to be controlled by different parties, but in a parliamentary system this is impossible.
2. In parliamentary systems there are usually more than two parties (even if two parties dominate, e.g. in the UK the largest two parties hold 86% of seats) and it is not uncommon for the party with the most seats not to have a majority. In this case they must form a governing coalition by inviting smaller parties to join their government, usually by giving their members cabinet positions. If they can’t get enough other parties to join their coalition to get a majority, another party might be given the mandate to form a government. Sometimes a minority coalition is allowed to form a government, but it means that they won’t be able to pass any legislation without some opposition support. Meanwhile in the US, it is sometimes said that the two dominant parties are themselves more like coalitions, with something of an ideological spectrum within them.
3. In parliamentary systems elections do not necessarily have to be held regularly (although in many cases there are constitutional rules which say they must be held at least once in X years). The governing coalition can usually call new elections whenever they want. The legislature can also usually call a vote of no confidence, which if it passes will require the government to resign and call new elections. In the US, elections are held on a specific schedule, and presidential elections are always held exactly every four years. Even if the president dies, there’s no way to move the date up. Prime Ministers also do not typically have term limits, and can theoretically remain in office as long as their party holds a legislative majority. Presidents almost always have well-defined term limits.
That’s the basics, but there’s a lot more.
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