Why do some countries have presidents...?

Question

...some countries have prime ministers, and some countries have both?

Answer 1

This map explains it well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Forms...

It depends on the form of government.  

Answer 2

Countries with Monarchies will have just primeministers. Countries with Presidents do sometimes have a Primeminister also, or an equivilent

Answer 3

A country with a president but no PM, like America, the president is the leader of the government as well as head of state. He or she is the most powerful type of president.

Some countries like Ireland have a president and a PM. They retain a cabinet government (like in the UK) and the president is often little more than a figurehead, almost like an elected monarch, with purely superficial roles in government, but with important roles in representing the country overseas and receiving foreign guests.

France has a hybrid system, a powerful executive president and a PM.

Answer 4

It's kind of like rank I think.

Either that or just name....

I don't really understand the ones that have Presidents AND Prime Ministers.... have to look that up.

I k now lots of countries with Prime Ministers are constitutional monarchies.  So the head of state is the monarch that practices little power, while the Prime Minister is the leader chosen by the people.

Answer 5

There is a slight difference between President and Prime Minister, though in many countries that have generally the same function.

A Prime Minister is much like the Speaker of the House in the U.S, however they usually make many of the decisions of the country. They are elected/nominated from the Parliament/Representative Body.

A President is the leader of the Executive portion of a government...they usually deal with foreign policy, are the commander-in-chief, or take care of other such duties. The President does not have to be in a representative body before he is a president.

In countries that have both a President and a Prime Minister, The President will handle most things foreign, and the Prime Minister will handle most things domestic...generally.