Prime-ministerial system

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A prime-ministerial system, or parliamentary system with a directly elected prime minister is a form of government in which voters vote for both members of legislature and the prime minister. It is possible under a constitutional monarchy, but has only existed in republics.

The system was identified as distinct from traditional parliamentary systems by Maurice Duverger and later was used in Israel from 1996 to 2001.

Like semi-presidential systems and parliamentary systems with an executive president, elected prime-ministerial systems are variations of parliamentary systems. However, unlike the former, the prime-ministerial system does not have a dual executive (does not include the head of state in the executive alongside the prime-minister), but there exists a separate (non-executive) head of state (unlike in the latter).

After Israel decided to abolish the direct election of prime ministers in 2001, there are no national prime-ministerial systems in the world; however, a variant of the prime-ministerial system is used in Israeli and Italian cities and towns to elect mayors and councils (with a unified executive). Versions with a fused head of state and head of government exist in Kiribati and Guyana. In 2024, voters in Liechtenstein rejected the establishment of such a system in a referendum.