The Executive Dependence Upon the Legislature: Explaining the Allocation of Portfolios to Formateur Parties

The standard view in comparative politics sees the executive as dependent upon the legislature in parliamentary systems, but independent from the legislature in presidential systems. In this study, I argue for a more nuanced comparison between these systems of government. While it is true that confidence procedures make prime ministers more dependent upon the legislature than presidents, the need for all executives to make policies means that all presidents are dependent upon the legislature to some degree. I theorize that the degree of presidential dependence on the legislature depends on institutional provisions that allow some presidents greater leeway in making policies. I then show that the variation in the dependence of the president on the legislature to make and enact policies has implications on how governments are formed and how they perform in presidential democracies.