Presidential System in Indonesia Semi-Presidential System in France: How is Democracy Reflected in the Government Systems of the Two Countries?

Abstract

In this world there are various countries with all the characteristics of the government they have. Even so, all government structures are created and implemented so that the goals of the state can be achieved. Government is a tool that guides society to achieve state goals through established policies and rules. The system of government is one of the determining factors in the life of the state. Some of the government systems that are widely used by countries in the world are presidential, parliamentary, quasi, and referendum systems. Each country uses one of the four government systems according to the needs of their respective countries. This article aims to broaden the reader's horizons of knowledge in the field of law, especially in comparative constitutional law. This article will analyze and compare the government systems used by the Indonesian and French governments in order to find out the similarities and differences in the government systems in the two countries. This research uses a normative juridical research method. The approach used is the statutory, conceptual, and comparative approach. The results of this study indicate that Indonesia uses a presidential system of government while France uses a semi-presidential system of government. There are similarities and differences in the distribution of power in the two countries. The main similarity lies in the three powers that exist in the two countries where the division of powers is based on the concept of the trias politica of Montesquieu. Even so, the two countries do not use the Montesquieu concept exactly but have their own characteristics. The striking difference between the two countries lies in the state leaders. In Indonesia, the president is the head of state and head of government, while in France the head of state is the president, but the head of government is the prime minister.