Well, I guess that it is in the eye of the beholder to some extent, but I believe that few if any democratic states grant the chief executive the ability to veto legislation, appoint the supreme judges and the major ministers (Secretary of State, Defense etc) and issue decrees that have the force of law as long as they are not openly unconstitutional. Omar --- On Tue, 12/7/10, Robert Paul <rpaul@xxxxxxxx> wrote: I'm not sure why you call the US form of government 'an authoritarian presidential system.' It isn't "authoritarian' in any ordinary sense of that word. Laws are passed by Congress and approved (or vetoed) by the president, although Congress may in turn override a veto by a vote of at least 2/3rds of both houses. The president appoints federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, but those nominated must be approved by Congress. The Supreme Court can overturn presidential directives (which are not voted on beforehand) such as Roosevelt's Executive Order 90662, which called for the internment of persons of Japanese descent living west of the Rockie Mountains. (In this case the Supreme Court upheld its constitutionality.) A president may be impeached or removed from office on other grounds by Congress (or, I imagine, by the criminal justice system). And so on.