In the presidential system of government, the chief executive is responsible to the _____________.

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks who the chief executive (the President) answers to in a presidential system of government.

Step 2: Explain the concept In a presidential system:

• The President is both head of state and head of government.
• The President is elected directly by the people (or through an electoral process the people take part in) for a fixed term.
• There is a strict separation of powers between the executive, legislature and judiciary.
• Because the President gets his mandate from the voters, he is ultimately accountable to them. They can reward or punish him at the next election.

In contrast, in a parliamentary system the Prime Minister is responsible to the legislature (parliament), and a monarch is only a ceremonial head of state.

Step 3: Evaluate the options

• A. Judiciary: The judiciary interprets laws and can check executive actions, but the President is not responsible to it. ✗
• B. Monarch: A monarch exists in constitutional monarchies such as the UK, not in a presidential system. ✗
• C. Electorate: The people who vote the President into office. He is accountable to them. ✓
• D. Senate: The Senate can oversee and confirm appointments, and it can impeach him, but it does not hold his mandate. The President's primary responsibility is to the people. ✗

Step 4: Answer The chief executive in a presidential system is responsible to the electorate, which is option C.

Tip: Remember the pairing:

• Presidential system → President answers to the electorate (the people).
• Parliamentary system → Prime Minister answers to the legislature.

Questions that ask "responsible to" usually test this difference.