The impeachment process is a unique feature of the ______

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks which system of government is uniquely associated with impeachment, the process of removing a head of government or state (or other top officials) for serious misconduct such as "high crimes and misdemeanours."

Step 2: Explain the concept

• Presidential system: The president is elected separately from the legislature and has a fixed term. Because the legislature cannot remove him by a simple vote of no confidence, the constitution provides impeachment as the formal way to remove him for misconduct. Examples are the USA and Nigeria (Section 143 of the 1999 Constitution).
• Parliamentary system: The executive (Prime Minister and Cabinet) comes from the legislature and stays in office only while it has the legislature's confidence. It is removed through a vote of no confidence, not impeachment.
• Federal and unitary systems: These describe how power is distributed between central and regional governments. They have nothing to do with how the executive is removed, and both can operate with either a presidential or a parliamentary executive.

Step 3: Eliminate options

• A. Parliamentary: uses a vote of no confidence, so it is wrong.
• C. Federal: concerns the division of powers, so it is wrong.
• D. Unitary: concerns centralised power, so it is wrong.
• B. Presidential: impeachment is the characteristic removal mechanism, so it is correct.

Step 4: Answer The correct answer is B. presidential system.

Exam tip: Remember the pairing: Presidential = Impeachment, Parliamentary = Vote of No Confidence. If a question mentions either term, match it to its system straight away.