Chapter 11- The Presidency Outline Monday, October 17, 2016 1:02 PM ? I. Presidents and Prime Ministers 1. Only sixteen countries in the world have a directly elected president, out of the 60 or so countries that have democratic characteristics; the alternative to a president is a prime minister. i. In a parliamentary system, like in Europe, the legislature, not the people, chooses the leader (the prime minister), who in turn chooses the other ministers from parliament members. ii. The prime minister stays in power as long as his supporting party or coalition stays in power, and the voters vote for members of the parliament (usually by party), not for the leader.