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But presidential governments (having independently elected executives) usually form two-party systems in which two political parties become entrenched, and minor parties do not matter, except as electoral spoilers.

But presidential governments (having independently elected executives) usually form two-party systems in which two political parties become entrenched, and minor parties do not matter, except as electoral spoilers.

The most likely reason for this disparate performance of minor parties in presidential and parliamentary systems is that, in a parliamentary system, one's vote is at least as important on a federal level as on a provincial or district level, if not more. In contrast, as the late [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] and [[Speaker of the House of Representatives]] [[Thomas P. O'Neil|Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neil]] famously said,{{cquote|All politics is local.}} Thus the only vote of national import that a voter casts is a vote to elect a President (or, in the [[United States]], to choose one particular delegation of [[Electoral College|Presidential Electors]]). Thus the typical result is the complete dominance of government by one or the other major party, or at other times, a division of government between executive and legislative branches, or between the two houses of the legislature if that legislature (like the [[United States Congress]] or any State legislature) is bicameral.

The most likely reason for this disparate performance of minor parties in presidential and parliamentary systems is that, in a parliamentary system, one's vote is at least as important on a federal level as on a provincial or district level, if not more. In contrast, as the late [[United States House of Representatives|Representative]] and [[Speaker of the House of Representatives]] [[Tip O' Neill|Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill]] famously said,{{cquote|All politics is local.}} Thus the only vote of national import that a voter casts is a vote to elect a President (or, in the [[United States]], to choose one particular delegation of [[Electoral College|Presidential Electors]]). Thus the typical result is the complete dominance of government by one or the other major party, or at other times, a division of government between executive and legislative branches, or between the two houses of the legislature if that legislature (like the [[United States Congress]] or any State legislature) is bicameral.

== Third-party rise and fall ==

== Third-party rise and fall ==