A governmental system in which the leader of the political party that wins the most seats in a national election becomes the country's leader—either as prime minister (if there is a separate office for a head of state) in which case he is simply the head of government or as president (where both leadership of the government and leadership of the country is fused into one). In other words, unlike in a presidential system, the leader of the government in a parliamentary system is not elected to his position through a national election. Note that where there are separate offices for the head of state and the head of government then the head of state usually holds a ceremonial position without much political power (as in the case, for example, of the monarch in Britain today). By the way, Canada has a parliamentary system in which the two offices are separate. Do you know who the head of state is in Canada? (How come you do not know?)