The paper explores the contribution of parliaments to the budget process in presidential systems of government with highly centralized budgetary systems. It assesses the constraints to and conditions for enhancing the role of parliaments in public budgeting in a framework of fiscal responsibility. It underscores the risks of excessive executive discretion, when executive prerogatives are not adequately balanced by mechanisms of internal restraint and external scrutiny and argues that a more purposeful contribution of parliaments to the over-sight of the budget might help countries seeking greater accountability in the management of public finances.