List of countries by system of government

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This is a list of countries categorized by system of government.

Presidential / Separated republics

In a Presidential system, a president is the active head of the executive branch of government and is independent from the legislature. The following list includes democratic and non-democratic states:

Full presidential systems

In full presidential (also known as congressional) systems, the president is both head of state and head of government but is separated from the legislature, as are the Cabinet. There is no prime minister.

Real world examples: United States, South Korea

Semi-presidential systems

In semi-presidential systems, there is a president and a prime minister. In such systems, the President has genuine executive authority, unlike in a parliamentary republic, but some of the role of a head of government is exercised by the prime minister.

The Prime Minister generally has control of domestic policy, with the President controlling foreign affairs.

Real world examples: France, Lebanon

Parliamentary republics

In a parliamentary system, a prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government and also leader of the legislature. However, there is also a president who serves as a symbolic head of state in some figurehead capacity. The following list includes democratic and non-democratic states:

Real world examples: Finland, Germany

Absolute monarchies

An Absolute Monarchy is a monarchy in which the monarch is the active head of the executive branch and exercises all powers.

Real world examples: Saudi Arabia, Vatican City State

Constitutional monarchies

In a constitutional monarchy, the prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government and also leader of the legislature. The head of state is a constitutional monarch who only exercises his or her powers with the consent of the government and is largely a figurehead.

Real world examples: United Kingdom, Japan

Semi-constitutional monarchies

The prime minister (or equivalent) is the nation's active executive, but the monarch still has considerable political powers that can be used at his/her own independent discretion.

Real world examples: Jordan, Kuwait

Theocracies

Non-democratic states based on a state religion where the head of state is selected by some form of religious hierarchy.

Real world examples: Iran, Holy See

One-party states

Non-democratic states in which political power is concentrated within a single political party whose operations are largely fused with the government hierarchy.

Real world examples: North Korea, People's Republic of China

Military Junta states

The nation's armed forces control the organs of government and all high-ranking political executives are also members of the military hierarchy.

Real world examples: Libya, Myanmar

Transitional

States which have a system of government which is in transition or turmoil and cannot be accurately classified.

Real world examples: Haiti, Thailand

Systems of Internal Governance

Federal

States in which the federal government shares power with semi-independent regional governments. In many cases, the central government is (in theory) a creation of the regional governments; a prime example is the United States.

Real world examples: United States, Canada

Unitary

Main article(s): Unitary state

A unitary state is governed constitutionally as a single unit, with a central government holding all constitutional power, and no constitutional powers reserved for sub-central units (eg: local governments).

Real world examples: France, Denmark

Devolved

States in which the central government has delegated some of its powers to self-governing subsidiary governments, creating a de facto federation, with the exception that powers of subsidiary governments can be revoked by a simple resolution of the central government.

Real world examples: United Kingdom, Spain

Regionalised unitary

States in which the central government has delegated some of its powers to regional governments.

Real world examples: Italy, People's Republic of China

Federacy

A federacy is a country in which some substates function like states in a federation and others like states in a unitary state.

Real world examples: France, Denmark

Notes

See also