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This is a list of countries categorized by system of government.
Presidential republics
Where 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:
Parliamentary republics
Where 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:
Constitutional monarchies
Where a 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.
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.
Commonwealth realms
Constitutional monarchies in which the Queen Elizabeth II serves as head of state over an independent government. The Queen symbolically appoints a figurehead Governor General to act as Head of State. The prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government and also leader of the legislature.
Absolute monarchies
Monarchies in which the monarch is the active head of the executive branch and exercises all powers.
Theocracies
Non-democratic states based on a state religion where the head of state is selected by some form of religious hierarchy.
One-party and no-party states
Non-democratic states in which political power is concentrated within a single political party whose operations are largely fused with the government hiearchy.
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 hiearchy.
Transitional
States which have a system of government which is in transition or turmoil and cannot be accurately classified.
Systems of Internal Governance
Federal states
States in which the federal government shares power with semi-independent regional governments.
Devolved states
States in which the federal government has delegated some of its powers to self-governing regional governments.
Semi-federal states
See also
External link
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