List of countries by system of government

This is a list of sovereign states by system of government. There is also a political mapping of the world that shows what form of government each country has, as well as a brief description of what each form of government entails. The list is colour-coded according to the type of government, for example: blue represents a republic with an executive head of state, and red is a constitutional monarchy with a ceremonial head of state. The colour-coding also appears on the following map, representing the same government categories. The legend of what the different colours represent is found just below the map.

Certain states have been defined as having more than one system of government or a hybrid system – for instance, Poland possesses a semi-presidential government where the president appoints the prime minister or can veto legislation passed by parliament, but its Constitution defines the country as a parliamentary republic and its ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

List of countries

Map

 

A colour-coded legend of forms of government.

Legend

•   Presidential republic: Head of state is a president that is the head of government and is independent of legislature
•   Semi-presidential republic: Head of state is a president that has some executive powers and is independent of legislature; remaining executive power is vested in ministry that is subject to parliamentary confidence
•   Republic with an executive presidency or directory nominated by or elected by the legislature: President or directory is both head of state and government; ministry, including the president, may or may not be subject to parliamentary confidence
•   Parliamentary republic: Head of state is a president that is mostly or entirely ceremonial; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
•   Constitutional monarchy (ceremonial): Head of state is a monarch that is mostly or entirely ceremonial; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
•   Constitutional monarchy (executive): Head of state is an executive monarch; monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions; sometimes known as a semi-constitutional monarchy
•   Absolute monarchy: Head of state is executive; all authority vested in absolute monarch
•   One-party state: Head of state is executive or ceremonial; power constitutionally linked to a single political party
•   Countries in which constitutional provisions for government have been suspended (e.g. military juntas)
•   No constitutionally defined basis to current regime (e.g. transitional governments)
•   Dependent territories and places without governments

Note: this chart represent de jure systems of government, not the de facto degree of democracy. Several states that are constitutional republics are in practice ruled as authoritarian states.

UN member states and observers

Name	Constitutional form	Head of state	Basis of executive legitimacy
Afghanistan	Provisional	N/A	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime^[note 1]
Albania	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Algeria	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Andorra	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Angola	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Antigua and Barbuda	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Argentina	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Armenia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Australia	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Austria	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Azerbaijan	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Bahamas, The	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Bahrain	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Bangladesh	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Barbados	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Belarus	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Belgium	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Belize	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Benin	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Bhutan	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Bolivia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Botswana	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Brazil	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Brunei	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Bulgaria	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Burkina Faso	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Burundi	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Cambodia	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Cameroon	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Canada	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Cape Verde	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Central African Republic	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Chad	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Chile	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
China, People's Republic of	Republic	Collective	The president of the People's Republic of China and the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress function collectively as head of state. The state president functions as the state representative of China.^[note 2]
Colombia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Comoros	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Congo, Democratic Republic of the	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Congo, Republic of the	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Costa Rica	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Côte d'Ivoire	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Croatia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Cuba	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political party
Cyprus	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Czech Republic	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Denmark	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Djibouti	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Dominica	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Dominican Republic	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
East Timor	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Ecuador	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Egypt	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
El Salvador	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Equatorial Guinea	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Eritrea	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political party
Estonia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Eswatini	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Ethiopia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Fiji	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Finland	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
France	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Gabon	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Gambia, The	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Georgia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Germany	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Ghana	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Greece	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Grenada	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Guatemala	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Guinea	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Guinea-Bissau	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Guyana	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Haiti	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Honduras	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Hungary	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Iceland	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
India	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Indonesia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Iran	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Iraq	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Ireland	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Israel	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Italy	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Jamaica	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Japan	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Jordan	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Kazakhstan	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Kenya	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Kiribati	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Kuwait	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Kyrgyzstan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Laos	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political party
Latvia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Lebanon	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Lesotho	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Liberia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Libya	Provisional	N/A	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime
Liechtenstein	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Lithuania	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Luxembourg	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Madagascar	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Malawi	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Malaysia	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Maldives	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Mali	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Malta	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Marshall Islands	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Mauritania	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Mauritius	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Mexico	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Micronesia	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Moldova	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Monaco	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Mongolia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Montenegro	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Morocco	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Mozambique	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Myanmar	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Namibia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Nauru	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Nepal	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Netherlands	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
New Zealand	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Nicaragua	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Niger	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Nigeria	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
North Korea	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political party
North Macedonia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Norway	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Oman	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Pakistan	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Palau	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Palestine	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Panama	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Papua New Guinea	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Paraguay	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Peru	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Philippines	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Poland	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence^[note 3]
Portugal	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Qatar	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Romania	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Russia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Rwanda	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Saint Kitts and Nevis	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Saint Lucia	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Samoa	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
San Marino	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence^[note 4]
São Tomé and Príncipe	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Saudi Arabia	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Senegal	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Serbia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Seychelles	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Sierra Leone	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Singapore	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Slovakia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Slovenia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Solomon Islands	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Somalia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
South Africa	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
South Korea	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
South Sudan	Provisional	N/A	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime
Spain	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Sri Lanka	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Sudan	Provisional	N/A	All authority vested in a committee of the nation's military leaders for the duration of a state of emergency; constitutional provisions for government are suspended
Suriname	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Sweden	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Switzerland	Republic	Executive	Presidency or Directory is elected by legislature; ministry may be, or not be, subject to parliamentary confidence
Syria	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Tajikistan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Tanzania	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Thailand	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Togo	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Tonga	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Trinidad and Tobago	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Tunisia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Turkey	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Turkmenistan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Tuvalu	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Uganda	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Ukraine	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
United Arab Emirates	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
United Kingdom	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
United States	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Uruguay	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Uzbekistan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Vanuatu	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Vatican City	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Venezuela	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Vietnam	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political party
Yemen	Provisional	N/A	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime^[note 5]
Zambia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Zimbabwe	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature

Other states

Name	Constitutional form	Head of state	Basis of executive legitimacy
Abkhazia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Cook Islands	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Kosovo	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Niue	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Northern Cyprus	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political party
Somaliland	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
South Ossetia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Taiwan (Republic of China)	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Transnistria	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature

Systems of governance

Italics indicate states with limited recognition.

Presidential systems

These are systems in which a president is the active head of the executive branch of government, and is elected and remains in office independently of the legislature.

In full presidential systems, the president is both head of state and head of government. There is generally no prime minister, although if one exists, in most cases they serve purely at the discretion of the president.

The following list includes democratic and non-democratic states:

Presidential systems without a prime minister

•   Afghanistan, Islamic Republic of^{[note 1]}
•   Benin
•   Bolivia
•   Brazil
•   Chile
•   Colombia
•   Comoros
•   Costa Rica
•   Cyprus
•   Dominican Republic
•   Ecuador
•   El Salvador
•   Gambia, The
•   Ghana
•   Guatemala
•   Honduras
•   Indonesia
•   Liberia
•   Malawi
•   Maldives
•   Mexico
•   Nicaragua
•   Nigeria
•   Palau
•   Panama
•   Paraguay
•   Philippines
•   Seychelles
•   Somaliland
•   Turkey
•   Turkmenistan
•   United States
•   Uruguay
•   Venezuela
•   Zambia
•   Zimbabwe

Nations with limited recognition are in italics.

Presidential systems with a Supreme Leader

•   Iran^{[note 6]}

Presidential systems with a prime minister

The following countries have presidential systems where a post of prime minister (official title may vary) exists alongside that of the president. The president is still both the head of state and government and the prime minister's roles are mostly to assist the president.

•   Abkhazia
•   Argentina (see Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers)
•   Belarus
•   Burundi
•   Cameroon
•   Central African Republic
•   Djibouti
•   Equatorial Guinea
•   Ivory Coast
•   Kenya (see Prime Cabinet Secretary)
•   Kyrgyzstan
•   Peru
•   Senegal
•   Sierra Leone (see Chief minister)
•   South Korea
•   Syria
•   Rwanda
•   Tajikistan
•   Tanzania
•   Togo
•   Transnistria
•   Tunisia
•   Uganda
•   Uzbekistan

Nations with limited recognition are in italics.

Semi-presidential systems

In semi-presidential systems, there is always both a president and a head of government, commonly but not exclusively styled as a prime minister. In such systems, the president has genuine executive authority, but the role of a head of government may be exercised by the prime minister.

Premier-presidential systems

The president chooses a prime minister and cabinet from the parliament with approval from the parliament, however only the parliament may remove them from office with a vote of no confidence. The president does not have the right to dismiss the prime minister or the cabinet.

•   Algeria
•   Cape Verde
•   Congo, Democratic Republic of the
•   East Timor
•   Egypt
•   France
•   Haiti
•   Lithuania
•   Madagascar
•   Mongolia
•   Northern Cyprus
•   Portugal
•   Romania
•   São Tomé and Príncipe
•   Sri Lanka
•   Ukraine^[8]

Nations with limited recognition are in italics.

President-parliamentary systems

The president is head of state and the prime minister is head of government, although the prime minister generally works under the discretion of the former more so than in a premier-presidential system. The president chooses the prime minister and the cabinet without a confidence vote from the parliament, but must have the support of a parliamentary majority for their selection. In order to remove a prime minister or their cabinet from power, the president may dismiss them or the parliament can remove them by a vote of no confidence.

•   Azerbaijan^[9]
•   Congo, Republic of the
•   Guinea-Bissau
•   Kazakhstan^[10]
•   Mauritania
•   Mozambique
•   Namibia
•   Palestine
•   Russia^[9]
•   South Ossetia
•   Taiwan

Nations with limited recognition are in italics.

Parliamentary republican and related systems

In a parliamentary republic, the head of government is selected or nominated by the legislature and is also accountable to it. The head of state is ordinarily called a president and (in full parliamentary republics) is separate from the head of government, serving a largely apolitical, ceremonial role. In these systems, the head of government is usually called the prime minister, chancellor or premier. In mixed republican systems and directorial republican systems, the head of government also serves as head of state and is usually titled president.

Full parliamentary republican systems

In some full parliamentary systems, the head of state is directly elected by voters. Under other classification systems, however, these systems may instead be classed as semi-presidential systems as presidents are always attached to a political party and may have broad powers (despite their weak presidency).^[11] Full parliamentary republican systems with presidents being purely ceremonial and neutral with no broad powers, do not have a directly elected head of state and instead usually use either an electoral college or a vote in the legislature to appoint the president.

Directly elected head of state

•   Austria
•   Bosnia and Herzegovina^{[note 7][note 8]}
•   Bangladesh
•   Bulgaria^[12]
•   Croatia^[13]
•   Czech Republic^[14]
•   Finland
•   Iceland^[15]
•   Ireland^[16]
•   Moldova^[17]
•   Montenegro^[18]
•   North Macedonia
•   Poland^[1][2]
•   Serbia^[19]
•   Singapore^[20]
•   Slovakia^[21]
•   Slovenia^[22]

Indirectly elected head of state

•   Albania
•   Armenia
•   Barbados
•   Dominica
•   Estonia
•   Ethiopia
•   Fiji
•   Georgia
•   Germany
•   Greece
•   Hungary
•   India
•   Iraq
•   Israel
•   Italy
•   Kosovo
•   Latvia
•   Lebanon
•   Malta
•   Mauritius
•     Nepal
•   Pakistan
•   Samoa
•   San Marino^{[note 9][23][24][note 4]}
•   Somalia
•   Trinidad and Tobago
•   Vanuatu

Nations with limited recognition are in italics.

Parliamentary republics with an executive presidency

A combined head of state and head of government in the form of an executive president is either elected by the legislature or by voters after candidates are nominated for the post by the legislature (in the case of Kiribati), and they must maintain the confidence of the legislature to remain in office. In effect, "presidents" in this system function the same as prime ministers do in other parliamentary systems.

•   Angola^[25]
•   Botswana^{[note 10]}
•   Kiribati^[26]
•   Marshall Islands^[27]
•   Nauru^[28]
•   South Africa^[29]

Assembly-independent republics

A combined head of state and head of government (usually titled president) is elected by the legislature but is not held accountable to it (as is their cabinet), thus acting more independently from the legislature.^[30] They may or may not also hold a seat in the legislature.

•   Federated States of Micronesia^{[note 11][31]}
•   Guyana^{[note 12]}
•   Myanmar (constitutional form of government)^{[note 13][33]}
•   Suriname

Directorial republic

In a directorial republic, a council jointly exercises the powers and ceremonial roles of both the head of state and head of government. The council is elected by the parliament, but is not subject to parliamentary confidence during its fixed term.

•    Switzerland^{[note 14]}

Constitutional monarchies

These are systems in which the head of state is a constitutional monarch; the existence of their office and their ability to exercise their authority is established and restrained by constitutional law.

Constitutional monarchies with ceremonial/non-executive monarchs

Systems in which a prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government. In some cases, the prime minister is also leader of the legislature, while in other cases the executive branch is clearly separated from legislature (although the entire cabinet or individual ministers must step down in the case of a vote of no confidence).^{[34][35][dubious ]} The head of state is a constitutional monarch who normally only exercises his or her powers with the consent of the government, the people and/or their representatives (except in emergencies, e.g. a constitutional crisis or a political deadlock).^{[note 15]}

•   Andorra^{[note 16]}
•   Antigua and Barbuda^{[note 17]}
•   Australia^{[note 17]}
•   Bahamas^{[note 17]}
•   Belgium
•   Belize^{[note 17]}
•   Cambodia
•   Canada^{[note 17]}
•   Cook Islands^{[note 17][note 18]}
•   Denmark
•   Grenada^{[note 17]}
•   Jamaica^{[note 17]}
•   Japan
•   Lesotho
•   Luxembourg
•   Malaysia
•   Netherlands
•   New Zealand^{[note 17][note 18]}
•   Niue^{[note 17][note 18]}
•   Norway
•   Papua New Guinea^{[note 17]}
•   Saint Kitts and Nevis^{[note 17]}
•   Saint Lucia^{[note 17]}
•   Saint Vincent and the Grenadines^{[note 17]}
•   Solomon Islands^{[note 17]}
•   Spain
•   Sweden
•   Thailand
•   Tuvalu^{[note 17]}
•   United Kingdom^{[note 17]}

Constitutional monarchies with active monarchs

The prime minister is the nation's active executive, but the monarch still has considerable political powers that can be used at their own discretion.

•   Bahrain
•   Bhutan
•   Jordan
•   Kuwait
•   Liechtenstein
•   Monaco
•   Morocco
•   Qatar
•   Tonga
•   United Arab Emirates^{[note 19][36][37]}

Absolute monarchies

Specifically, monarchies in which the monarch's exercise of power is unconstrained by any substantive constitutional law. The monarch acts as both head of state and head of government.

•   Brunei
•   Eswatini
•   Oman
•   Saudi Arabia
•   Vatican City^{[note 20]}

One-party states

States in which political power is by law concentrated within one political party whose operations are largely fused with the government hierarchy (in contrast to states where a multi-party system formally exists, but this fusion is achieved anyway through election fraud or underdeveloped multi-party traditions).

•   China (Communist Party leads eight minor political parties) (list)
•   Cuba (Communist Party) (list)
•   Eritrea (People's Front for Democracy and Justice) (list)
•   North Korea (Workers' Party leads the Democratic Front) (list)
•   Laos (People's Revolutionary Party leads the Front for National Construction) (list)
•   Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Polisario Front)
•   Vietnam (Communist Party leads the Fatherland Front) (list)

Nations with limited recognition are in italics.

Military juntas

A committee of the nation's military leaders controls the government for the duration of a state of emergency. Constitutional provisions for government are suspended in these states; constitutional forms of government are stated in parentheses.

•   Burkina Faso (semi-presidential republic)^[39]
•   Chad (presidential republic)^[40]
•   Gabon (presidential republic)^[41]
•   Guinea (presidential republic)^[42][43]
•   Mali (presidential republic)^[44]
•   Myanmar (assembly-independent republic)^[33][45]
•   Niger (semi-presidential republic)^[46]
•   Sudan (presidential republic)^[47][48][49]

Transitional governments

States that have a system of government that is in transition or turmoil. These regimes lack a constitutional basis.

•   Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate of^{[note 1][51]}
•   Libya
•   South Sudan
•   Yemen^{[note 5][52]}

Systems of internal structure

Unitary states

Main article: Unitary state

A state governed as a single power in which the central government is ultimately supreme and any administrative divisions (sub-national units) exercise only the powers that the central government chooses to delegate. The majority of states in the world have a unitary system of government. Of the 193 UN member states, 126 are governed as centralized unitary states, and an additional 40 are regionalized unitary states.

Centralized unitary states

States in which most power is exercised by the central government. What local authorities do exist have few powers.

Regionalized unitary states

Main article: Regional state

States in which the central government has delegated some of its powers to regional authorities, but where constitutional authority ultimately remains entirely at a national level.

•   Azerbaijan (59 districts, and 1 autonomous republic)
•   Bolivia (9 departments)
•   Chile (16 regions)
•   People's Republic of China (22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 province-level municipalities, 2 special administrative regions, and 1 claimed province)
•   Colombia (34 departments, and 1 capital district)
•   Denmark (5 regions, and 2 self-governing territories)
•   Finland (19 regions, and   Åland)
•   France (18 regions, of which 6 are autonomous)
•   Georgia (9 regions, and 2 autonomous republics)
•   Greece (7 decentralized administrations, and 1 autonomous monastic state)
•   Indonesia (38 provinces, of which 9 have special status)
•   Israel (6 districts, Judea and Samaria Area)
•   Italy (20 regions, of which 5 are autonomous)
•   Japan (47 prefectures)
•   Kazakhstan (17 regions, 3 cities with region rights)
•   Kenya (47 counties)
•   Kingdom of the Netherlands (4 constituent countries)
•   Mauritania (15 regions)
•   Moldova (32 districts, 3 municipalities, and 2 autonomous territorial units)
•   New Zealand (16 regions, 1 self-administering territory, and 2 states in free association)
•   Nicaragua (15 departments, 2 autonomous regions)
•   Norway (10 counties, 1 autonomous city, 2 integral overseas areas, 3 dependencies)
•   Papua New Guinea (20 provinces, 1 autonomous region, and 1 national capital district)
•   Peru (25 regions, and 1 province)
•   Philippines (one autonomous region subdivided into 5 provinces and 113 other provinces and independent cities grouped into 17 other non-autonomous regions)
•   Portugal (18 districts, and 2 autonomous regions)
•   São Tomé and Príncipe (6 districts, and   Príncipe)
•   Serbia (29 districts, 2 autonomous provinces (one of which is a partially recognized de facto independent state), and 1 autonomous city)
•   Solomon Islands (9 provinces, and 1 capital territory)
•   South Africa (9 provinces)
•   South Korea (8 provinces, 6 special cities, and 1 autonomous province)
•   Spain (17 autonomous communities, 15 communities of common-regime, 1 community of chartered regime, 3 chartered provinces, 2 autonomous cities)
•   Sri Lanka (9 provinces)
•   Tajikistan (3 regions, 1 autonomous region, and 1 capital city)
•   Tanzania (21 regions, and   Zanzibar)
•   Trinidad and Tobago (9 regions, 1 autonomous island, 3 boroughs, and 2 cities)
•   Ukraine (24 oblasts, 2 cities with special status, and   Crimea)
•   United Kingdom (4 constituent countries, of which 3 have devolved administrations)
•   Uzbekistan (3 regions, 1 autonomous republic, and 1 independent city)

Federation

Main article: Federation

States in which the national government shares power with regional governments with which it has legal or constitutional parity. The central government may or may not be (in theory) a creation of the regional governments.

•   Argentina (23 provinces and one autonomous city)
•   Australia (six states and ten territories)
•   Austria (nine states)
•   Belgium (three regions and three linguistic communities)
•   Bosnia and Herzegovina (two entities and one district that is a condominium of the two entities)
•   Brazil (26 states and the Federal District)
•   Canada (ten provinces and three territories)
•   Comoros (  Anjouan,   Grande Comore, and   Mohéli)
•   Ethiopia (10 regions and 2 chartered cities)
•   Germany (16 states)
•   India (28 states and 8 union territories)
•   Iraq (18 governorates and one region:   Kurdistan)
•   Malaysia (13 states and three federal territories)
•   Mexico (32 states)
•   Federated States of Micronesia (  Chuuk,   Kosrae,   Pohnpei and   Yap)
•     Nepal (seven provinces)
•   Nigeria (36 states and one federal territory: Federal Capital Territory)
•   Pakistan (4 provinces, 2 autonomous territories and 1 federal territory)
•   Russia (46 oblasts, 22 republics (one of which is disputed), nine krais, four autonomous okrugs, three federal cities (one of which is disputed), one autonomous oblast)
•   Saint Kitts and Nevis (Saint Kitts,   Nevis)
•   Somalia (six federal member states)
•   South Sudan (ten states)
•   Sudan (17 states)
•    Switzerland (26 cantons)
•   United Arab Emirates (seven emirates)
•   United States (50 states, one incorporated territory, and one federal district:   District of Columbia)
•   Venezuela (23 states, one capital district, and the   Federal Dependencies of Venezuela)

European Union

Main article: List of European Union member states by political system

The exact political character of the European Union is debated, some arguing that it is sui generis (unique), but others arguing that it has features of a federation or a confederation. It has elements of

February 16, 2024