Know : System of Government : 198 Countries

Legend

• Orange – Parliamentary republics
• Green – Presidential republics, executive presidency linked to a parliament
• Yellow – Semi-presidential republics
• Blue – Full presidential republics
• Red – Parliamentary constitutional monarchies in which the monarch does not personally exercise power
• Magenta – Constitutional monarchies in which the monarch personally exercises power, often (but not always) alongside a weak parliament
• Purple – Absolute monarchies
• Brown – Countries where the dominant role of a single political party or coalition is codified in the constitution
• Dark green – Countries where constitutional provisions for government have been suspended
• Gray – Countries that do not fit in any of the above listed systems

ABSOLUTE MONARCHY

Absolute monarchy is a monarchial form of government in which the monarch exercises ultimate governing authority as head of state and head of government; his or her powers are not limited by a constitution or by the law. An absolute monarch wields unrestricted political power over the sovereign state and its people. Absolute monarchies are often hereditary but other means of transmission of power are attested. Absolute monarchy differs from limited monarchy, in which the monarch’s authority is legally bound or restricted by a constitution; consequently, an absolute monarch is an autocrat. 

CONSTITUTIONAL MONARCHY

Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the guidelines of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified, or blended constitution. This form of government differs from absolute monarchy in which an absolute monarch serves as the source of power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution and has the powers to regulate his or her respective government. Constitutional monarchies are sometimes referred to as limited monarchies, crowned republics orparliamentary monarchies.

REPUBLIC

A Republic is a form of government in which affairs of state are a “public matter” (Latin: res publica), not the private concern of the rulers, in which public offices are subsequently appointed or elected rather than privately accommodated, i.e. through inheritance or divine mandate. In modern times, the common definition of a republic is a government which excludes a monarch.

HEAD OF THE STATE:

In a monarchy, federation, republic, commonwealth or any other form of state, the Head of the State is an individual who is the chief public representative. In a Parliamentary form of government, the Prime Minister or Premier is the Head of the Government. He is the leader of the ruling party and is chief of the executive branch.

The main roles or duties of the Head of the State include exercising political functions and political powers, and legitimizing the state. Head’s of State are largely ceremonial; the duties and responsibilities of the head of the State include, implementing laws, supervising bureaucracy, and making all-important decisions with the approval of the cabinet.

In the Presidential form of government, the President, who is the head of the State, as well as the Head of the Government is not the chief legislator. In parliamentary forms of government the PM ,who is the head of the government, is a member of the legislature, thus being the chief of the legislative branch .

Name	Constitutional form	Head of state	Basis of executive legitimacy
Afghanistan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Albania	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Algeria	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Andorra	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Angola	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Antigua and Barbuda	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Argentina	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Armenia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry 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 is independent of legislature
The Bahamas	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	Constitutional monarchy	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 and ministry are 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	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
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	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Central African Republic	n/a	n/a	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime
Chad	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Chile	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
People’s Republic of China	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political movement
Colombia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Comoros	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
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 movement
Cyprus	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Czech Republic	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Denmark	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Djibouti	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Dominica	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Dominican Republic	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
East Timor	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Ecuador	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Egypt	n/a	n/a	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime
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 movement
Estonia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Ethiopia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Fiji	n/a	n/a	No constitutionally-defined basis to current regime
Finland	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
France	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Gabon	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
The Gambia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Georgia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry 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	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Guinea-Bissau	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Guyana	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Haiti	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry 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 is independent of legislature
Kenya	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Kiribati	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Kosovo	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Kuwait	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Kyrgyzstan	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Laos	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political movement
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	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Liechtenstein	Constitutional monarchy	Executive	Monarch personally exercises power in concert with other institutions
Lithuania	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Luxembourg	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Macedonia	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Madagascar	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry 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	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Malta	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Marshall Islands	Republic	Executive	Presidency and ministry are subject to parliamentary confidence
Mauritania	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Mauritius	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Mexico	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Federated States of Micronesia	Republic	Executive	Presidency and ministry are 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	Ceremonial	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 is independent of legislature
Myanmar	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Namibia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Nauru	Republic	Executive	Presidency and ministry are 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	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Nigeria	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
North Korea	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political movement
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 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
Portugal	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Qatar	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Republic of the Congo	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Romania	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Russia	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Rwanda	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Sahrawi Republic	Republic	Executive	Power constitutionally linked to a single political movement
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
São Tomé and Príncipe	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Saudi Arabia	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Senegal	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
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 and ministry are subject to parliamentary confidence
South Korea	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
South Sudan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Spain	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Sri Lanka	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Sudan	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Suriname	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Swaziland	Absolute monarchy	Executive	All authority vested in absolute monarch
Sweden	Constitutional monarchy	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
Switzerland	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Syria	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Taiwan	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
Tajikistan	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence
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 subject to parliamentary confidence
Turkey	Republic	Ceremonial	Ministry is subject to parliamentary confidence
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 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 movement
Yemen	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Zambia	Republic	Executive	Presidency is independent of legislature
Zimbabwe	Republic	Executive	Presidency independent of legislature; ministry subject to parliamentary confidence

Note that Switzerland is coloured in blue, despite resembling a parliamentary republic system, in the way the president is not independent from legislature, and as he or she and ministry are being appointed by parliament, neither the President and ministry are subject to parliamentary confidence, constituting a directorial system.

Note that this chart aims to represent de jure systems of government, not the de facto degree of democracy. Several states constitutionally deemed to be multiparty republics may also be broadly described as authoritarian states.

Countries highlighted in blue are designated “electoral democracies” in Freedom House’s 2013 survey “Freedom in the World”. Freedom House considers democracy in practice, not merely official claims.

 

A world map distinguishing countries of the world as monarchies (red) from other forms of government (blue). Many monarchies are considered electoral democracies because the monarch is largely ritual; in other cases the monarch is the only powerful political authority.

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Source & Courtesy : Wikipedia & www.differencebetween.net

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