List of countries by system of government
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2 Democratic constitutional monarchies 3 Absolute monarchies 4 Authoritarian republics 5 Military governments 6 Communist states 7 Transitional governments |
(see also Monarchy#Current Monarchies)
Democratic republics
In which a country is governed by a president or a cabinet appointed by a legislature elected in (more or less) free and fair elections.
Democratic constitutional monarchies
In which a country is governed by an elected legislature and prime minister, with a monarch as a symbolic head of state.
Commonwealth realms share a common monarchAbsolute monarchies
In which a country is governed solely by an absolute monarch along with other members of his family.
Authoritarian republics
In which a country is governed by a dictatorial leader or a single-party hierarchy that does not allow for effective popular opposition.
Military governments
In which a country is governed by the military which has seized control of the nation's political institutions.
Communist states
In which a country is governed by a Communist Party hierarchy that has banned all opposition. These governments also fit under the category of "authoritarian republics." Such countries do not necessarily really operated under a socialist or communist economic system.
Transitional governments
In which a country is governed by a recently-established caretaker administration, and thus cannot be accurately identified as one of the above.
This list may be subject to debate. Some countries may fall into more than one category.