List of countries by system of government

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

States by their systems of government as of the end of 2005. blue - presidential republics, full presidential system yellow - presidential republics, semi-presidential system red - republics and constitutional monarchies with parliamentary systems purple - monarchies in which the monarch still exercises power brown - single-party and military-ruled states
States by their systems of government as of the end of 2005.
blue - presidential republics, full presidential system
yellow - presidential republics, semi-presidential system
red - republics and constitutional monarchies with parliamentary systems
purple - monarchies in which the monarch still exercises power
brown - single-party and military-ruled states

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.

Commonwealth realms

Constitutional monarchies, in which Queen Elizabeth II serves as head of state over an independent government. In each Realm, she acts as the monarch of that state, and is titled accordingly - for example, Queen of Australia. The Queen appoints a Governor-General to each country other than the United Kingdom to act as her representative. The prime minister is the active head of the executive branch of government and also leader of the legislature.

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.

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.

  • Iran
  • Vatican City State

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.

  • People's Republic of China ( Communist Party of China)
  • Cuba ( Communist Party of Cuba)
  • Eritrea ( People's Front for Democracy and Justice)
  • Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( Workers' Party of Korea)
  • Laos ( Lao People's Revolutionary Party)
  • Libya (no-party state)
  • Syria ( Arab Socialist Ba'th Party)
  • Turkmenistan ( Democratic Party of Turkmenistan)
  • Vietnam ( Communist Party of Vietnam)

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 in which the federal government shares power with semi-independent regional governments.

Unitary

Unitary state in which the central government has delegated some of its powers to self-governing regional governments.

  • Chile (13 regions, each one divided into smaller provinces, which are sub-divided into several municipalities).
  • France
  • Italy (20 regions, five granted 'autonomous' status)
  • People's Republic of China (22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities, and 2 Special Administrative Regions: Hong Kong and Macau)
  • Spain (17 autonomous communities)
  • United Kingdom (Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales, plus the remainder, England)