Executive (government)

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The executive is the part of government that has sole authority and responsibility for the daily administration of the state. The executive branch executes the law. The division of power into separate branches of government is central to the idea of the separation of powers.

In some countries, the term "government" connotes only the executive branch. However, this usage fails to differentiate between despotic and democratic forms of government. In authoritarian systems, such as a dictatorship or absolute monarchy, where the different powers of government are assumed by one person or small oligarchy, the executive branch ceases to exist since there is no other branch with which to share separate but equal governmental powers.

The separation of powers system is designed to distribute authority away from the executive branch—an attempt to preserve individual liberty in response to tyrannical leadership throughout history. The executive officer is not supposed to make laws (the role of the legislature) or interpret them (the role of the judiciary). The role of the executive is to enforce the law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the judicial system.

Responsibility

The top leadership roles of the executive branch may include:

• head of state—often the de jure leader, the chief public representative and living symbol of national unity.
  • head of government—often the de facto leader, overseeing the administration of all affairs of state.
    • defense minister—overseeing the armed forces, determining military policy and managing external safety.
    • interior minister—overseeing the police forces, enforcing the law and managing internal safety.
    • foreign minister—overseeing the diplomatic service, determining foreign policy and managing foreign relations.
    • finance minister—overseeing the treasury, determining fiscal policy and managing national budget.

In a presidential system the leader of the executive branch is at once the head of state and head of government. In a parliamentary system, a cabinet minister responsible to the legislature is the head of government, while the head of state is a largely ceremonial monarch or president.

See also

• Constitution

• Legal reform
• Rule according to higher law
• Separation of powers