Executive president

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An executive president is a president who exercises active executive power in certain systems of government. Executive presidents are active in day-to-day governance of a nation, and are usually popularly elected.

They contrast with figurehead presidents, common in most parliamentary republics, in which the president serves symbolic, nonpolitical roles (and often is appointed to office by parliament) while the prime minister holds all relevant executive power. A small number of nations, most notably South Africa and Botswana, have both an executive presidency and a system of governance that is parliamentary in character, with the President elected by and dependent on the confidence of the legislature. In these states, the offices of president and prime minister (as both head of state and head of government respectively) might be said to be combined.

The above examples notwithstanding, executive presidencies are found in presidential systems and semi-presidential systems.

The usual checks and balances on an executive president are through the judicial system through statutory authorisations or prohibitions and by some legislative body or bodies (e.g., congress, parliament, senate). Rarely, an executive president has some powers that are unchecked, which can lead to abuses.

Contemporary examples

Presidential systems

See also


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