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2 Democratic constitutional monarchies 3 Absolute monarchies 4 Authoritarian republics 5 Military governments 6 Communist states 7 Transitional governments |
Democratic republics
In which a country is governed by an elected president and legislature.
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.
Absolute monarchies
In which a country is governed sorely by an absolute monarch along with other members of his family.
Authoritarian republics
In which a country is governed by a dictatorial president (autocracy) or single party hierarchy that does not allow for 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."
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.