Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is the branch of a government charged with implementing, or executing, the law and running the day-to-day affairs of the government or state. The de facto most senior figure in an executive is referred to as the head of government. The executive may be referred to as the administration, in presidential systems, or simply as the government, in parliamentary systems. Separation of powers (or trias politica, a term coined by Montesquieu) is a model of democracy that involves the separation of political power between three branches of the state: The Executive, the Legislature, and the Judiciary. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Law Law topics overview List of areas of law List of legal topics List of legal terms List of jurists List of legal abbreviations List of case law lists List of law firms Further reading Cheyenne Way: Conflict & Case Law in Primitive Jurisprudence, Karl... A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government/anarchy, and possessing internal and external and even in your pantssovereignty. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... This article needs copyediting (checking for proper English spelling, grammar, usage, tone, style, and voice). ... A presidential system, or a congressional system, is a system of government of a republic where the executive branch is elected separately from the legislative. ... A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ...

In some constitutional monarchies, such as the United Kingdom, the monarch, who is the Head of State, is the de jure and theoretical head of the executive, and the Prime Minister, who he or she technically appoints, is the head of the monarch's government (i.e. "Her Majesty's Government"). In practice, however, a symbolic or figurehead Head of State does not actively exercise executive power, though decisions may be formally made in his or her name. A constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. ... The President of the United States visits the President of the Philippines. ... Look up De jure in Wiktionary, the free dictionary De jure (in Classical Latin de iure) is an expression that means based on law, as contrasted with de facto, which means in fact. The terms de jure and de facto are used like in principle and in practice when one... Her Majestys Government (or His Majestys Government) (HMG) is the formal mode of address given to a government in a kingdom where executive authority is vested in the monarch and exercised in theory on his or her behalf by his/her government, hence the term. ... In politics, a figurehead, by metaphor with the carved figurehead at the prow of a sailing ship, is a person who holds an important title or office yet executes little actual power. ...

Along with the Prime Minister or executive President, the executive branch consists of the cabinet and the executive departments or ministries of the government. Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... President is a title held by many leaders of organizations, companies, universities, and countries. ... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ... The word department has a number of meanings: It can mean an administrative sector of the government. ... A ministry is a department of a government, led by a minister. ...

Executives under different systems

Executive authority within a presidential system is exercised by a president who is also head of state. The president will not usually be designated by the legislature, and may instead be elected directly, or in the case of the President of the United States, indirectly, by an electoral college. Under presidential systems the legislature and the executive are formally distinct, and it is usually expressly forbidden for the president and other executive officers to be members of the legislature. A presidential system, or a congressional system, is a system of government of a republic where the executive branch is elected separately from the legislative. ... The President of the United States (unofficially abbreviated “POTUS”) is the head of state of the United States. ... An electoral college is a set of electors who are empowered as a deliberative body to elect someone to a particular office. ...

In parliamentary systems, the executive branch is generally comprised of a prime minister and a cabinet, who must directly or indirectly secure the support of the legislature. A parliamentary system, or parliamentarism, is distinguished by the executive branch of government being dependent on the direct or indirect support of the parliament, often expressed through a vote of confidence. ... Sir Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister A prime minister may be either: chief or leading member of the cabinet of the top-level government in a country having a parliamentary system of government; or the official, in countries with a semi-presidential system of government, appointed to manage the... A Cabinet is a body of high-ranking members of government, typically representing the executive branch. ...

In a semi-presidential system (such as France, for example) executive powers are shared between the president and a prime minister. The semi-presidential system is a system of government that features both a prime minister and a president who are active participants in the day to day functioning of government. ...

Role of the executive

It is usually the role of the executive to:

• Enforce the law. To achieve this the executive administers the prisons and the police force, and prosecutes criminals in the name of the state.
• Conduct the foreign relations of the state.
• Command the armed forces.
• Appoint state officials, including judges and diplomats.
• Administer government departments and public services.
• Issue executive orders (also known as secondary legislation, ordinances, edicts or decrees).

Most constitutions require that certain executive powers may only be exercised in conjunction with the legislature. For example, often the consent of the legislature is required to ratify treaties, appoint important officials, or to declare war. In the United Kingdom, however, the executive is exempt from most such limitations under the royal prerogative. The word department has a number of meanings: It can mean an administrative sector of the government. ... Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly (through the public sector) or by financing private provision of services. ... An executive order is an edict issued by a member of the executive branch of a government, usually the head of that branch. ... Delegated legislation (sometimes referred to as secondary legislation or subordinate legislation) is law made by ministers under powers given to them by parliamentary acts (primary legislation) in order to implement and administer the requirements of the acts. ... Ordinance can mean: A law made by a non-sovereign body such as a city council or a colony. ... An edict is an announcement of a law, often associated with monarchism. ... Decree is an order that has the force of law. ... A legislature is a governmental deliberative assembly with the power to adopt laws. ... A treaty is a binding agreement under international law concluded by subjects of international law, namely states and international organizations. ... // The Royal Prerogative is a body of customary authority, privilege, and immunity, recognised in common law jurisdictions possessing a monarchy as belonging to the Crown alone. ...

See also

• List of democracy and elections-related topics
• Head of state
• Head of government
• Separation of powers
  • Legislature
  • Judiciary