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.
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, whom 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.
Along with the Prime Minister or executive President, the executive branch consists of the cabinet and the executive departments or ministries of the government.
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This series is part of
the Politics series
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- Executive branch
- Head of State
- Government
- Head of government
- Chancellor
- Premier
- Prime minister
- Taoiseach
- Cabinet
- Ministry
- Minister
- Presidential system
- Semi-presidential system
- Parliamentary system
- Cohabitation
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Contents
- 1 Executives under different systems
- 2 Role of the executive
- 3 See also
- 4 Sources
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Executives under different systems
Executives differ in character when they operate under a separation of powers, as in the American system.
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.
In parliamentary systems, the executive is generally comprised of a prime minister, a cabinet and other ministers. In some parliamentary systems, like the United Kingdom, Australia or Canada, the members of the executive are comprised of members of the legislature, of which they must secure the direct or indirect support. In parliamentary systems such as the Netherlands, members of the executive are not necessarily required to be members of the legislature.
In a semi-presidential system (such as France, for example) executive powers are shared between the president and the prime minister. The exact nature of the division of executive powers would differ between specific semi-presidential systems.
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, including the work of government agencies and similar bodies.
- 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.
See also
- List of democracy and elections-related topics
- Head of state
- Head of government
- Separation of powers
Sources
- Biographical Directory of the United States Executive Branch, 1774-1989., Robert Sobel and David B. Sicilia, Editors. (Updated 2003)
Categories: Limited geographic scope | Government institutions
