This is a list of countries categorized by system of government currently in use.
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In which a country is governed by an elected president, or a cabinet appointed by a legislature elected in (more or less) free and fair elections.
In which a country is governed by an elected legislature and prime minister, with a monarch as a symbolic head of state. (see also Current monarchies)
Commonwealth realms share a common monarch
In which a country is governed solely by an absolute monarch, possibly along with other members of his family.
In which a country is governed by a dictatorial leader or a single-party hierarchy that does not allow for effective popular opposition. (See also: #Communist states)
In which a country is governed by the military which has seized control of the nation's political institutions.
In which a country is governed by a Communist Party hierarchy. Such countries do not necessarily operate in practice under a socialist or communist economic system.
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.