Executive president

An executive president is the leader of a country who has real power to make decisions and govern. This role exists in many types of governments, such as presidential, semi-presidential, and some parliamentary systems. These presidents are usually chosen by voting directly by the people.

They are different from presidents in some countries who only have a symbolic role, like a figurehead. In those places, another leader called a prime minister runs the government. But in a few nations, like South Africa and Botswana, the president is both the leader of the country and works closely with the parliament.

To make sure the president does not misuse their power, there are checks and balances. For example, in the United States, the president can be held responsible if their actions are against the rules of the country.

Elections

In some countries called parliamentary republics, the leader who has real power is often chosen by the group of leaders called the legislature. This is different from other parliamentary republics where the leader is chosen directly by people voting.

In full presidential systems and semi-presidential systems, the leader is chosen separately from the legislature. There are a few ways to do this, like using a plurality system or a two-round system. Even though these ways use votes from many people, not all leaders are chosen this way. For example, in the United States, a candidate needs to get most of the votes from a special group called the Electoral College, not just the most votes from everyone.

Contemporary examples

Presidential systems

Countries where the president is the main leader and has strong powers include Angola, Bolivia, Brazil, Burundi, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Gambia, The, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Maldives, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Palau, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somaliland, South Sudan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Abkhazia, Argentina, Belarus, Benin, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Guyana, Ivory Coast, South Korea, Peru, Rwanda, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Yemen.

Semi-presidential systems

Countries with a president who shares power with a prime minister include Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Congo, Democratic Republic of the, East Timor, Egypt, France, Haiti, Lithuania, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Niger, Northern Cyprus, Poland, Romania, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Congo, Republic of the, Guinea-Bissau, Kazakhstan, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Palestine, Portugal, Russia, Syria, Taiwan, Transnistria, Weimar Republic†.

Parliamentary systems

Some nations have presidents who mainly serve as symbols, with real power held by a prime minister, such as Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, San Marino, and South Africa.

Assembly independent

Countries where the president is chosen by the assembly include Federated States of Micronesia, Suriname, and Switzerland.

Other

Other systems include Cuba, Eritrea, Laos, Myanmar, North Korea, San Marino, and Vietnam.

Corporate example

In a company, the top leader is called the Chief Executive Officer, or CEO. The president is usually the second most important person. In some companies, the executive president manages the daily work of the main team but is not the top leader of the whole company. In smaller businesses, one person might be both the CEO and the president, but in bigger companies, these are two different jobs.