Head of government

A head of government leads a country's government and directs its executive administration. The office may be separate from the head of state or combined with it.

Head of state: The person who embodies a state's public identity and performs its constitutional or ceremonial functions. This office is distinct from the head of government in many constitutional systems.
Parliamentary system: A system in which government depends on the confidence of an elected legislature. The head of government usually emerges from the legislative majority and must retain its support.
Prime minister: The chief minister who leads a government, especially in a parliamentary system. This is the most common title for a parliamentary head of government.
Public administration: The organization and operation of government agencies that implement public policy. The head of government's direction reaches citizens through the administrative machinery.
Executive branch: The branch of government responsible for enforcing laws and administering public policy. A head of government directs this branch, though its structure varies by constitution.
Presidential system: A system in which a separately elected president leads the executive for a fixed term. It commonly combines the roles of head of state and head of government.
Chancellor of Germany: The German federal government's head, elected by the Bundestag and responsible for setting policy guidelines. Germany's chancellor illustrates a powerful head of government within a parliamentary republic.
Government formation: The process of selecting ministers and establishing a government after an election or political transition. This process determines who can claim authority to lead the executive.
Cabinet: A group of senior government ministers who lead major departments and advise the executive. Cabinet ministers commonly form the head of government's principal governing team.
Semi-presidential system: A system with both a popularly elected president and a prime minister who shares executive authority. Its dual executive divides leadership between a president and a head of government.

Linked from 5 pages