Republican Government

We explain what a republican government is, its characteristics and examples. In addition, we tell you what federal republicanism is.

What is a republican government?

A republican government is one in which sovereignty resides in the people, that is, in which Citizens theoretically possess political power but delegate it to the State authorities (mainly, the president and members of Parliament). Political authorities act as representatives of the people by being elected through democratic mechanisms, such as direct or indirect elections.

Furthermore, the republican government is sustained by a legal order enshrined in a Constitution that defines the rights and freedoms of citizens and establishes the separation of powers (executive, legislative and judicial).

The republican government It is distinguished from a monarchical government, in which sovereignty resides in a king or queen of a hereditary nature exercised by the head of the State. However, today parliamentary and constitutional monarchies usually grant a more symbolic than political role to the monarch, and the authorities that deal with the executive branch (the prime minister or the president of the government) and the legislative branch (Parliament) usually be elected through direct or indirect elections.

Generally, republican governments are democratic in nature to the point that the terms “republic” and “democracy” are often considered equivalent, although they do not mean the same thing. The republic is a form of State administration based on a constitutional order, the separation of powers and the popular election of the head of State (generally through democratic mechanisms). For its part, democracy is a system of citizen participation that can consist of direct participation methods (direct democracy) or indirect participation (representative democracy), both based on the principle of government of the people (it is the people who govern, be it direct or indirect). Democratic mechanisms can be used by both republican regimes and parliamentary monarchies (or even by small associations of people).

Although in many republics with a liberal tradition democratic values ​​and mechanisms are usually respected, In one-party republics, such as those existing in many communist countries of the 20th and 21st centuries, there are no political freedoms compatible with democracy. Even so, they are defined as republican systems because their heads of state are not hereditary kings (as is characteristic of monarchies) but general secretaries, presidents or leaders chosen by the party. However, in some contemporary one-party experiences, such as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), the head of state is headed by a ruling dynasty (the Kim family) and the regime has a totalitarian character, despite being defined himself as a Republican.

• See also: Forms of government

Origin of the republican government

Republican government models were born in classical antiquity. Democracy emerged in Ancient Greece, which began to be implemented in Athens in the 6th century BC. c and consisted of the direct participation of all adult male citizens in the political decisions of the city-state (what is called direct democracy). On the other hand, the concept of republic arose in Ancient Rome, when the Roman Republic was born in 509 BC. c.

In fact, the term “republic” comes from Latin res publicawhich translates as “the public thing”, that is, the matters that are the responsibility of the State because they concern all citizens and the common interest. In the Roman Republic, although the Senate functioned as a mainly aristocratic body, the consuls were elected by the vote of an assembly that brought together both patricians (hereditary aristocracy) and plebeians (citizens without aristocratic inheritance), and since the 4th century to. C. plebeians also held seats in the Senate.

In the West, republicanism was part of the political ideas of the Modern Age and gained strength after the collapse of the Ancien Regime after the French Revolution of 1789 (which in 1792 replaced the monarchy with a republic) and with the independence of the United States, which proclaimed a republican Constitution in 1789.

At the moment, Republican governments are the most common form of state organization throughout the world whether through presidential, semi-presidential or parliamentary systems, and in some cases republican and democratic institutions are part of regimes that are formally monarchies (parliamentary monarchies).

Characteristics of a republican government

Republican governments are characterized by the following:

• The legal system is based on the rule of law That is, all citizens are subject to the law, whose supreme text is the Constitution, and are, at the same time, protected by it, which protects them from abuses of power. Equality before the law nullifies any distinction based on occupation, social class, sex, religion, political opinion, race or ethnicity. In this sense, the criteria used to judge a crime always depend on the crime committed and its context, and not on who the person who commits the crime is.
• Sovereignty resides in the people That is, it is the citizens who elect their representatives in the executive and legislative branches through practices such as direct and indirect elections. The affairs of the State are considered to be a collective concern.
• Political institutions exercise a mutual counterbalance since they are organized into three separate and independent powers: the executive branch, in charge of the government and administration of the State; the legislative power, which creates laws and subjects them to debate among the representatives of the people; and the judicial power, which administers justice and ensures compliance with the laws and the fundamental principles of public order.
• The executive power is in charge of a representative elected by popular vote whether direct or indirect, which is called president, prime minister or chancellor. This position is temporary and is subject to the law and the provisions of the Constitution.

Examples of republican governments

Some examples of republican governments at the beginning of the 21st century are:

• presidential republics: Venezuela, Argentina, United States, Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Bolivia, Cameroon, Philippines and Uruguay.
• Semi-presidential republics: Ukraine, Taiwan, Senegal, France, Haiti, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Madagascar, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Egypt and Niger.
• parliamentary republics: India, Italy, Ethiopia, Iceland, Ireland, Finland, Poland, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Greece, Bulgaria, Israel, Lebanon and Pakistan.

Federal Republicanism

Federal republicanism is a political ideology and a type of republican organization that supports federalism when politically administering the nation. This means that proposes the decentralization of political power and active citizen participation.

In Spain, federal republicanism was an important political ideology led by figures such as Francisco Pi y Margall in the second half of the 19th century, which influenced both the proclamation of the First Spanish Republic (1873-1874) and the cantonal movement that, During the years of the republic, he tried to establish a federal republican order from below.

However, the federal republic as a political system acquired different forms in different countries. In general, It is characterized by granting a greater share of autonomy to the federated regions (frequently called states, provinces, cantons or regions), whose political institutions are organized according to their own Constitution but are subject to a unified federal law that establishes the powers of the federal government and regional or local governments.

monarchical governments

Monarchical governments are those in which sovereignty resides in a monarch that is, a hereditary ruler who exercises the head of the State and can receive titles such as king, queen, emperor, sultan, caliph, among others. However, in contemporary parliamentary monarchies it is generally accepted that sovereignty resides in the people, who exercise it through their representatives in Parliament.

Indeed, monarchs exercise political power to different extents, depending on the type of monarchy in question:

• Absolute monarchy in which power and political decisions are concentrated by the monarch, who usually has a group of trusted secretaries or ministers.
• constitutional monarchy in which the king is subject to the law and the Constitution but retains a variable degree of political power according to his role as head of state.
• parliamentary monarchy in which the king is formally the head of state but delegates his power to a Parliament elected by the people, which, in turn, appoints a prime minister or president of the government who exercises executive power.

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References

• Bobbio, N., Matteucci, N and Pasquino, G. (Dirs.). (2015). Politics Dictionary. 21st century.
• Heslop, D. A. (2023). Political system. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Munro, A. (2024). Republic. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/
• Sartori, G. (2007). What is democracy? Taurus.
• Schlager, N., & Weisblatt, J. (Eds.). (2006). World Encyclopedia of Political Systems and Parties. Facts on File.