Difference between Head of State and Head of Government

There are various forms of rulers who rule the country based on the will of their people, political power, or other factors. Countries have different powers and ways of running a country and the two are the Head of State and the Head of Government. These two are the leading countries in different parts of the world and they have various differences between them which will be detailed in this article. The main difference is that; The head of government is the head of a parliamentary form of government, while the head of state is the head of a presidential form of government. There is no requirement to have a head of government when the presidential system is intact, while there is always a head of state, even when the parliamentary system is implemented. The head of state retains the primary powers of passing legislation with himself in both systems, while the head of government does not have these powers in the presidential system. Usually a head of government is appointed by an elected group of people or by another head of state, such as Queen in the UK, but a head of state is always the leader of his or her party and is selected with the consent of parliament . In most cases, meeting with the head of state is the responsibility of the head of state, while the head of government cannot carry out these activities. From this, it can be concluded that a president is the head of state and the head of government, while a prime minister is the head of government. The responsibility of the head of government includes policy making, commercial agreements and other daily matters, while the head of state the duty to approve these actions has its time. When the head of government assumes the leading role in a parliamentary system, the head of state becomes just a symbol, while the same is the case if the head of state appoints the head of government in a presidential system. Brief descriptions of both types of leaders are given in the next two paragraphs, while the differences will be discussed again at the end. while the same case occurs if the head of state appoints the head of government in a presidential system. Brief descriptions of both types of leaders are given in the next two paragraphs, while the differences will be discussed again at the end. while the same case occurs if the head of state appoints the head of government in a presidential system. Brief descriptions of both types of leaders are given in the next two paragraphs, while the differences will be discussed again at the end.

Comparison chart

Definition of head of government

The head of government, also known as the Prime Minister, is a person who is responsible for all the decisions that are made during the time he is in office. It is the responsibility of the head of government to ensure that the best interests of the state are taken into consideration. The prime minister must meet different world leaders, people from different walks of life along with the part where he must make decisions on trade and defense. On top of that, a head of government announces new laws that the government had assured the people before coming to power and all the other promises they made. He is mostly free from external pressure, but in some cases, when he is appointed by the head of state, especially in the monarch or dictatorial system, his contribution to the country is minimal. In real democracy, however, he is the head of government who comes to power after winning the majority of seats in elections. They can be removed at any time by the president and have the duty to appoint different people in key positions to manage the system properly.

Definition of Head of State

Head of State is the name given to the country’s president, who does not always deal with the business of government, but is seen as a sign of unity between the different parts of the country. This is not the most famous political leader role as most of the power and working capacity rests with the prime minister, but he is considered the head of the country and no law can be passed without his signature. They also have the power to appoint a prime minister or remove him if the job is not satisfactory. There are some cases where roles are reversed and the best example of this is the United States where the president holds power throughout his reign and acts as both head of state and head of government. Many other countries designate this position as ceremonial and a person who doesn’t really have the correct criteria, since there is no obligation to appoint a chairman from among the members of parliament, anyone from the county can be appointed to this position in a parliamentary system. . This system is not that common in the world, but it has the main source of power with a person just like the monarchy.

Differences in a nutshell

1. A prime minister is the head of a government, while a president is the head of state.
2. The head of government must be a member of parliament, while the head of state can be selected from a member who is not a member of parliament.
3. In most parliamentary systems, the head of government is the head of state, while in the presidential system, the head of state is the head of government.
4. Generally speaking, a head of state signs official documents while the head of government actually makes those documents.
5. The head of government and the country in the United States is the president, while in the United Kingdom, the prime minister is appointed as the head of government by the queen, who is the head of state.
6. Making trade agreements and other agreements is the responsibility of the head of government, while approving them is the duty of the head of state.
7. The head of state can remove the head of government of a country, while the head of government cannot remove the head of state and can only do so with the help of parliament.
8. In the event of a seizure of power by the army, the head of the army can take over as head of state while he cannot become head of government.

Final Thought

There are many differences between the two terms, which have been listed in detail with further explanation. They may be related in such a way that the goal is to provide details to others, but their use and the context in which they are spoken are variable. With expectation, you can easily make a difference.