Executive (government) - Responsibility

Responsibility

The top leadership roles of the executive branch may include:

• head of state—often the de jure leader, the chief public representative and living symbol of national unity.
  • head of government—often the de facto leader, overseeing the administration of all affairs of state and enforcing the law.
    • defence minister—overseeing the armed forces, managing and determining military policy.
    • finance minister—overseeing the treasury and national budget, managing and determining fiscal policy.
    • foreign minister—overseeing the diplomatic service, managing and determining foreign policy.

In a presidential system the leader of the executive branch is at once the head of state and head of government. In a parliamentary system, a cabinet minister responsible to the legislature is the head of government, while the head of state is a largely ceremonial monarch or president.