The Basics:
Government Profiles:
1. Albania
- Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President of the Republic Bujar Nishani
- Major Political Parties: APMI, PDK, PD, LZHK, PR, ASHE, PKD, PDIU, LSI, PS, and PBDNJ
- Structure: The federal government presides over twelve county governments. The government is broken into three branches: the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. The Assembly (the federal legislature) is directly elected, but the president and cabinet are elected by the Assembly and the Constitutional Court (judicial representatives) are appointed by the president with the approval of the Assembly.
2. Andorra - Government System: Parliamentary Democracy
- Heads of State: French Co-prince Francois Hollande (represented by Thierry Lataste) and Spanish Co-prince Archbishop Joan-Enric Vives i Sicilia (represented by Josep Maria Maun)
- Major Political Parties: IC, DA, VA, PLA, PS, and SDP
- Structure: The federal government presides over seven parishes. There are executive, legislative and judicial branches. One half of the 28-member General Council (legislature) is elected directly through a simple majority vote, and the other half is elected directly through a proportional representation vote; this General Council elects the Head of Government.
3. Bosnia and Herzegovina - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Heads of State: Mladen Ivanic (Chairman of the Presidency), Dragan Covic (Presidency Member), Bakir Izetbegovic (Presidency Member)
- Major Political Parties: SBB BiH, SNSD, A-SDA, BPS-Sefer Halilovic, HSS, HKDU, HDZ-BiH, HDZ-1990, HSP BiH, HSP HB, HNS, DF, DNS, SDA, PDP, NDP, SDS, and SDP
- Structure: There are two administrative divisions. There are executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and the executive branch is composed of two presidency members and the Chairman of the Presidency. The heads of state and the bicameral legislature (House of Peoples and House of Representatives) are directly elected, and the Constitutional Court is appointed by the legislature and the European Court of Human Rights.
4. Croatia - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic
- Major Political Parties: BUZ, Most-NL, HDS, HDSSB, HDZ, HL, HSP AS, HSS, HSU, HNS, HSLS, Forward Croatia Progressive Alliance, Human Blockade, SDSS, NLSP, IDS, Istrian Democrats, PH, BM365-SRS, HRAST, People's Party - Reformists Party, SDP, and The Only Option Coalition
- Structure: There are twenty counties within Croatia. The government is composed of the executive, legislative (unicameral Assembly), and judicial (Supreme Court) branches. The president is directly elected and appoints the prime minister, the Assembly is directly elected, and the Supreme Court justices are nominated by the president and elected by the Assembly.
5. Greece - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Prokopis Pavlopoulos
- Major Political Parties: ANTARSYA, SYRIZA, KKE, DIMAR, Golden Dawn, ANEL, KIDISO, ND, PASOK, Popular Unity, To Potami, and EK
- Structure: The federal government presides over thirteen regions. The government has executive, legislative (unicameral Hellenic Parliament), and judicial (Hellenic Supreme Court of Civil and Penal Law) branches. The president is elected by the Hellenic Parliament, and the president appoints the head of the Parliament (the Prime Minister); the Parliament is elected directly.
6. Italy - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Sergio Mattarella
- Major Political Parties: SC, CD, PD, NCD, UdC, FdI-AN, Forza Italia, and LN
- Structure: The jurisdiction of Italy is broken into fifteen regions under the governance of the federal government. The government has executive, legislative (bicameral Parliament), and judicial (Supreme Court of Cassation and Constitutional Court) branches. The president is elected by an electoral college comprised of both houses of the Parliament and 58 regional representatives, the Parliament is directly elected, and the Supreme Court is appointed by the president.
7. Kosovo - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Hashim Thaci
- Major Political Parties: PSHDK, AAK, PK, LDK, PDK, NISMA, PD, VV, LB, Serb List, KDTP, and VAKAT
- Structure: There are thirty-eight municipalities in Kosovo. The federal government is divided into executive, legislative (unicameral Assembly), and judicial (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court) branches. The president is elected indirectly by a two-thirds majority vote in the Assembly, the prime minister is elected through simple majority in the Assembly, the Assembly is directly elected through a proportional representation vote (with twenty seats reserved for ethnic minorities); the Supreme Court is appointed by the president and the Constitutional Court by the Assembly.
8. Malta - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca
- Major Political Parties: AD, PL, and PN
- Structure: There 68 localities under the federal government. The federal government is composed of legislative (unicameral House of Representatives), executive, and judicial (Court of Appeal, Constitutional Court, and Court of Criminal Appeal) branches. The president is indirectly elected by the House of Representatives, the prime minister is chosen by the House of Representatives (generally the head of the majority party), the legislature is elected through a proportional representation vote, and the judiciaries are appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister.
9. Montenegro - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Filip Vujanovic
- Major Political Parties: AA, BS, HGI, DEMOS, DF, DCG, DPS, DUA, PZP, FORCA, NOVA, SDP, SD, SNP, URA, and RP
- Structure: Montenegro is divided into twenty three municipalities. The federal government has judicial (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court), executive, and legislative (unicameral Assembly) branches. The president is elected directly by a simple majority vote, but the prime minister is nominated by the president and approved by the Assembly; the Assembly is directly elected in a proportional representation vote and the judiciaries are appointed by the president and the Assembly.
10. Portugal - Government System: Semi-presidential Republic
- Head of State: President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa
- Major Political Parties: CDS/PP, PEV, PCP, PAF, PPD/PSD, PS, and BE
- Structure: Portugal has eighteen districts that possess some degree of self-governance. The federal government, which presides over the various districts, has judicial (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court), legislative (unicameral Assembly of the Republic), and executive branches. The president is directly elected and appoints the prime minister, the Assembly is directly elected in a proportional representation vote, and the judiciaries are nominated by the president and appointed by the Assembly.
11. San Marino - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Heads of State: Co-chiefs of state Captain Regent Marino Riccardi and Captain Regent Fabio Berardi
- Major Political Parties: San Marino Common Good, Entente for the Country, and Active Citizenship
- Structure: San Marino is composed of nine municipalities under the jurisdiction of the federal government. The federal government has legislative (unicameral Grand and General Council), judicial (Council of Twelve), and executive branches. The co-chiefs and the secretary of state are indirectly elected by the legislature, the legislature is elected directly by a proportional representation vote, and the Council of Twelve is elected indirectly by the Grand and General Council from the pool of its own members.
12. Serbia - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Tomislav Nikolic
- Major Political Parties: SVM, KP, Democratic Alliance of Croats in Vojvodina, DS, DSS, Dveri, Enough of Enough, ZS, LSV, LDP, PS, NS, PDD, SDA, PUPS, RS, SNP, SNS, SRS, SPO, SDS, SDPS, SPS, PSS, ZZS, and Together for Sumadija
- Structure: There are one hundred and nineteen municipalities under the jurisdiction of the federal government. This federal government is separated into the executive, legislative (unicameral National Assembly), and judicial (Supreme Court of Cassation and Constitutional Court) branches. The president is directly elected by a simple majority vote, the prime minister is elected by the National Assembly, the National Assembly is directly elected in a proportional representation vote, and the judiciaries are appointed by the National Assembly.
13. Slovenia - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Borut Pahor
- Major Political Parties: ZaAB, DeSUS, SMC, NSi, SDS, SD, and ZL
- Structure: There are 201 municipalities under the jurisdiction of the federal government in Slovenia. The federal government is divided into judicial (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court), executive, and legislative (bicameral Parliament with the National Council and the National Assembly) branches. The president is elected directly though a simple majority vote, the prime minister is nominated by the president but elected by the National Assembly, the National Council is indirectly elected through an electoral college system, the National Assembly is directly elected by a proportional representation vote, and the judiciaries are appointed by the National Assembly.
14. Spain - Government System: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
- Head of State: King Felipe VI
- Major Political Parties: Amaiur, FAC, EH Bildu, EAJ, CC, PNC, ECP, Cambio-Aldaketa, C's, DiL, UDC, BNG, ASG, ICV, Podemos, PP, ERC, PSOE, UPN, UPyD, IU, and Geroa Bai
- Structure: There are seventeen semi-autonomous communities under the federal government in Spain. The federal government is broken down into the executive, legislative (bicameral General Courts, with the Senate and the Congress of Deputies), and judicial (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court) branches. The King or Queen of Spain is hereditary, but the president (head of government) is nominated by the monarch and elected by the Congress of Deputies; the Senate is elected directly through a simple majority vote, the Congress of Deputies is elected directly through a proportional representation vote, and the judiciaries are appointed by the monarch from a pool of approved candidates.
15. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - Government System: Parliamentary Republic
- Head of State: President Gjorge Ivanov
- Major Political Parties: GROM, PDSh, BDI, VMRO-DPMNE, RDK, and SDSM
- Structure: There are seventy municipalities in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The federal government is divided into the executive, judicial (Supreme Court and Constitutional Court), and legislative (unicameral Assembly) branches. The president is directly elected through a simple majority vote, the prime minister is elected by the Assembly, the Assembly is directly elected, and the judiciaries are appointed by the Assembly.
16. Vatican City - Government System: Ecclesiastical Elective Monarchy/ Absolute Monarchy
- Head of State: Pope Francis
- Major Political Parties: N/A
- Structure: The Pope heads Vatican City; they are chosen by the College of Cardinals and serve for life. The Pope has the power to appoint the Secretary of State, the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City (unicameral legislature), and the Supreme Court judiciaries. Governance is based upon religious law.