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head of stateThe head of state is the name given to the office which
exercises the formal
executive
power of the
government
and, on official
occasions, represents the whole political community. While British
Columbia is nominally monarchical in form, the powers of the
Crown
as head of state are exercised
by the
lieutenant governor
of the
Province. The head of state in parliamentary systems is
an office which is seen to be above politics, in contrast to the
head of government who is the prime minister or
premier
.
Note that the distinctive characteristic of the United States
presidential system is that the roles of head of state and head of
government are combined in the office of an elected
President. In
parliamentary systems
, the offices of
head of state and head of government are kept separate.
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