We explain what the executive branch is, who it is made up of, and what its limitations are. We also explain its characteristics and importance.
What is the executive branch?
The executive power or administrative power is called one of the branches of traditional public powerthat is, one of the powers attributed to the modern State. The other two powers of the State are:
The executive power, unlike them, is the person in charge of the political leadership of the Stateits diplomatic representation and decision-making in strategic, military and democratic matters. It operates as an administrator and executor of the popular will, which it represents.
See also: Semi-presidentialism
Origin of executive power
The executive power is one of the earliest forms of government of history. The regimes of Antiquity were mostly monarchical or despotic.
They consisted of a single great executive power in the hands of a rulerusually some kind of monarch (king, sultan, emperor, etc.). In this figure the more or less absolute power of the nation restedHis word was law, as he was generally considered to be on the throne by divine decree. Kings exercised all the functions of the State in this type of absolutist regimes.
On the other hand, the executive as an independent power It arose after the French Revolution of 1789 and the end of the Ancien Régime. The modern Republic replaced the absolutism of kings with publicly elected assemblies or congresses, creating a separation of powers.
The executive power from that moment on was also accompanied by judges appointed by the assembliesIn this way the rise of despotisms was avoided.
Who makes up the executive branch?
The executive branch is made up of all the political bodies of the State:
- Presidency of the Republic (in presidential regimes) or Head of State (in parliamentary regimes).
- The different Ministries that make up each sector of state interest, such as the economy, security, health, education, foreign relations, etc.
Who exercises executive power?
The executive power It is normally exercised by the head of statewhich may be a President (or a Vice President, in his absence) or a Prime Minister, Chancellor or similar position.
The constitution that governs the system of government of each country specifies the delimitations and conditions of each case. In addition, establishes the protocol to follow in the event that said figures are absentunwell or inaccessible.
How is the executive branch renewed?
In democratic regimes, the way to renew the executive power is through popular election. This can be done by:
- Direct. The person who will occupy the position is chosen.
- Indirect. Those who will elect the person to occupy the position are chosen.
In democratic countries, The popular will is usually responsible for assigning such power.as is the case with the legislative branch.
In authoritarian or totalitarian regimes, however, the executive It can be successive, that is, it is transmitted from parents to children.. Or he may be elected by a party assembly, usually made up of the political leadership of the dominant faction.
What are its limitations?
Like all public powers, the executive requires limitations so that the State maintains its balance and democracy is preserved. In this sense, it is subject to the laws issued by the legislative power.
This limitation is mutual, since In some cases the executive also has veto power. if it considers that a law is unjust or counterproductive. On the other hand, the decisions of the Supreme Courts of Justice are final, even for the executive, which must submit to them.
A president or prime minister can be dismissed from his legal duties by Parliament or by the courts of the Republic. There is no way to counteract the administrative or judicial procedure against him.
Functions of the executive branch
The executive responds to two groups of primary functions:
- Political functions. Those that involve the direction of society in its concert and differentiation, for the satisfaction of its needs in the best way, as well as its relations with other nations or in the face of unforeseen situations.
- Administrative functions. State maintenance functions, subject to law, and which allow for its duration over time and its effectiveness of functions. Administration involves the management of budgets, the design of logistics, the implementation of plans, etc.
Why is the executive branch important?
The executive power is the visible head of the StatesIt is usually in charge of strategic decision-making, always having the legislative and judicial branches as counterweights and as help, in favor of democratic and republican balance.
A state without an executive is considered a “power vacuum”that is, headless, without a driver to plan the route. However, the executive power can be temporarily exercised by other institutions, such as the legislature, at critical moments, which do not usually last too long.
The ministries
The President or Prime Minister delegates part of the decision-making to Ministers. Each of them deal with matters in a specific area: health, economy, foreign relations, etc.
The ministries They operate as bureaucratic, formal and hierarchical institutionsin which the nation’s public policies are organized and implemented. There may be as many ministries as necessary. Ministers are usually proposed and removed at the will of the head of state.
Dictatorship or autocracy
Autocracies or dictatorships are mostly constituted When the executive branch usurps the functions of the other powers or renders them useless, converts them to its cause or subdues them by force. To do this it usually resorts to the Armed Forces or other military or paramilitary organizations.
In these cases, The State is completely unbalancedThe authority of the executive comes to govern all aspects of the nation, which always has disastrous consequences for republican life.
Follow on: Dictatorship
Separation of powers
Separation of public powers date of Athenian direct democracywhich existed in Ancient Greece (6th century BC). It was later replicated in the initial Constitution of the Roman Republic. There coexisted a number of magistracies elected by popular vote or at random.
However, Specialized functions within the State were born much later.with the political essays of Montesquieu and Locke in the Modern Age. This idea was put into practice in some parliamentary monarchies. After the fall of the Ancien Régime, it was implemented in the republics.