INTRODUCTION The executive is the branch of government that is responsible for the day-to-day management of the state. Under the doctrine of the separation of powers, the executive is not supposed to make laws (role of the legislature), nor to interpret them (role of the judiciary). The executive is supposed to put the laws into action. The executive is led by the head of Government. The Head of Government is assisted by a number of ministers, who usually have responsibilities for particular areas (e.g. health, education, foreign affairs), and by a large number of government employees or civil servants. In a presidential system, this person (the President) may also be the head of State, but in a parliamentary system, he or she is usually the leader of the largest party in the legislature and is most commonly termed the Prime Minister (Taoiseach in the Republic of Ireland, (Federal) Chancellor in Germany and Austria). In France, executive power is shared between the President and the Prime Minister and this system has been reproduced in a number of former French colonies. Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina have similar systems. In political systems based on the principle of separation of powers, authority is distributed among several branches (executive, legislative, judicial)—an attempt to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of a small group of people. In such a system, the executive does not pass laws (the role of the legislature) or interpret them (the role of the judiciary). Instead, the executive enforces the law as written by the legislature and interpreted by the judiciary. The executive can be the source of certain types of law, such as a decree or executive order. Executive bureaucracies are commonly the source of regulations. In this context, the executive consists of a leader(s) of an office or multiple offices. Specifically, the top leadership roles of the executive branch may include: head of state – often the supreme leader, the president or monarch, the chief public representative and living symbol of national unity. head of government – often the de facto leader, prime minister, overseeing the administration of all affairs of state. defence minister – overseeing the armed forces, determining military policy and managing external safety. interior minister – overseeing the police forces, enforcing the law and managing internal safety. foreign minister – overseeing the diplomatic service, determining foreign policy and managing foreign relations. finance minister – overseeing the treasury, determining fiscal policy and managing national budget. justice minister – overseeing criminal prosecutions, corrections, enforcement of court orders. In a presidential system, the leader of the executive is both 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 usually a largely ceremonial monarch or president. Examine The Role of the Executive Arm of Government In Shaping Environmental Policy Roles of the Executive The primary function of the executive is to implement government policies and programmes and enforce public laws. The executive formulates policies and laws, which are submitted to the legislature for debate and approval. The executive makes law under delegated legislation. The legislature give power to the executive on well defined matters to make rules that are very complex and technical and require specialist knowledge, and in matters requiring urgent treatment. Powers of delegated legislation are also exercised by the executive to ease the heavy legislature burden of the legislature. The executive symbolizes the state and performs ceremonial functions such as taking salute during state ceremonies. The executive gives political leadership to the government. The structure sends and receives diplomatic representatives, negotiates international treaties and agreements and formulates foreign policies. The executive is in charge of the armed forces and possess the power to declare and wage war and proclaim a state of martial law. Types of Executives There are two types – parliamentary and presidential executives. The 1979 constitution established the presidential system of government in Nigeria, but earlier we had parliamentary system. Each system has its own weakness and strengths. Thus in the presidential system, a measure of stability is guaranteed the government; since the government does not have to resign if it is defeated in the legislature whereas it has to resign in such a case in parliamentary system. 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