REPUBLIC
CVAC (Study Materials for SNC Students)
Dr. Paromita Chakraborty, Department of Political Science, Surendranath College
A republic is a type of governance system in which citizens’ representatives control a state. Modern
republics are predicated on the premise that the people have sovereignty. Republics differ from
direct democracy in that voters do not run the state directly, yet current democratic systems are
essentially republics. Any government in which the head of the state is not a hereditary monarch
can be called a republic. If one looks at India the President of India has been granted a five-year
term since the President’s position is a non-hereditary position in India every Indian citizen has
the right to run for President.
Looking at the concept purely in the form of a governmental framework a republic is a system in
which individuals have ultimate authority, which they exercise by voting and choosing
representatives who would make decisions and govern them. The most prevalent form of a republic
is democracy. A Republic can be considered an extension to democracy. It is derived from the word
republica which means public matter.
In a republic the people have the supreme power. Because citizens do not govern the state
themselves but through representatives, republics may be distinguished from direct democracy,
though modern representative democracies are by and large republics. Because citizens do not
govern the state themselves but through representatives, republics may be distinguished from
direct democracy, though modern representative democracies are by and large republics.
Republics may exist in a variety of shapes and sizes. They can be classified according to the sort
of governing principles they follow. The different types of republics are as follows:
• Federal Republics
States and provinces are divisions of federal republics with some autonomy from the central
government. The United States of America is an example of a federal republic.
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• Unitary Republics
Divisions, if any, are controlled as a single entity by a single legislature in Unitary Republics,
for example, Ireland.
• Democratic Republics
A democratic republic is a country where citizens have a say in how their society is
administered and where there is no monarchy. This might be a presidential, semi-presidential,
or parliamentary government. Many countries regarded themselves as republics with
democratic governments. It means that citizens have a say in who becomes the President. India
is a democratic republic because a popularly elected official leads it.
• Islamic Republics
Islamic Republics are theocracies with a constitution based on Islamic law that gives the people
control, such as Mauritania.
The Indian Republic
Following the declaration of independence, a constituent assembly was formed by provincial
legislatures to draft a constitution for the newly independent country. After more than two years of
work, the Indian constitution was completed. The country was called the Republic of India, a
“sovereign socialist, secular democratic republic” that “secures the justice, liberty, equality, and
brotherhood of all its inhabitants.”
We call India a republic primarily because the people of our country elect its leader and a
democracy because the leader is the head of the state. India adopted its constitution on 26
November 1949 and became a republic on 26th January 1950.
