The head of state is not only the highest position in any state, but also an independent constitutional body, which is obliged to represent the state both within the country and abroad.
In various countries, in accordance with the constitution, the chief official can either be an integral part of parliament, that is, directly the legislature (without his consent, the law is not valid), as the head of state of Great Britain, or may be as the head of state, and the chief executive, as in the US or Egypt. Sometimes he can only be the head of the country and not be part of any of the branches of government, like the head of state of Germany. In Japan, the head is a direct symbol of the entire statehood, and in France, he is seen as an arbiter who evaluates the activities of other institutions of the country. The heads of states such as Saudi Arabia or Oman are the sole and unconditional ruler.
The head of state can be likecollectively elected, and single. In the first case, this is an organ of parliament, in the second - the monarch or the president. The first option was very common in the past in those countries where totalitarian socialism dominated - the USSR, Poland. Now a similar type of government can be seen in Cuba, where power is concentrated in the hands of the Council of State.
Cuba has no president. And the head of state is the chairman of the State Council. The chief official in China is the chairman of the republic, who is elected by the parliament. But it is worth noting that most of the functions are carried out by him with the direct participation of the Standing Committee of the Parliament.
In Iran, powers are divided between the president and the head of the republic. The latter is elected from among the highest representatives of the clergy. The head of state of Switzerland is the president, but he is elected only for one year, and he does not have significant powers. The UAE has a so-called "collective" monarch, while Malaysia has an elected one.
In countries that belong to the British Commonwe alth, all the powers of the head of state are in the hands of the British monarch, but his representative, the governor general, exercises power. It is approved directly by the monarch according to the recommendations of the local government.
Often, after military coups, power in the country passes into the hands of the military council - the junta. The junta, in turn, independently appoints the president. This happened in most countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa.
Regardless of variety,heads of state have some common functions and powers. Speaking of parliament, heads of state convene sessions of parliament, have the right to dissolve, and also sometimes impose a veto. They can also form the government, have the right to dismiss ministers, choose judges, make decisions on granting citizenship or granting political asylum. Representing the state at the international level, they can conclude all kinds of international agreements, as well as appoint diplomatic representatives.
