Republic

A republic, based on the Latin phrase res publica ('public thing' or 'people's thing'), is a state in which political power rests with the public (people), typically through their representatives—in contrast to an absolute monarchy or a direct democracy. Although a republic is most often a single sovereign state, subnational state entities that have governments that are republican in nature may be referred to as republics. As of 2017, 159 of the world's 206 sovereign states use the word "republic" as part of their official names. Not all of these are republics in the sense of having elected governments, nor is the word "republic" used in the names of all states with elected governments. The term developed its meaning in reference to the constitution of the ancient Roman Republic after the overthrow of the kings in 509 BC. Rome continued to refer itself as a republic even after the establishment of the Empire in 27 BC. This constitution was characterized by a Senate composed of wealthy aristocrats wielding significant influence; several popular assemblies of all free citizens, possessing the power to elect magistrates from the populace and pass laws; and a series of magistracies with varying types of civil and political authority.