Gov

Authoritarian:
- Power: Concentrated on the leader
- Elections: May hold some but often unfair or irregular
- Civil Liberties: Limited or nonexistent
- Rule of Law: Absent or weak with arbitrary rule
- Countries: Russia, Iran, China
Democratic:
- Power: Distributed among the government and people
- Elections: Free and fair elections
- Civil Liberties: Protected and guaranteed
- Rule of Law: A strong and independent judiciary
- Countries: UK, Mexico, Nigeria (flawed)

Most democratic:
- United Kingdom: Well-established democracy
- Mexico: Flawed democracy, progressing but faces challenges
Moving Towards Democracy:
- Nigeria: Hybrid democracy with significant challenges
Far From Democracy:
- Iran: Theocracy with severe restrictions
- Russia: Increasingly authoritarian state
- China: One-party state with limited political freedoms

		Country Head of State Head of Government
China	President (Xi Jinping)	Premier (Li Qiang)
Iran	Supreme Leader (Ali Khamenei)	President (Ebrahim Raisi)
Mexico	President (Andrés Manuel López Obrador/Claudia Sheinbaum)	President
Nigeria	President (Bola Tinubu)	President
Russia	President (Vladimir Putin)	Prime Minister (Mikhail Mishustin)
UK	Monarch (King Charles III)	Prime Minister (Rishi Sunak)

Federal Systems:
- Mexico: Federal republic
- Nigeria: Federal republic
Unitary Systems:
- UK: Unitary state with devolved powers
- China: Unitary state
- Russia: Federal aspect but functions as unitary
- Iran: Unitary state

	Country Source of Legitimacy
China	Claims to care about people's interests
Iran	Religious devotion and charismatic leadership
Mexico	Free, fair elections and constitution adherence
Nigeria	Democratic elections and nationalism
Russia	Charismatic authority and nationalism
UK	Constitutional monarchy and rule of law

				Country Term Limit Who Appoints? Judicial Independence Judicial Review
China	Two, five-year terms	CCP	No judicial independence	None
Iran	5 years	Supreme Leader	Claims independence	Yes, Sharia law
Mexico	15 years	President nominates, Senate confirms	Improved	Yes, constitution
Nigeria	Life, must retire at 70	Appointed by council and Senate	Claims independence	Yes
Russia	12 years, must retire at 70	President appoints, Senate confirms	No	Little to none
UK	Life, must retire at 70	Judicial Appointments System	Yes	Yes, precedent

	Country Legislature
China	National People’s Congress (U)
Iran	Majlis (U)
Mexico	Congress of the Union (Senate & Chamber)
Nigeria	National Assembly (Senate & House)
Russia	Federal Assembly (Federation Council & Duma)
UK	Parliament (House of Commons & House of Lords)