- Austria
- Type of government system-Federal republic
- Head of State-President Heinz Fischer
- Major political parties-
- Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ)
- Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)
- Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ)
- Greens.
- Team Stronach.
- NEOS.
- Description-Citizens in Austria are able to elect officials to run the government of the country. Each of the officials belong to one of the many political parties. The current head of state, Heinz Fischer, was also previously president.
- Belgium
- Type of government-Representative democracy
- Head of State-Philippe of Belgium
- Major political parties-
- Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V)
- Groen.
- Libertarian, Direct, Democratic (LDD)
- New Flemish Alliance (N-VA)
- Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats (Open Vld)
- Socialist Party – Differently (sp.a)
- Vlaams Belang
- Description-In Belgium, citizens can vote for officials to be elected in order to defend and represent them. There is a large selection of political parties that representatives can belong to. This means that there are more new ideas that are constantly being brought up by the parties, since they all have different viewpoints.
a). Type of government-Constitutional republic
b). Head of State-Francois Hollande
c). Major political parties-UMP -
- Union for a Popular Movement - (Union pour un Mouvement Populaire)
- PS - Socialist Party - (Parti Socialiste)
- MoDem - Democratic Movement - (Mouvement démocrate)
- PCF - French Communist Party - (Parti Communiste Français)
- Verts - The Greens - (Les Verts)
- NC - New Centre - (Nouveau Centre)
d). Description-The citizens in France vote to elect their representatives, which then govern according to existing constitutional law. The head of state was elected in 2013. As seen as a common trend in Europe, there are many different political parties that represent various ideas.
4. Germany
a).Type of Government-Federal Republic
b). Head of State-Joachim Gauck
c). Political parties-Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and Christian Democratic Union (CDU)
d).Description-Germany is a federal republic, meaning that the citizens are able to vote to elect representatives for their country. But, unlike many other countries in Western Europe, Germany only has two major political parties, quite similar to the United States.
5. Liechtenstein
a). Type of Government- Unitary state
b). Head of State-Hans-Adam II
c).Political Parties-Progressive Citizens' Party, Patriotic Union, The Independents, Free List
d). Description- The citizens of Liechtenstein do not have as much political freedom as other countries in Western Europe, since the government is a unitary state, meaning that the central government makes all of the country’s decisions. There are multiple political parties that also each have different interests and views on how the country should be run.
6. Monaco
Government system: Constitutional Monarchy
Head of state: Prince Albert II
Major political parties: Constitution, Prince, Crown council.
description:Monaco established a constitution in 1962, Monaco has been a constitutional monarchy since 1911. Unlike other european governments, Monaco has their prince at the head of the state.
7. Switzerland
Government system: democratic federal republic
Head of state: Johann Schneider-Ammann
Major political parties: Free democratic party, social democratic party, Christian democratic party, Swiss people's party, and conservative democratic party
Description: The government in Switzerland consists of 5 parties who share the power. Switzerland also has direct democracy.
8. Luxembourg
Government system: Parliamentary Representative Democratic Monarchy
Head of state: Prime Minister Xavier Bettel
Major political parties: Christian Social People's Party
Luxembourg Socialist Workers' Party
Democratic Party
The Greens
Alternative Democratic Reform Party
The Left
Description: Luxembourg has a Grand Duchy, but also elections, therefore it is a mixture between a parliamentary democracy and a monarchy. Furthermore the legislature has a unicameral system but a multiparty system.
9. Netherlands
Government system: Constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system
Head of state: Prime Minister Mark Rutte
Major political parties:
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
Labour Party
The Party for Freedom
Christian Democratic Appeal
The Socialist Party
Description: Even though the Netherlands has a monarch, he has no political power, only a symbolic representation of the country. The parliamentary elections are democratic, one is held every 4 years.