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{{Short description|Socio-political system with shared executive power}}
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A '''directorial system''' is a regime ruled by a college of several people who [[Collective leadership|jointly exercise]] the powers of a [[head of state]] and/or a [[head of government]].

==Current directorial systems==
Countries with directorial [[heads of state]] sharing ceremonial functions:
* {{Flag|Andorra}}: [[Co-princes of Andorra|co-princes]]
* {{Flag|Bosnia and Herzegovina}}: [[Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina|presidency]] 
* {{Flag|Eswatini}}: [[Ngwenyama]] and [[Ndlovukati]]
* {{Flag|San Marino}}: [[Captains Regent]]

Countries governed by a directorial system:
* {{Flag|Nicaragua}}: [[Co-presidents of Nicaragua|co-presidents]]
* {{Flag|San Marino}}: [[Congress of State]]
* {{Flag|Switzerland}}: [[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council]]

Supranational and subnational entities governed by a directorial system:
* {{Flag|European Union}}: [[European Council]] and [[European Commission]]
* {{Flag|Northern Ireland|union}}: [[First Minister of Northern Ireland|First Minister and deputy First Minister]]
* {{Flag|Switzerland}}: [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantons]]

=== Directorial republic in Switzerland ===
One country now using this form of government is [[Switzerland]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Switzerland|title=Switzerland &#124; History, Flag, Map, Capital, Population, & Facts|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> and to a lesser extent [[San Marino]], where directories rule all levels of administration, federal, [[Cantons of Switzerland|cantonal]] and municipal. On the face of it, the [[Swiss Federal Council]] might appear to be a typical parliamentary government; technically, however, it is not a meeting of ministers, but a college of heads of state and simultaneously the federal [[cabinet (government)|cabinet]]. The current president of the confederation is in fact only a ''[[primus inter pares]]'' (first among equals) with representative functions in particular for diplomacy with other States, without any power either of direction or of coordination of the activity of colleagues.<ref name="Swiss Pol">{{cite book|author=[[Pierre Cormon]]|date=2014|location=Ginevra|publisher=Slatkine|title=Swiss Politics for Complete Beginners}}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref> The [[Swiss Federal Council]] is elected by the [[Federal Assembly (Switzerland)|Federal Assembly]] for four years, and is composed of seven members, among whom one is president and one is vice-president on a rotating basis, although these positions are symbolic in normal circumstances.  The link between the Swiss managerial system and the presidential system is even more evident for the cantonal governments, where currently all directors are all individually directly elected by the voters.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Buchs |first1=Aurélia |last2=Soguel |first2=Nils |date=2022-04-01 |title=Fiscal performance and the re-election of finance ministers–evidence from the Swiss cantons |url=https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_FD35D0A58400.P001/REF.pdf |journal=Public Choice |language=en |volume=191 |issue=1 |pages=31–49 |doi=10.1007/s11127-021-00949-z |s2cid=246371550 |issn=1573-7101|doi-access=free }}</ref>

== History ==
In political history, the term '''directory''', in French ''{{lang|fr|directoire}}'', is applied to high collegial institutions of state composed of members styled director. Early directorial systems were the [[Golden Ambrosian Republic|Ambrosian Republic]] (1447-1450), the [[Bohemian Revolt]] (1618–1620), [[New England Confederation]] (1643–1686), partially in [[First Stadtholderless Period]] of [[Dutch Republic]] (1650–1672), [[Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776]] and the [[French Directory|Directory of 1795–1799]] in [[France]].<ref>{{Britannica|165043|Directory (French history)}}</ref> 

The French Directory was inspired by the [[Pennsylvania Constitution of 1776]], which prominently featured a collegial 12-member Supreme Executive Council with the president in fact only ''[[primus inter pares]]'' (first among equals). Variants of this form of government, based on the French model, were also established in the European regions conquered by France during the [[French Revolutionary Wars]]. Directorial systems have a lower [[Presidentialism metrics|presidentialism metric]] value compared to presidential systems due to lower concentration of political power in the hands of one individual.<ref name="v-dem">{{Cite web |last1=Sigman |first1=Rachel |last2=Lindberg |first2=Staffan I. |date=November 1, 2017 |title=Neopatrimonialism and Democracy: An Empirical Investigation of Africa's Political Regimes |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3066654 |via=Social Science Research Network |doi=10.2139/ssrn.3066654}}</ref> [[Military junta]]s differ from the directorial system by not being elected. Utilizing [[sortition]] to select multiple executives can lead to a directorial system.

==Former directorial systems ==
In the past, countries with elected directories include:
* [[Bohemian Revolt]] from 1618 to 1620 
* {{Flagicon image|English Red Ensign 1620.svg}} [[New England Confederation]] from 1643 to 1686
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of The Commonwealth.svg}} [[Commonwealth of England]] from 1649 to 1653
* {{Flagicon image|Statenvlag.svg}} [[Dutch Republic]] partially in [[First Stadtholderless Period]] from 1650 to 1672
* {{Flag|Pennsylvania}} - [[Supreme Executive Council of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania]] from 1777 to 1790
* {{Flag|First French Republic}} - [[French Directory]] from 1795 to 1799
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Repubblica Cisalpina.svg}} [[Cisalpine Republic]] from 1795 to 1799
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Cispadane Republic.svg}} [[Cispadane Republic]] from 1796 to 1797
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Repubblica Romana (1798).svg}} [[Roman Republic (1798–1799)]] from 1798 to 1799
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of Parthenopaean Republic (1799).svg}} [[Parthenopaean Republic]] in 1799
* {{Flag|Costa Rica}} - [[Pact of Concord|The Town's Legates Junta and High Government Junta]] from 1821 to 1823
* {{Flagicon image|Flag of the Roman Republic (19th century).svg}} [[Roman Republic (1849)]] from 1849 to 1850 ([[Triumvirate]])
* {{Flag|Ukrainian People's Republic}} - [[Directorate of Ukraine]] from 1918 to 1920<ref>{{Britannica|165056|Directory (Ukrainian ruling body)}}</ref>
* {{Flag|Republic of China}} - [[Nationalist Government]] - from 1928 to 1947
* {{Flag|Uruguay}} - [[National Council of Administration]] from 1919 to 1933 and [[National Council of Government (Uruguay)|National Council of Government]] from 1952 to 1967
* {{Flag|East Germany}} - [[State Council of East Germany]] from 1960 to 1990
* {{Flag|Union of Soviet Socialist Republics}} - [[Presidium of the Supreme Soviet]] from 1938 to 1989
* {{Flag|Polish People's Republic}} - [[State Council of the Polish People's Republic]] from 1952 to 1989

==See also==
* [[Athenian democracy]]
* [[Collegiality]]
* [[Group representation constituency]]
* [[Executive (government)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Collective heads of state]]
[[Category:Power sharing]]
[[Category:Separation of powers]]
[[Category:Types of democracy]]
[[Category:Types of republics]]