How Does India's Government Get Elected?

India, like the United States and the United Kingdom, has three branches of government: executive, judiciary, and legislative. Like the United Kingdom and unlike the United States, in India, the Prime Minister holds more power than the President (or Queen), who is a figurehead. This makes the legislative branch, which chooses the Prime Minister, powerful.

The executive branch is made up of the President, the Vice President, the Council of Ministers, (essentially the President’s Cabinet), the Union Ministers, and the Executive Agencies (federal departments).

In the judicial branch, the final court of appeals is the Indian Supreme Court. According to the constitution, it can have a maximum of 32 justices, including one Chief Justice. The Indian President appoints a majority of these positions, including the Chief Justice.