What Is A Republic?

A republic is the form of government in which a nation is ruled by representatives elected by its general public. The term is used in context with a form of government in which the leader is elected for a specific tenure, abiding by the laws and rules of the constitution of that particular nation. A country or state which is a republic has a political order in which the head of state is usually a president, and not a monarch.

In a republic, the greatest and ultimate power rests with the citizens of that particular country.  The citizens have the power to elect their representatives as leaders or heads of the state. The appointed representatives are responsible for the citizens who have elected them. The word 'republic' is derived from the Latin words 'res publica' (res means things and publica means public). It means that in a republic form of governance, politics is a public thing and not a private matter which was the norm in monarchy.