Editing Head of government (section)

=== Under a dominant head of state ===
In a broader sense, a head of government can be used loosely when referring to various comparable positions under a dominant head of state (especially is the case of ancient or feudal eras, so the term "head of government", in this case, could be considered a contradiction in terms). In this case, the prime minister serves at the pleasure of the monarch and holds no more power than the monarch allows. Some such titles are diwan, [[mahamantri]], [[pradhan]], [[wasir]] or [[vizier]].

However, just because the head of state is the ''[[de jure]]'' dominant position does not mean that he/she will not always be the ''de facto'' political leader. A skilled head of government like 19th-century German statesman [[Otto von Bismarck]], [[Minister President of Prussia]] and later [[Chancellor of Germany]] under [[German Emperor|Emperor]]/[[King of Prussia|King]] [[Wilhelm I, German Emperor|Wilhelm I]], serves as an example showing that possession of formal powers does not equal political influence.