The Government of the Czech Republic (Czech: Vláda České republiky) exercises executive power in the Czech Republic. The members of the government are the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic (Chairman of the Government), the deputy prime minister and other ministers. It has its legal basis in the Constitution of the Czech Republic.
The president of the Czech Republic, constitutionally defined as the President of the Republic (Czech: Prezident republiky), is the head of state of the Czech Republic and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic.
The presidency has largely been shaped by its inaugural holder, Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, who assumed the office after the Czechoslovak declaration of independence was proclaimed in 1918. The 1920 Constitution granted the president substantial powers and Masaryk's political strength and popularity enabled the presidency to exert considerable influence over the Czech public life. In modern times, the president is largely a ceremonial figure with limited powers as the day-to-day business of the executive government is entrusted to the prime minister, and many of the president's actions require prime ministerial approval. Nevertheless, as the bearer of the nation's "Truth prevails" motto, the presidency is widely viewed to be a significant source of prestige, power and moral authority in both domestic and foreign affairs. The president, seated at the Prague Castle, has oftentimes been perceived through the prism of the nation's monarchical past. The office has retained the power to grant full pardons, commute criminal penalties and issue amnesties. The president possesses with a suspensory veto power which can be overridden by an absolute majority of the Chamber of Deputies.