A republican parliamentary system is characterized by the head of state being elected. In a parliamentary republic, the head of state is the President, usually elected separately from the legislative body (parliament) but may have limited or ceremonial powers. The head of government, often a Prime Minister, is responsible for leading the executive branch and is typically drawn from the majority party or coalition in parliament.

An example of a parliamentary republic is Nigeria between 1963 and 1966 where the head of state was the then President Benjamin Nnamdi Azikiwe and the head of government, or prime minister was Abubakar Tafawa Balewa.