legitimate government

Cultural  

1. A government generally acknowledged as being in control of a nation and deserving formal recognition, which is symbolized by the exchange of diplomats between that government and the governments of other countries.

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Example Sentences

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legitimate government

The Fatah-dominated PLO runs the Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank not under Israeli control, and has formally claimed to be the legitimate government in Gaza despite exercising no effective control there.

From BBC ● Apr. 25, 2026

Menendez explained that she needed more time to find the line between legitimate government activity and the unconstitutional “commandeering” of states by the federal government.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026

"I don't recognise the Taliban as Afghanistan's legitimate government, and they don't have recognition here in Austria," said 53-year-old Bakhtari.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025

And so, Roberts ruled, the court need only ask whether the health care ban is “rationally related to a legitimate government interest.”

From Slate ● Jun. 18, 2025

Every phase of legitimate government must thus go back to the individual, and his desires and functions.

From The Psychology of Nations A Contribution to the Philosophy of History by G.E. Partridge