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.

---

Example Sentences

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

Others think she was simply seeking more time to find a bright line between legitimate government activity and the unconstitutional “commandeering” of state resources for federal purposes.

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

City of Hialeah, a religious discrimination case, the court emphasized how a series of ordinances might, when viewed in isolation, advance legitimate government interests in the humane treatment of animals.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2025

He says that the actual government is the legitimate government, that God disposes of thrones and kings as he pleases and that he adopts the chiefs whom the people prefer.

From The Modern Regime, Volume 2 by Durand, John