page_title: Politics of Gibraltar
section_title: Executive branch
hierarchical_section_title: Politics of Gibraltar / Executive branch
caption_attribution_description: English: View of Convent Place, Gibraltar depicting the Government offices at No. 6 in the foreground and The Convent (the Governor's residence) in the background.
context_page_description: The politics of Gibraltar takes place within a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic British Overseas Territory, whereby the Monarch of the United Kingdom is the constitutional head of state represented by the Governor of Gibraltar. The Chief Minister of Gibraltar is the head of Government. As a British Overseas Territory, the Government of Gibraltar is not subordinate to the Government of the United Kingdom. The British Government, however, is responsible for defence and external affairs but Gibraltar has full internal self-government under its 2006 Constitution.
  The government of Spain continues with an irredentist territorial claim to Gibraltar, which was ceded in perpetuity to the British Crown in 1713 by Article X of the Treaty of Utrecht. In a referendum held in 2002, a proposal for shared sovereignty was overwhelmingly rejected by the Gibraltar electorate with 98.97% voting against. The sovereignty issue remains an important factor in local politics.
  Gibraltar has a number of political parties which have developed to address local issues.
context_section_description: As an overseas territory of Britain, the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who is represented by the Governor of Gibraltar. Britain retains responsibility for defence, foreign relations, internal security and financial stability.
caption: Government of Gibraltar headquarters at No. 6 Convent Place with The Convent in the background.
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