List of 9 Countries Without a Vice President, Including South Korea and France
The vice presidency is evidently not a mandatory position in every system of government. Several countries with presidential or semi-presidential systems actually run their governments without a vice president.
Russia, South Korea, Mexico, France, and Portugal are examples of countries that do not have such a position.
Nevertheless, the absence of a vice president does not mean a government lacks a succession mechanism. When a president is incapacitated or a vacancy occurs, each country has its own rules to ensure the wheels of government keep turning.
Russia, for instance, designates the prime minister as the official who can temporarily carry out presidential functions when the president is unable to perform their duties. Russia itself actually once had a vice presidency in the early days of the Russian Federation. However, the position was abolished following a constitutional amendment in 1993.
A similar arrangement applies in South Korea. Although it adopts a presidential system, the country does not have a vice president.
The president is assisted by a prime minister who coordinates ministries and carries out certain governmental functions. When a presidential vacancy occurred after the impeachment of Yoon Suk-yeol, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo temporarily served as acting president before a new election was held.
In Mexico, presidential elections also do not involve a president and vice president pairing. If a vacancy occurs, the constitution provides a replacement mechanism involving Congress and certain government officials.
Meanwhile, France, Portugal, Romania, Ukraine, and Lithuania are countries with semi-presidential systems that also do not have a vice presidency. In these systems, executive authority is divided between the president and the prime minister, with differing shares of power in each country.
The absence of a vice president in these countries does not mean there is no line of succession when a president is incapacitated or a power vacuum occurs.
France, for example, grants temporary authority to the president of the Senate when a presidential vacancy occurs. In Ukraine, the prime minister runs the day-to-day government, while the president retains key authority, particularly in defence and foreign relations. Lithuania also has its own constitutional mechanism for dealing with a presidential vacancy.
Rwanda likewise has no vice president. The country has a prime minister tasked with running and coordinating the work of government, while the president holds broad constitutional authority.
Thus, a vice president is not the only way to ensure continuity of power. Each country can choose a different succession design in accordance with its political system and constitution.
Interestingly, while a number of countries continue to maintain a system without a vice president, two countries moved in the opposite direction in 2026.
In Cameroon, parliament approved a constitutional amendment to revive the vice presidency, which had been abolished since 1972. President Paul Biya was given the authority to appoint and dismiss the vice president. The position can also temporarily take over presidential functions if the president dies, resigns, or is unable to perform their duties.
Supporters of the change said the move was necessary to maintain continuity of government. However, the opposition argued that the mechanism could potentially further strengthen the president’s power.
Kazakhstan took a similar step. Through a change to the state structure in 2026, the country once again has a vice presidency. On 31 August 2026, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed his senior adviser, Erlan Karin, as vice president.
Ultimately, whether or not a country has a vice president is not the sole measure of a government’s strength or weakness. What matters more is how clearly the constitution regulates succession, the division of authority, and who takes over when the president is no longer able to carry out their duties.