Form of government (8)
I believe the answer is:
republic
'form of government' is the definition.
(republic is a kind of form of government)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for republic that I've seen before include "Nation in which the head of state is elected" , "Cure blip (anag.)" , "State without monarch" , "Country in which supreme power is held by the people" , "Cuba, say" .)