State with elected head (8)
I believe the answer is:
republic
'state with elected head' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for republic that I've seen before include "Nation with a president as head of state" , "Form of government without a monarch" , "State without monarch" , "Non-monarchical state" , "Nation in which the head of state is elected" .)