Constitutional government means

Constitutional government means

a representative government of a nation with federal structure
a government whose Head enjoys nominal powers
a government whose Head enjoys real powers
a government limited by the terms of the Constitution
This question was previously asked in
UPSC IAS – 2021
Option D is the correct answer. A constitutional government is fundamentally defined as a government that operates within the limits set by a constitution.
The essence of constitutionalism is that the power of the government is not absolute but is constrained by a supreme law, the constitution. This limits arbitrary rule and protects individual rights and liberties.
Options A, B, and C describe specific features that might be present in a constitutional government (representative, federal, nature of head of state), but they are not the core defining characteristic of a constitutional government itself, which is the limitation of power by a constitution.