The constitutional head of Selangor is the Sultan, which is a largely ceremonial role. This position is hereditary and can only be held by a member of Selangor's royal family. The current Sultan is Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who has been in this position since 2001.
The head of government is the Menteri Besar (Chief Minister), who heads the state's executive branch of government, the state executive council or more commonly known in its shortened form as 'exco'. The current Menteri Besar is Datuk Seri Dr. Mohd Khir bin Toyo, of the Barisan Nasional coalition.
The state also has a legislative branch, called the state assembly. It is similar to the Parliament but is limited to making laws relating to the state. Its members are elected in elections which are usually held simultaneously with federal elections. The term of each state assembly member is limited to five years. The state assembly must be dissolved before or once it expires its term for a fresh election to elect its members.