When those in government exercise power recognized by citizens as right and proper, they are exercising .

Authority

Explanation:

Authority is different from power by itself in that authority is legitimate power. In other words, the person who holds authority has the consent of those he rules over.

When the government of a nation is recognized by the citizens as legitimate, it is said that the government can exercise authority. One of the goals of representative democracy for example, is to have governments with legitimate authority after being elected through free and fair elections.

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