Namely, he or she is the president of the executive body of the Galician government, the Xunta de Galicia.
As in other parliamentary democracies the president is actually appointed by the Parliament which is, on the other hand, directly voted in by the citizens.
The democratic period in Galicia starts in 1977 with the end of Francoist Spain.
Before that Galicia had last enjoyed self-government in the Middle Ages, in addition to a short period when the Xunta Suprema de Galicia was established during the Peninsular War (1808-1813).
Nonetheless, they played an important role in setting up the institution.