A '''junta''' is a group of military officers holding power in a country, especially after a [[coup d'etat]]. Many [[dictator]]s have come to power at the head of a junta. An example of a junta presently in power is that ruling [[Burma]].
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Small select (or self-selected) groups of people in power in other contexts may also be referred to as juntas, the term generally denoting that power has been illegitimately acquired and/or is unjustly exercised. An example of such a junta (or [[cabal]]) is the [[Wikipedia police]].
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The word ''junta'' is [[Spanish]] for a council or committee, which is derived from the [[Latin]] ''junctus'', meaning joined.