Junta
A junta (hoon-tuh) is a governing administrative council. It can consist of civilian and/or military officers holding power in a country, especially after a coup d'état. In socialist regimes it is often referred to as a politburo. In Islamic cultures it is often referred to as a Majlis al-Shura. As a general rule juntas are not democratically elected, lack a system of checks and balances, and tend to be authoritarian ruling by diktat. Juntas can come to power through violent means, electoral fraud, or simply arise out of chaos, anarchy, and lawlessness.
Many dictators have come to power at the head of a junta. An example of a junta presently in power is that ruling Burma.
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.
The word junta is Spanish for a council or committee, which is derived from the Latin junctus, meaning joint, joined together, or junction.