Noun
a person used as a cover for some questionable activity
Source: WordNetAlthough Ceaușescu had been nominal head of state since 1967, he had merely been first among equals on the State Council, with his real power coming from his status as party leader. Source: Internet
Beijing will often appoint loyal party cadres to oversee the local work as Party secretary, while the local Chairman of the region's government is regarded as its nominal head. Source: Internet
Each parish has its own elected mayor who is the nominal head of the local government known as a comú in Catalan. Source: Internet
First, recognising that the Sovereign could no longer govern directly but was still the nominal head of the government, he insisted that he was nothing more than the "King's Servant". Source: Internet