Cryptic crossword clue
Perhaps go charily with this form of rule 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word OLIGARCHY

I've seen this crossword clue in The Guardian
O
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A
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Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "this form of rule" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case this form of rule = oligarchy.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does OLIGARCHY mean?

OLIGARCHY noun
  1. A government run by only a few, often the wealthy.
  2. Those who make up an oligarchic government.
  3. A state ruled by such a government.

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