Eleanor Finch
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. The constitution allocates the government's power to the legislature, which makes the laws, and the monarch is expected to proclaim and follow them. The powers of the monarch vary between countries but are generally limited. For example, in the United Kingdom, the monarch has the power to appoint a prime minister, proclaim laws, and handle foreign relations, but they are expected to act on the advice of the government and follow democratic principles.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Monarchy | Constitutional Monarchy |
| Definition | A system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government |
| Powers of the Monarch | Varies from nation to nation, but in general, these powers are limited |
| Head of State | The monarch is the head of state but is governed by the constitution of the country |
| Head of Government | The Prime Minister |
| Legislative Body | The real power in constitutional monarchies lies with the legislative body, which makes the laws |
| Executive Branch | Normally overseen by the Prime Minister |
| Judicial Branch | The Supreme Court and lower courts |
| Role of the Monarch | Serving as a symbol for the nation, representing centuries of an unbroken hereditary line of succession |
| Example Countries | United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Japan, Thailand |
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What You'll Learn
Constitutional monarchies vary in power
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. The constitution allocates the rest of the government’s power to the legislature and judiciary.
Constitutional monarchies vary in the power they allocate to the monarch. In some countries, the monarch officially has the power to appoint a prime minister, grant titles, appoint bishops, and open/dissolve parliament. However, these powers are essentially ceremonial, and the monarch is expected to go along with the democratic voice or that of their elected advisors.
In some constitutional monarchies, the head of state is purely ceremonial. The real power in constitutional monarchies is typically held by the legislative body, which makes the laws, and the executive branch, which is normally overseen by the prime minister. The distribution of power in a constitutional monarchy varies, but it is typically dispersed across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
While the powers of the monarch differ between countries, in most constitutional monarchies, the monarch retains residual (but not always insignificant) powers. For example, in Norway, the King chairs special meetings of the cabinet, while in Belgium, the monarch formally appoints a representative to preside over the creation of a coalition government following a parliamentary election. In nearly all cases, the monarch is the nominal chief executive, but they are bound by convention to act on the advice of the Cabinet.
Constitutional monarchies range from countries such as Liechtenstein, Monaco, and Morocco, where the constitution grants substantial discretionary powers to the sovereign, to countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, and Japan, where the monarch retains significantly less, if any, personal discretion in the exercise of their authority.
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The role of a constitutional monarchy
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. The constitution allocates the rest of the government's power to the legislature. The role of a constitutional monarchy is to have a head of state and head of government that is governed by the constitution of the country.
The original constitutional monarchies had a head of state, which was the king, but no parliamentary system. Power was shared between the monarch, the head of government, and the constitution. The first constitution for a monarchy in continental Europe was developed in Poland, with the Constitution of 3 May 1791. The oldest constitutional monarchy dating back to ancient times was that of the Hittites.
In some countries, like the United Kingdom, the monarch officially has the power to appoint a prime minister, grant titles, appoint bishops, proclaim laws, and open/dissolve parliament. However, these powers are essentially ceremonial, and the British monarch is expected to go along with either the democratic voice or those of elected advisors. Most real power is held by a legislative body, such as Parliament in the UK, the Diet in Japan, and the Riksdag in Sweden.
In addition to acting as a visible symbol of national unity, a constitutional monarch may hold formal powers such as dissolving parliament or giving royal assent to legislation. However, such powers are generally only exercised in accordance with written constitutional principles or unwritten constitutional conventions, rather than any personal political preferences of the sovereign.
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The constitution and the elected parliament
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The constitution of a country limits the power of the monarch. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. The constitution allocates the rest of the government's power to the legislature. The role of a constitutional monarchy is to have a head of state and a head of government that is governed by the constitution of the country.
The UK is an example of a constitutional monarchy. The monarch has the ability to appoint a prime minister, proclaim laws, and handle foreign relations. The UK also has a prime minister, and the real power is held in Parliament. The UK constitutional monarchy has roots that long predate the UK itself as a state. The UK's oldest kingdom, England, furthered its constitutional monarchy with laws such as the Bill of Rights of 1689 and the Act of Settlement of 1701.
In a constitutional monarchy, the power is shared between the monarch, the head of government, and the constitution. The head of state is considered the king but is governed by the constitution of his country. The king title can only be obtained through heredity and is for life. Most modern constitutional monarchies have a head of state, the king, and a head of government, the prime minister. The original constitutional monarchies did not have a parliamentary system; this came later in the history of the monarchy.
In executive monarchies (or semi-constitutional monarchies), the monarch wields significant power, though not absolute. The monarchy in this system of government is a powerful political and social institution. In contrast, in ceremonial monarchies, the monarch holds little or no actual power or direct political influence, though they frequently have a great deal of social and cultural influence.
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The monarch's powers
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a purely ceremonial leader. The constitution allocates the rest of the government’s power to the legislature. The distribution of power in a constitutional monarchy varies, but is typically dispersed across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
In some countries, like England, the monarch officially has the power to grant titles, appoint bishops, and open/dissolve parliament. However, these powers are essentially ceremonial, and the monarch is expected to go along with either the democratic voice or those of elected advisors. In England, the real power is held by a legislative body, in this case, Parliament. In Japan, it's the Diet, and in Sweden, it's the Riksdag.
In Denmark and Belgium, the monarch formally appoints a representative to preside over the creation of a coalition government following a parliamentary election. In Norway, the King chairs special meetings of the cabinet. In nearly all cases, the monarch is still the nominal chief executive, but is bound by convention to act on the advice of the Cabinet.
The monarch has functions as both head of state and head of the nation. King Charles III is also head of the Commonwealth and head of state in 14 countries beyond the UK, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica, and New Zealand. The King's main functions as head of state are to appoint the Prime Minister and all other ministers, to open new sessions of parliament, and to give royal assent to bills passed by parliament, signifying that they have become law. The King also chairs monthly meetings of the Privy Council, receives incoming and outgoing ambassadors, and makes a host of other appointments, such as senior judges, but in all this, he acts on the advice of the government. He has a weekly audience with the Prime Minister and receives daily boxes of state papers for his signature and information.
To the public, the King is more visible in his wider role as head of the nation. In this representative role, the Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity, and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity; officially recognizes success and excellence; and supports the ideal of voluntary service. This role has been fulfilled through speeches such as the King's annual broadcast on Christmas Day and through visits to the armed forces, schools, hospitals, charities, and local organizations.
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The difference between absolute and constitutional monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as the head of state. There are two main types of monarchies: absolute monarchies and constitutional monarchies.
In an absolute monarchy, the monarch holds supreme power and is the only decision-maker, ruling as a dictator. They are not bound by a constitution and can make and enforce laws without the input of other governmental bodies.
On the other hand, a constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch is bound by a constitution and may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. The constitution allocates the powers of the government to the legislature, which is typically made up of an executive branch overseen by a prime minister, legislative branches such as Parliament, and a judicial branch that constitutes the Supreme Court and lower courts. While the monarch may have some official powers, such as appointing a prime minister or opening/dissolving parliament, these are often ceremonial, and the real power lies with the legislative body.
The main difference between absolute and constitutional monarchies lies in the distribution of power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen holds all the power to govern the people, whereas in a constitutional monarchy, political power is shared between the monarch and a constitutional government, with the latter holding most of the power.
Examples of countries that are constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Spain, Norway, Japan, and Thailand. Hawaii transitioned from being an absolute monarchy to a constitutional monarchy in 1840 when King Kamehameha III promulgated the kingdom's first constitution.
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Frequently asked questions
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government in which a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader.
The role of a constitutional monarch is to have a head of state and head of government that is governed by the constitution of the country. The monarch's powers vary from country to country but are generally limited.
The UK is a constitutional monarchy with the monarch having the ability to appoint a prime minister, proclaim laws, and handle foreign relations. The UK also has a prime minister and the real power is held in Parliament. The monarch is expected to act on the advice of the Cabinet and is bound by democratic principles.
Some examples of constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Luxembourg, Monaco, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Japan, and Thailand.
