Isabella Carter
A constitutional monarchy is a system of government where a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies in that the monarch's powers and authorities are limited by a legal framework and they do not exercise executive or policy-making power. Some countries with constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Thailand. The UK, for example, is a democratic constitutional monarchy, where the monarch has substantial but limited legislative and executive powers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of Head of State | Constitutional monarchies have a hereditary symbolic head of state who is usually an emperor, king or queen, prince or duke. |
| Powers of the Head of State | The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a purely ceremonial leader. In some countries, the monarch wields significant power, while in others, they hold little or no actual power. |
| Decision-making | The monarch in a constitutional monarchy does not make decisions alone and must act in accordance with a constitution and democratic principles. |
| Democratic Status | Views differ on whether constitutional monarchies are democratic. Some argue that the existence of an unelected head of state and the power to overrule parliament mean it is not a democracy. Others contend that the monarchy's lack of political involvement and the delegation of powers to elected officials make it democratic in practice. |
| Examples | Constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Cambodia, Jordan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Thailand. |
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What You'll Learn
- Constitutional monarchies are also known as limited, parliamentary, or democratic monarchies
- Constitutional monarchies can be ceremonial or executive
- Constitutional monarchies can be contrasted with absolute monarchies
- Constitutional monarchies can be strongly limited, like in the UK and Australia
- Constitutional monarchies can be elective, like in Malaysia and Cambodia
Constitutional monarchies are also known as limited, parliamentary, or democratic monarchies
A constitutional monarchy is a form of government where a monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a ceremonial leader. Constitutional monarchies are also known as limited, parliamentary, or democratic monarchies.
In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not the sole decision-maker. They are bound to exercise their powers and authorities within the limits prescribed by an established legal framework. The constitution allocates the government's powers to the legislature and judiciary. This form of monarchy is often seen as a democratic system of government, where the monarch is subject to various rules and constraints to ensure they act in accordance with democratic principles rather than governing according to their wishes.
Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies, where the monarch holds absolute power and is the sole decision-maker. In contrast, constitutional monarchies may have a monarch with significant but not absolute power, known as an executive monarchy, or a ceremonial monarchy, where the monarch holds little to no political power but retains social and cultural influence.
The United Kingdom, for example, is a democratic constitutional monarchy. The monarch in the UK, such as the King, is a hereditary symbolic head of state who performs representative and civic roles but does not directly exercise executive or policymaking power. While the monarch has the power to grant royal assent to important laws and make decisions regarding the deployment of armed forces, these functions are often delegated to the Prime Minister and other ministers.
Some writers have referred to strongly limited constitutional monarchies, such as the UK and Australia, as "crowned republics," highlighting the limited nature of the monarch's power in these systems.
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Constitutional monarchies can be ceremonial or executive
A constitutional monarchy is a form of government where the monarch shares power with a constitutionally organized government. The monarch may be the de facto head of state or a purely ceremonial leader. In some constitutional monarchies, the monarch wields significant (though not absolute) power and the monarchy is a powerful political and social institution. These are known as executive or semi-constitutional monarchies. On the other hand, in ceremonial monarchies, the monarch holds little or no actual power or direct political influence but may still have a great deal of social and cultural influence.
Executive monarchies are seen in countries such as Liechtenstein and Monaco, where the ruling monarchs have significant executive power. While they are theoretically very powerful within their small states, they are not absolute monarchs and have limited de facto power compared to Islamic monarchs. As a result, their countries are generally considered liberal democracies rather than undemocratic.
In contrast, ceremonial monarchies are found in countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and other Commonwealth realms, where the monarch retains significantly less, if any, personal discretion in exercising their authority. The UK monarchy, for example, has substantial but limited legislative and executive powers, and the monarch acts as a non-party political ceremonial head of state. While the monarch is the head of state, they do not govern according to their own wishes but are bound to act within the limits prescribed by the constitution and democratic principles. Most of their functions are delegated or exercised based on the advice of the Prime Minister and other ministers.
The distinction between executive and ceremonial monarchies can be blurry, as some countries with constitutional monarchies restrain monarchic power in practice rather than through written law. For example, while the British monarch has the power to overrule Parliament, they have not exercised this right in over 300 years. This has led to the argument that the UK is "democratic" but not a democracy. Nevertheless, the UK and other constitutional monarchies have successfully developed into democratic nations while retaining their monarchs.
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Constitutional monarchies can be contrasted with absolute monarchies
A constitutional monarchy is a form of democracy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not the sole decision-maker. It is also known as a limited monarchy, parliamentary monarchy, or democratic monarchy. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies, where the monarch is the only decision-maker and has absolute power.
In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch is a hereditary symbolic head of state who performs representative and civic roles but does not exercise executive or policy-making power. The constitution prescribes limits on the monarch's powers and authorities. Examples of countries with constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Spain, Sweden, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, and Morocco.
In contrast, an absolute monarchy is a form of government in which the monarch holds all the power and is not bound by any laws or restrictions. Absolute monarchs can make and enforce laws without the approval of a legislative body, and their decisions cannot be questioned or limited by any written law, legislature, court, or custom. Absolute monarchies are often associated with a lack of natural rights and freedoms for the people, who have no voice in the government. Examples of absolute monarchies today include Brunei, Eswatini, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the seven territories of the United Arab Emirates.
The main difference between constitutional and absolute monarchies lies in the distribution of power. In a constitutional monarchy, power is shared between the monarch and a constitutionally defined government, while in an absolute monarchy, power is concentrated solely in the hands of the monarch. Constitutional monarchies often involve a limited electoral process that allows the people to have a say in their government, whereas absolute monarchies deny the people any form of political participation.
While constitutional monarchies are considered more democratic, some argue that the existence of a monarch as a hereditary head of state is difficult to reconcile with democratic principles. However, countries like the United Kingdom have developed democracy while retaining their monarchs by subjecting them to rules that ensure they act in accordance with democratic values.
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Constitutional monarchies can be strongly limited, like in the UK and Australia
A constitutional monarchy is a form 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. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies in that the monarch does not have sole decision-making power and must exercise their authority in accordance with a constitution.
Constitutional monarchies can vary in the level of power granted to the monarch. Some countries, like Liechtenstein, Monaco, Morocco, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Bhutan, have constitutions that grant substantial discretionary powers to the sovereign. In these countries, the monarch wields significant executive power and can be considered to have a semi-constitutional monarchy or executive monarchy.
On the other hand, countries like the United Kingdom, Australia, and other Commonwealth realms, as well as the Netherlands, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Lesotho, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, and Japan, have strongly limited constitutional monarchies. In these countries, the monarch retains little to no personal discretion in the exercise of their authority and mainly performs a representative and civic role. Writers H. G. Wells and Glenn Patmore have referred to these types of monarchies as "crowned republics".
The United Kingdom, for example, is a democratic constitutional monarchy. While the monarch has substantial legislative and executive powers on paper, in practice, most of these functions are delegated to or exercised on the basis of advice provided by the Prime Minister and other ministers. The UK's constitution also imposes constraints on the monarch, such as the requirement to obtain 'Royal Assent' for important laws. Similarly, Australia has a strongly limited constitutional monarchy, with the monarch playing a primarily ceremonial role.
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Constitutional monarchies can be elective, like in Malaysia and Cambodia
A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not the sole decision-maker. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies, where a monarch is the only decision-maker, as the former are bound to exercise their powers and authorities within the limits prescribed by an established legal framework.
Malaysia's unique system of rotating, elected constitutional monarchy has played a central role in facilitating political transitions and constitutional governance. The monarchy has emerged with an enhanced position in Malaysia's contemporary constitutional order, with the monarch assuming a critical role in the formation and functioning of the federal government. The country's political crises and the COVID-19 pandemic have left Malaysia's political parties and electoral institutions fragile, and the monarchy has stepped in to safeguard against incumbent capture and accelerate democratic erosion.
In Cambodia, the constitutional monarchy is also elective, with the ruler periodically selected by a small electoral college. Cambodia's monarchy retains significantly less personal discretion in the exercise of their authority, similar to other Commonwealth realms such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Elective constitutional monarchies, therefore, provide a blend of democratic principles and traditional monarchy, allowing for the election or rotation of the monarch while maintaining the ceremonial and cultural significance of the position.
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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 purely ceremonial leader.
A constitutional monarchy can be a democracy. In a constitutional monarchy, the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with a constitution and is not the sole decision-maker. The constitution allocates the government's powers to the legislature and judiciary. The monarch may retain substantial powers, but they are still bound by the limits prescribed by the constitution.
Examples of constitutional monarchies include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Cambodia, Jordan, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, and Thailand.
