We explain what a constitutional monarchy is, its characteristics and current examples. Also, parliamentary monarchies.
What is constitutional monarchy?
A constitutional monarchy It is a form of monarchical government (that is, exercised by a king) in which there is a separation of powers and therefore the king shares political power with other institutions like a parliament and a court of law.
Generally, in this type of monarchies, the king is in charge of the executive power, although it is also common for him to exercise the head of the State in a purely ceremonial or representative sense.
In any case, constitutional monarchies They are characterized by combining the life authority of the king with the republican institutions. under the rule of law (that is, submitting to the regulatory framework of the Constitution). In this, these monarchies differ from absolute monarchies, in which the will of the monarch becomes law.
Constitutional monarchies can coexist with democratic government regimes, in which representatives of public powers are elected, despite the fact that the figure of the king is not subject to vote, but is hereditary.
It is also possible that they coexist with modern undemocratic regimes, as occurred with fascism in the mid-20th century in Italy and Japan, or with military dictatorships such as the Thai one in 2007. The constitutional monarchy is only a guarantee that the powers of the king are subject to what the law dictates.
Today, however, most constitutional monarchies are of the parliamentary type, that is, parliamentary monarchies.
See also: Monarchy
Characteristics of the constitutional monarchy
In general, constitutional monarchies are characterized by the following:
- They maintain a monarchical order in which a king inherits the crown to his descendants but unlike absolute monarchies, this title does not grant powers and authority above what is established in the law.
- There is a National Constitution in which the powers of the crown are defined and delimited, and which guarantees the separation and independence of the three public powers: executive, legislative and judicial.
- It is common for the king to fulfill ceremonial, traditional and representative functions, becoming a national symbol more than a real political actor. That, however, does not exclude him from the forces that make up the State.
- They are contemporary forms of monarchy appearing after the fall of absolutism and the Old Regime between the 18th and 19th centuries.
Countries with constitutional monarchy
Today there are numerous countries whose State is administered through a constitutional monarchy, such as:
- Great Britain and the United Kingdom
- Belgium
- Cambodia
- Jordan
- Netherlands
- Spain
- Sweden
- Norway
- Thailand
Constitutional monarchy and parliamentary monarchy
In a certain sense, Parliamentary monarchy is a form of constitutional monarchy since the powers of the king are contemplated in the laws and limited by other public powers. But unlike constitutional monarchies where the king retains control of the executive branch, In parliamentary monarchies “the king reigns, but does not govern”.
This means that the legislative power, in the hands of a parliament or national assembly, also elects a Prime Minister who exercises the leadership of the nation. On the contrary, the acting monarch rather fulfills a representative role, subject to the designs of parliament, and usually dedicated to diplomatic work.
Most contemporary constitutional monarchies are parliamentary in nature.. Although the king and royal family enjoy certain privileges, the rest of the nation functions as expected of a republican democracy.
Constitutional monarchy and republic
The fundamental difference between every form of monarchy and every form of republic is that In republican systems, sovereignty is found in the people of the country themselves who exercise it through their more or less direct participation in the affairs and decisions of the State, especially through suffrage.
On the other hand, monarchies grant certain powers to a particular person and their heirs, without said authority being endorsed by the people.
However, The boundaries between republic and monarchy begin to become less evident in constitutional monarchy since the rule of law and the separation of public powers, essential for republican life, are established in this case in the National Constitution. Even more similar is the case of the parliamentary Monarchy, in which the monarch fulfills very limited roles and is subject to the discretion of parliament.
But this was not always the case, and modern struggles against absolutist monarchy in the 18th and 19th centuries were, to a large extent, driven by republican ideals: the famous liberty, equality, fraternity of the French Revolution of 1789.
Continue with: Republic
References
- “Constitutional monarchy” on Wikipedia.
- “Constitutional monarchy” in Enciclopedia.us.
- “Constitutional monarchy” in Lawi, Digital Platform for Law, Social Sciences and Humanities.
- “The crisis of the constitutional monarchy” in Artehistoria.
- “Constitutional Monarchy (government)” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
