Constitutional monarchy

A constitutional monarchy is a form of monarchical government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges a hereditary or elected monarch as head of state. Modern constitutional monarchies usually implement the concept of trias politica, or "separation of powers", where the monarch is the head of the executive branch. Where a monarch holds absolute power, it is known as an absolute monarchy, and law within an absolute monarchy can often be quite different from law within a constitutional monarchy.

Related Topics:
Monarchical - Constitution - Monarch - Head of state - Trias politica - Executive branch - Absolute monarchy

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Today, constitutional monarchy is almost always combined with representative democracy, and represents theories of sovereignty which place sovereignty in the hands of the people, and those that see a role for tradition in the theory of government. Though the king or queen may be regarded as the head of state, it is the Prime Minister, whose power derives directly or indirectly from elections, who actually governs the country.

Related Topics:
Representative democracy - Prime Minister

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Although current constitutional monarchies are mostly representative democracies, this has not always historically been the case.

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There have been monarchies which have coexisted with constitutions which were fascist (or quasi-fascist), as was the case in Italy, Japan and Spain, or those in which the government is run as a military dictatorship, as was the case in Thailand.

Related Topics:
Fascist - Italy - Japan - Spain - Military dictatorship - Thailand

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Some constitutional monarchies are hereditary; others, such as that of Malaysia are elective monarchies.

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