What forms of government exist in the modern world? Where on the planet are countries still ruled by kings and sultans? Look for answers to these questions in our article. In addition, you will learn what a constitutional monarchy is. You will also find examples of countries in this form of government in this publication.
The main forms of government in the modern world
To date, two main models of government are known: monarchist and republican. By monarchy is meant a form of government in which power belongs to one person. This may be the king, emperor, emir, prince, sultan, etc. The second distinctive feature of the monarchical system is the process of transferring this power by inheritance (and not by the results of popular elections).
Today there are absolute, theocratic, and constitutional monarchies. Republics (the second form of government) are more common in the modern world: there are about 70% of them. The republican model of government implies the election of the supreme bodies of power - the parliament and (or) the president.
The most famous monarchies of the planet: Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Japan, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Examples of republic countries: Poland, Russia, France, Mexico, Ukraine. However, in this article we are only interested in countries with a constitutional monarchy (a list of these states can be found below).
Monarchy: absolute, theocratic, constitutional
Monarchist countries (there are about 40 in the world) are of three types. It can be a theocratic, absolute, and constitutional monarchy. Let us briefly consider the features of each of them, and dwell on the latter in more detail.
In absolute monarchies, all power is concentrated in the hands of one person. He takes absolutely all decisions, realizing the domestic and foreign policies of his country. The clearest example of such a monarchy is Saudi Arabia.
In a theocratic monarchy, power belongs to the highest ecclesiastical (spiritual) minister. The only example of such a country is the Vatican, where the pope is the absolute authority for the population. True, some scholars attribute Brunei to theocratic monarchies and even Great Britain. It is no secret that the Queen of England is also the head of the church.
A constitutional monarchy is ...
The constitutional monarchy is that model of government in which the power of the monarch is significantly limited.
Sometimes he may be completely deprived of supreme authority. In this case, the monarch is only a formal figure, a certain symbol of the state (as, for example, in Great Britain).
All these legal restrictions of the power of the monarch, as a rule, are reflected in the constitution of a particular state (hence the name of this form of government).
Types of Constitutional Monarchy
Modern constitutional monarchies can be parliamentary or dualistic. First, the government is formed by the country's parliament, to which it reports. In dualistic constitutional monarchies, ministers are appointed (and removed) by the monarch himself. The parliament retains only the right of some veto.
It is worth noting that the division of countries into republics and monarchies is sometimes somewhat arbitrary. Indeed, even in the most democratic states , certain aspects of the continuity of power (the appointment of relatives and friends to important government posts) can be observed. This applies to Russia, Ukraine and even the United States.
Constitutional Monarchy: Country Examples
Today, 31 states of the world can be attributed to constitutional monarchies. The third part is located in Western and Northern Europe. About 80% of all constitutional monarchies in the modern world are parliamentary, and only seven are dualistic.
Listed below are all countries with a constitutional monarchy (list). The region in which the state is located is shown in parentheses:
- Luxembourg (Western Europe).
- Liechtenstein (Western Europe).
- Principality of Monaco (Western Europe).
- Great Britain (Western Europe).
- Netherlands (Western Europe).
- Belgium (Western Europe).
- Denmark (Western Europe).
- Norway (Western Europe).
- Sweden (Western Europe).
- Spain (Western Europe).
- Andorra (Western Europe).
- Kuwait (Middle East).
- UAE (Middle East).
- Jordan (Middle East).
- Japan (East Asia).
- Cambodia (Southeast Asia).
- Thailand (Southeast Asia).
- Bhutan (Southeast Asia).
- Australia (Australia and Oceania).
- New Zealand (Australia and Oceania).
- Papua New Guinea (Australia and Oceania).
- Tonga (Australia and Oceania).
- Solomon Islands (Australia and Oceania).
- Canada (North America).
- Morocco (North Africa).
- Lesotho (South Africa).
- Grenada (Caribbean).
- Jamaica (Caribbean).
- Saint Lucia (Caribbean).
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (Caribbean).
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (Caribbean).
On the map below, all these countries are marked in green.
Is a constitutional monarchy an ideal form of government?
There is an opinion that the constitutional monarchy is the key to stability and welfare of the country. Is it so?
Of course, the constitutional monarchy is not able to automatically solve all the problems that arise before the state. However, she is ready to offer society a certain political stability. Indeed, in such countries, the constant struggle for power (imaginary or real) is absent a priori.
The constitutional monarchist model has a number of other advantages. As practice shows, it was in such states that the world's best social security systems were built. And this is not only about the countries of the Scandinavian Peninsula.
You can take, for example, the same Gulf countries (UAE, Kuwait). They have much less oil than in Russia. However, over several decades, from poor countries, whose population was exclusively engaged in grazing cattle in oases, they were able to turn into successful, prosperous and well-established states.
The most famous constitutional monarchies of the world: Great Britain, Norway, Kuwait
Great Britain is one of the most famous parliamentary monarchies on the planet. The head of state (as well as formally another 15 countries of the Commonwealth) is Queen Elizabeth II. However, you should not think that she is a purely symbolic figure. The British Queen has a significant right to dissolve Parliament. In addition, she is the commander in chief of the British troops.
The Norwegian king is also the head of his state, according to the Constitution, which has been in force since 1814. To quote this document, Norway is a "free monarchical state with a limited and hereditary form of government." Moreover, initially the king had wider powers, which gradually narrowed.
Kuwait has been another parliamentary monarchy since 1962. The role of the head of state is played by the emir, who has broad powers: he dissolves parliament, signs laws, appoints the head of government; he commands the troops of Kuwait. It is curious that in this amazing country women are absolutely equal in their political rights with men, which is completely atypical for the states of the Arab world.
Finally
Now you know what a constitutional monarchy is. Examples of countries of this form of government are present on all continents of the planet except Antarctica. These are the gray-haired prosperous states of the old woman of Europe, and the young richest countries of the Middle East.
Is it possible to say that the most optimal form of government in the world is precisely the constitutional monarchy? Examples of successful and highly developed countries fully confirm this assumption.