In a parliamentary monarchy, the king's actions are limited by the Government and Parliament.
A parliamentary monarchy is a monarchical regime in which the king assumes the head of state but his actions are subordinated to a government that holds executive power and to a parliament that exercises legislative power . The actions of the monarch are thus subordinated to the decisions taken by the parliamentarians.
In this political system, therefore, the king has limited authority. His role is generally limited to issues related to the nation's history and tradition , but with little impact on state management. Significant decisions are made by Parliament (whose members assume the representation of the sovereignty of the people) and by the Government .
The role of the king in a parliamentary monarchy
The role of the king in a parliamentary monarchy is symbolic . He assumes honorary functions but governs only according to the laws drawn up by Parliament and the decrees passed by the Government. Although he is responsible for passing the laws, he does so based on the submission made by the other estates.
Unlike members of the Government and Parliament, the monarch serves for life. Succession to the throne is hereditary : only upon his death or abdication does his successor become crowned.
Thanks to his position, the king enjoys various privileges, such as legal immunity and the maintenance of the royal family. Although all citizens have guarantees and rights, the sovereign has a different status.
Differences with other monarchical regimes
Parliamentary monarchy is often compared to constitutional monarchy , with which it shares several characteristics. Both have a separation of powers ( executive , legislative and judicial ) and a constitution that stands as the supreme law; in constitutional monarchy, however, the king usually controls the executive and has a greater scope of action than in parliamentary monarchy. The boundaries between these two monarchies , however, are blurred and sometimes not even considered.
In an absolute monarchy , on the other hand, there is no division of powers. The monarch makes all the decisions he wants without having to answer to anyone, choosing officials according to his will. It is usual in this model for the king to be considered a divinity or someone chosen by God , which is why it can also be a monarchy of divine right .
Other classifications can be considered which, although they do not appear in official names, are usually applied. It is common, in this context, to speak of a federal monarchy to refer to one in which the king heads a federation or a group of entities with a certain autonomy (as is the case in the Kingdom of Spain , the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Kingdom of Belgium ).
King Charles III heads a parliamentary monarchy in the United Kingdom.
Parliamentary monarchies in Europe
There are numerous parliamentary monarchies in Europe . The United Kingdom is one of them, with Charles III as the current king and head of state.
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is divided into the House of Lords and the House of Commons . Executive power is vested in the head of government. It is interesting to note that Charles III is also the king of the nations that make up the Commonwealth of Nations , which function as independent monarchies (such as the Bahamas , Canada , Australia and New Zealand ).
Spain is another parliamentary monarchy. King Felipe VI represents the Spanish State at the international level, with executive power vested in the Government. The President of the Government is the leader of the Council of Ministers . The Cortes Generales ( Congress of Deputies and Senate ) also exercise legislative power.
Denmark, Sweden, Belgium, Norway, Luxembourg yNetherlands son otras monarquías parlamentarias que están vigentes en el continente europeo, cada una con sus particularidades pero compartiendo rasgos en común entre sí.
The Kingdom of Spain is a parliamentary monarchy.
Its implementation in other parts of the world
Beyond the Old Continent, there are also parliamentary monarchies in America , Asia , Africa and Oceania . As regards the American territory, we have already mentioned the cases of countries such as the Bahamas and Canada , members of the Commonwealth of Nations .
On Asian soil, Japan is a parliamentary monarchy. Emperor Naruhito is the head of state with ceremonial and diplomatic functions; the Prime Minister heads the executive branch; and the National Diet is the bicameral parliament that assumes legislative power.
The Kingdom of Cambodia has King Norodom Sihamoni as head of state, the Prime Minister as head of government, and the Senate and the National Assembly as legislative bodies. In Thailand , Maha Vajiralongkorn is the current king, accompanied by the Prime Minister as head of government and the National Assembly as a bicameral legislative body (composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate ).
In Africa , we find Lesotho as a parliamentary monarchy whose reigning king is Letsie III . If we focus on Oceania , Tupou VI is the monarch of Tonga , another parliamentary monarchy.
Parliamentary monarchy and republic
In many respects, a parliamentary monarchy functions like a parliamentary republic : there is a legislative body that differs from the executive branch.
However, the highest authority in a republic is chosen by Parliament or by the citizens in elections to exercise his functions for a fixed period. In a parliamentary monarchy, the highest representative is a monarch who accedes to the throne by hereditary means and maintains that position until he decides to abandon it or dies.
Even though the king has symbolic or ceremonial power, his mere existence is contrary to republican principles , since his position grants him privileges and places him above his compatriots. In any case, a monarchy of this type is a democracy , since the inhabitants exercise national sovereignty through their representatives in different political parties.