Politics of Monaco
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The politics of Monaco take place within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, with the Prince of Monaco as head of state, with some powers devolved to several advisory and legislative bodies.
Constitution
Historically, the princes of the ruling House of Grimaldi were autocrats of an absolute monarchy until the first Constitution of Monaco was adopted in 1911. A second constitution was granted by Prince Rainier III on December 17, 1962, outlining legislative, judicial, and executive branches of government, which consist of several administrative offices and a number of councils. The Prince as head of state retains most of the country's governing power; however, the principality's judicial and legislative bodies may operate independently of his control.
Government of Monaco
Executive branch
| Office | Name | Party | Since |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prince | Albert II | 6 April 2005 | |
| Minister of State | Serge Telle | Independent | 1 February 2016 |
The Council of Government is under the authority of the prince. The title and position of prince is hereditary, the minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French or Monegasque national candidates presented by the French government. Until the 2002 amendment to the Monegasque constitution, only French nationals were eligible for the post. The prince is advised by the Crown Council of Monaco.
Legislative branch
The unicameral National Council (Conseil National) has 24 seats. The members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms. The Council can be disbanded by the Prince of Monaco provided that he hosts elections within 3 months. Uniquely, Monegasque legislators can be members of multiple political parties. Currently the administrative party, Horizon Monaco, (right-wing) holds 20 seats. The opposition party, Union Monégasque, (center) holds 3 seats. Renaissance represents the principality's largest employer SBM, and currently holds 1 seat.
Political parties and elections
| Party | Votes | % | Seats | +/– |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Horizon Monaco | 56,472 | 50.34 | 20 | +15 |
| Union Monégasque | 43,743 | 38.99 | 3 | –11 |
| Renaissance | 11,964 | 10.67 | 1 | – |
| Invalid/blank votes | 222 | – | – | – |
| Total | 5,088 | 100 | 24 | 0 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 6,825 | 74.55 | – | – |
| Source: Mairie de Monaco | ||||
Judicial branch
The supreme courts are the Judicial revision court (Cour de révision judiciaire), which hears civil and criminal cases (as well as some administrative cases), and the Supreme tribunal (tribunal suprême), which performs judicial review. Both courts are staffed by French judges (appointed among judges of French courts, members of the Conseil d'État and university professors).
Political Spectrum
Monacans tend to be more conservative due to their alignment with the Roman Catholic church. There are no official left-wing parties although Union Monégasque is considered the "most liberal".
Administrative divisions
There are no first-order administrative divisions in the principality, which is instead traditionally divided into four quarters (French: quartiers, singular quartier): Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville and Monte-Carlo, with the suburb Moneghetti (part of La Condamine) colloquially seen as an unofficial, fifth quarter. They have a joint Communal Council of Monaco.
The principality is, for administrative and official purposes, currently divided into ten wards:
- Monaco-Ville
- Monte Carlo/Spélugues
- Fontvieille
- Moneghetti/Bd de Belgique
- Les Révoires
- La Colle
- La Condamine
- Saint Michel
- Larvotto/Bas Moulins
- La Rousse/Saint Roman
International organization participation
ACCT, ECE, IAEA, ICAO, ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, International Criminal Police Organization - Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, Council of Europe.