Monaco Government

The politics of Monaco has been taking place in the context of the constitutional monarchy since the early 1900s with prince serving as as the head of state. The prince devolves some of his powers to several advisory and legislative bodies. Unlike other monarchies in Europe, the Monaco’s sovereign is the actual head of state and not just symbolic. The government is headed by the Minister of State who also chairs the Council of Government or a cabinet made up of 5 members.

Historically, the House of Grimaldi is the ruling class. In 1962, Monaco adopted a new constitution which outlined the three branches of government; executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The hereditary prince shares most of his powers with the unicameral parliament. The parliament, also known as the National Council, comprises of 24 members who are elected by universal suffrage to serve for a period of 5-year term. Only citizens who have attained the age of 21 are allowed to take part in the electoral process. The prince has the power to dissolve the National Council, after which an election must be held within three months. The prince can only be replaced up on death.

The prince of Monaco’s official residence is known as Prince’s Palace of Monaco. The Genoese fortress was built in 1191and has been besieged by several foreign powers since then. In 1997, the Grimaldi celebrated 700 years of rule from the same palace. Prince’s Palace of Monaco is also a major tourist attraction with some rooms open to the public during summer. The parliament of Monaco is known as the National Council or Conseil National (French). It is located in Monaco City. The legislatures meet at the National Council building only twice in a year, mainly to review and discuss the budget.

The active political parties of Monaco include Horizon Monaco, and the Union Monegasque.