संवैधानिक बादशाही constitutional monarchy

संवैधानिक बादशाही constitutional monarchy

संवैधानिक बादशाही (constitutional monarchy) किसी राज्य की उस शासन-प्रणाली को कहते हैं जिसमें सर्वोच्च शासक राजा तो होता है लेकिन उसकी शक्तियाँ किसी संविधान य क़ानून द्वारा सीमित होती हैं, यानि वह अपनी मनमानी से राज नहीं कर सकता। राजा को बांधने वाला क़ानून लिखित या अलिखित हो सकता है। ब्रिटेन और जापान ऐसी संवैधानिक बादशाहियों के उदाहरण हैं। ऐसे अधिकतर देशों में राजनैतिक शक्तियाँ अक्सर किसी नागरिकों द्वारा चुनी हुई संसद के अधीन होती हैं, इसलिये इन्हें कभी-कभी संसदीय बादशाही (parliamentary monarchy) भी कहा जाता है।






Constitutional monarchy

Constitutional monarchy is a form of democratic government in which a nonpolitical monarch acts as head of state within the boundaries of a constitution, whether written or unwritten. While the monarch may hold formal reserve powers and while government officially takes place in the monarch's name, they do not set public policy or choose political leaders. Political scientist Vernon Bogdanor, paraphrasing Thomas Macaulay, has defined a constitutional monarch as "a sovereign who reigns but does not rule." This form of government differs from absolute monarchy, in which the monarch controls political decision-making and is not effectively bound by a constitutional order.
Constitutional monarchies are sometimes referred to as limited monarchies, crowned republics or parliamentary monarchies.

In additional to acting as a visible symbol of national unity, a constitutional monarch may hold formal powers such as dissolving parliament or giving Royal Assent to legislation. However, the exercise of such powers is generally a formality rather than an opportunity for the sovereign to enact personal political preference. In The English Constitution, British political theorist Walter Bagehot identified three main political rights which a constitutional monarch could freely exercize: the right to be consulted, the right to advise, and the right to warn.

The United Kingdom and fifteen of its former colonies are constitutional monarchies with a Westminster system of government. Three states—Malaysia, Cambodia, and the Holy See—employ true elective monarchies, where the ruler is periodically selected by a small, aristocratic electoral college.
The most recent country to transition from an absolute to a constitutional monarchy was Bhutan, in 2007-8.