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66-707: The Minister of Defence follows the directions given by the Prime Minister of Denmark and the decisions of the Folketing . The Danish Defence Law ( Danish : Forsvarsloven ) designates in article 9 the Minister of Defence as the supreme authority in Defence ( Danish : højeste ansvarlige myndighed for forsvaret ). Under the Minister is the Chief of Defence , the senior-ranking professional military officer heading

132-552: A broad centre-right coalition in 1982. The centre-right coalition rule until 1993, lasting for eleven years, made it the longest centre-right government in Danish history since the 1920s. In November 2001 the left-wing coalition in the Folketing lost seats to the right-wing coalition led by Venstre , ending their eight years rule. Venstre became the largest party since 1924. Anders Fogh Rasmussen , leader of Venstre , served as

198-426: A constitution and is not alone in making decisions. Constitutional monarchies differ from absolute monarchies (in which a monarch is the only decision-maker) in that they are bound to exercise powers and authorities within limits prescribed by an established legal framework. Constitutional monarchies range from countries such as Liechtenstein , Monaco , Morocco , Jordan , Kuwait , Bahrain and Bhutan , where

264-682: A constitutional monarchy for King Battus III the Lame, of Cyrene , when Cyrenaica had become an unstable state, in about 548 BC. In the Kingdom of England , the Glorious Revolution of 1688 furthered the constitutional monarchy, restricted by laws such as the Bill of Rights 1689 and the Act of Settlement 1701 , although the first form of constitution was enacted with Magna Carta of 1215. At

330-514: A government ministry known as the "Ministry of the State of Denmark" ( Statsministeriet ) or Prime Minister's Office. Atypical of a Danish ministry it does not have any councils, boards or committees associated with it and its near sole responsibility is to act as the secretariat of the prime minister. There is a small department under the ministry that takes care of special legal issues not covered under other ministries, among others Greenland 's and

396-486: A majority for each piece of legislation. Although, as stated, the monarch formally appoints all ministers of the cabinet freely according to the constitution, in practice monarchs only conventionally select the prime minister after a leader has gathered support from a majority in the Folketing. This has been the case since parliamentarianism became the convention after the Easter Crisis in 1920. Parliamentarianism

462-447: A majority in the Folketing so the prime minister must head a coalition of political parties, as well as their own party. Additionally, only four coalition governments since World War II have enjoyed a majority in the Folketing, so the coalitions (and the prime minister) must also gain loose support from other minor parties. The current prime minister of Denmark is Mette Frederiksen , since 27 June 2019. Since 2022 her cabinet consists of

528-399: A new coalition cabinet, which is the presented to the monarch. The government is allowed to take office without a vote of confidence, and is allowed to stay in office as long as it does not lose a vote of no confidence . The prime minister chairs the weekly meetings of the cabinet meetings and has the power to set the agenda of these meetings. The prime minister traditionally gathers together

594-598: A par with a president in a presidential or semi-presidential system . As a result, constitutional monarchies where the monarch has a largely ceremonial role may also be referred to as " parliamentary monarchies " to differentiate them from semi-constitutional monarchies. Strongly limited constitutional monarchies, such as those of the United Kingdom and Australia , have been referred to as crowned republics by writers H. G. Wells and Glenn Patmore. The oldest constitutional monarchy dating back to ancient times

660-420: A possible approval of a referendum to legalize abortion in 2011 , it came as a surprise because the prince had not vetoed any law for over 30 years (in the end, this was moot, as the proposal was not approved). As originally conceived, a constitutional monarch was head of the executive branch and quite a powerful figure even though their power was limited by the constitution and the elected parliament. Some of

726-533: A republic . Among supporters of constitutional monarchy, however, the event confirmed the monarchy's value as a source of checks and balances against elected politicians who might seek powers in excess of those conferred by the constitution, and ultimately as a safeguard against dictatorship. In Thailand's constitutional monarchy, the monarch is recognized as the Head of State, Head of the Armed Forces, Upholder of

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792-464: Is a powerful political (and social) institution. By contrast, in ceremonial monarchies, the monarch holds little or no actual power or direct political influence, though they frequently still have a great deal of social and cultural influence. Ceremonial and executive monarchy should not be confused with democratic and non-democratic monarchical systems. For example, in Liechtenstein and Monaco,

858-485: Is frequently used for governmental conferences and informal summits between the government, industry and organisations in Denmark. Constitutional monarchy Philosophers Works List of forms of government Constitutional monarchy , also known as limited monarchy , parliamentary monarchy or democratic monarchy , is a form of monarchy in which the monarch exercises their authority in accordance with

924-538: Is germane to continental constitutional monarchies. German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel , in his work Elements of the Philosophy of Right (1820), gave the concept a philosophical justification that concurred with evolving contemporary political theory and the Protestant Christian view of natural law. Hegel's forecast of a constitutional monarch with very limited powers whose function

990-474: Is located inside Christiansborg Palace , along with the Folketing and the courts . The official summer residence of the prime minister is Marienborg , an eighteenth-century estate that was acquired by the state. It is situated on the shore of Lake Bagsværd in Kgs. Lyngby , 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) north of Copenhagen . It has served as an official summer residence for ten prime ministers since 1960. Marienborg

1056-507: Is no clear leader, the monarch will hold a "king/queen's meeting" where, after a series of discussions and agreements, the leader of the largest alliance and the largest party within that alliance—usually the Social Democrats or Venstre- is appointed as prime minister- elect ( kongelig undersøger , "royal investigator/examiner"). The new prime minister-elect, together with the leaders of the junior parties, select ministers to form

1122-419: Is regarded as the predecessor of the modern Prime Minister's Office . The first council president was Adam Wilhelm Moltke , who came to power on 22 March 1848. Molte and his next two successors also held the title of premierminister , which translates as "prime minister". From 1855 onwards the prime minister was known simply as the "council president" ( Konseilspræsident ). Carl Christian Hall became

1188-489: Is the head of government in the Kingdom of Denmark comprising the three constituent countries : Denmark , Greenland and the Faroe Islands . Before the creation of the modern office, the kingdom did not initially have a head of government separate from its head of state, namely the monarch , in whom the executive authority was vested. The Constitution of 1849 established a constitutional monarchy by limiting

1254-532: Is to embody the national character and provide constitutional continuity in times of emergency was reflected in the development of constitutional monarchies in Europe and Japan. There exist at least two different types of constitutional monarchies in the modern world – executive and ceremonial. In executive monarchies (also called semi-constitutional monarchies ), the monarch wields significant (though not absolute ) power. The monarchy under this system of government

1320-682: The Defence Command , who commands the Army , the Navy , the Air Force and other units not reporting directly to the Ministry of Defence . The main responsibilities of the Minister of Defence are to prevent armed conflicts and war, to safeguard the sovereignty of Denmark and integrity of Danish territory and to promote global peace and stability. Since 2002, these responsibilities have included

1386-487: The Faroe Islands ' relation to the monarchy, the mass media's contact to the state, the number of ministers in the government, or Queen Margrethe II 's legal status as a civilian. The prime minister has the power to choose to dissolve the Folketing and call a new election (although this is formally undertaken by the monarch), which the prime minister is obligated to do within four years of the previous election. In spite of this,

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1452-595: The First World War . Later, Fascist Italy could also be considered a constitutional monarchy, in that there was a king as the titular head of state while actual power was held by Benito Mussolini under a constitution. This eventually discredited the Italian monarchy and led to its abolition in 1946. After the Second World War , surviving European monarchies almost invariably adopted some variant of

1518-480: The Folketing (Parliament), so the government is always either a coalition or a one-party minority government. No Danish party has won a majority since 1901, and for much of that time there has not even been a majority coalition. Because of their limited powers, the prime minister is primus inter pares (first among equals). Additionally, unlike most of their counterparts, Danish prime ministers can never be certain that their agenda will pass, and must cobble together

1584-655: The Social Democrats , Venstre , and the Moderates . From approximately 1699 to 1730, the highest-ranking non-monarchial government official was titled "Grand Chancellor" ( storkansler ) and from 1730 until 1848, this office was titled "Minister of State" ( Statsminister ). These titles foreshadowed the modern office of prime minister, however, unlike the current office, the grand chancellor and state minister were not formal heads of government. The king held executive authority as absolute ruler from 1661 until

1650-467: The constitution of the United Kingdom , which affords the monarch substantial, if limited, legislative and executive powers. Constitutional monarchy may refer to a system in which the monarch acts as a non-party political ceremonial head of state under the constitution , whether codified or uncodified . While most monarchs may hold formal authority and the government may legally operate in

1716-715: The British model. In the constitutional monarchy established under the Constitution of the German Empire which Bismarck inspired, the Kaiser retained considerable actual executive power, while the Imperial Chancellor needed no parliamentary vote of confidence and ruled solely by the imperial mandate. However, this model of constitutional monarchy was discredited and abolished following Germany's defeat in

1782-687: The Buddhist Religion, and Defender of the Faith. The immediate former King, Bhumibol Adulyadej , was the longest-reigning monarch in the world and in all of Thailand's history, before passing away on 13 October 2016. Bhumibol reigned through several political changes in the Thai government. He played an influential role in each incident, often acting as mediator between disputing political opponents. (See Bhumibol's role in Thai Politics .) Among

1848-530: The Cabinet. For example, in 1886 she vetoed Gladstone's choice of Hugh Childers as War Secretary in favour of Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman . Today, the role of the British monarch is by convention effectively ceremonial. The British Parliament and the Government – chiefly in the office of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom – exercise their powers under "royal (or Crown) prerogative" : on behalf of

1914-582: The Crown). Today slightly more than a quarter of constitutional monarchies are Western European countries, including the United Kingdom , Spain , the Netherlands , Belgium , Norway , Denmark , Luxembourg , Monaco , Liechtenstein and Sweden . However, the two most populous constitutional monarchies in the world are in Asia: Japan and Thailand . In these countries, the prime minister holds

1980-579: The Government's budget by refusing to pass the necessary appropriation bills. On 11 November 1975, Whitlam intended to call a half-Senate election to try to break the deadlock. When he sought the Governor-General's approval of the election, the Governor-General instead dismissed him as Prime Minister. Shortly after that, he installed leader of the opposition Malcolm Fraser in his place. Acting quickly before all parliamentarians became aware of

2046-634: The Monarch and his Governors-General in the Commonwealth realms hold significant "reserve" or "prerogative" powers, to be wielded in times of extreme emergency or constitutional crises, usually to uphold parliamentary government. For example, during the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis , the Governor-General dismissed the Australian Prime Minister Gough Whitlam . The Australian Senate had threatened to block

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2112-426: The United Kingdom, a frequent debate centres on when it is appropriate for a British monarch to act. When a monarch does act, political controversy can often ensue, partially because the neutrality of the crown is seen to be compromised in favour of a partisan goal, while some political scientists champion the idea of an "interventionist monarch" as a check against possible illegal action by politicians. For instance,

2178-412: The case of appointing ministers, it is the signature of the prime minister. This means that the power to appoint ministers practically lies entirely with the prime minister and not the monarch. Although the country's leading politician, the prime minister is not nearly as powerful as other prime ministers in Europe. This is mainly because it is nearly impossible for one party to get a majority of seats in

2244-559: The constitution grants substantial discretionary powers to the sovereign, to countries such as the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms , the Netherlands , Spain , Belgium , Denmark , Norway , Sweden , Lesotho , Malaysia , Thailand , Cambodia , and Japan , where the monarch retains significantly less, if any, personal discretion in the exercise of their authority. On the surface level, this distinction may be hard to establish, with numerous liberal democracies restraining monarchic power in practice rather than written law, e.g.,

2310-461: The constitutional monarchy model originally developed in Britain. Nowadays a parliamentary democracy that is a constitutional monarchy is considered to differ from one that is a republic only in detail rather than in substance. In both cases, the titular head of state – monarch or president – serves the traditional role of embodying and representing the nation, while

2376-459: The course of her reign. In 1839, she became the last sovereign to keep a prime minister in power against the will of Parliament when the Bedchamber crisis resulted in the retention of Lord Melbourne's administration. By the end of her reign, however, she could do nothing to block the unacceptable (to her) premierships of William Gladstone , although she still exercised power in appointments to

2442-591: The day-to-day powers of governance, while the monarch retains residual (but not always insignificant) powers. The powers of the monarch differ between countries. In Denmark and in Belgium, for example, the monarch formally appoints a representative to preside over the creation of a coalition government following a parliamentary election, while in Norway the King chairs special meetings of the cabinet . In nearly all cases,

2508-501: The enactment of a liberal Constitution in the early nineteenth century. The office of prime minister was introduced as a part of the constitutional monarchy outlined in 1848 and signed as the Danish Constitution on 5 June 1849 . The new Constitution established a parliamentary system by creating a new bicameral parliament ( Rigsdagen ) and a Council Presidium, headed by a council president. The Council Presidium

2574-470: The entire cabinet or call a new election. Whenever a prime minister resigns, dies, or is forced from office, the monarch asks them (or, in the case of death, the next available leader in a coalition) to keep the government as a caretaker government until a successor has been elected. The government offices, including the Ministry of the State of Denmark ( Statsministeriet ; The Prime Minister's Office),

2640-542: The first prime minister/council president to lead a political party (the National Liberal Party ). The modern Prime Minister's Office was founded on 1 January 1914, when the Council Presidium was established as a department under the prime minister, when it had previously existed as an informal council gathered by the prime minister. The title of the prime minister changed again in 1918 under

2706-583: The first years of Occupation of Denmark , the governments of prime ministers Vilhelm Buhl and then Erik Scavenius cooperated with the Nazi occupiers. On 29 August 1943, the Danish government resigned, refusing to grant further concessions to Nazi Germany. All government operations were assumed by the permanent secretaries of the individual departments, and this arrangement lasted until the Liberation of Denmark on 5 May 1945. Since King Christian X never accepted

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2772-401: The framers of the U.S. Constitution may have envisioned the president as an elected constitutional monarch, as the term was then understood, following Montesquieu's account of the separation of powers. The present-day concept of a constitutional monarchy developed in the United Kingdom, where they democratically elected parliaments, and their leader, the prime minister , exercise power, with

2838-410: The government change, Fraser and his allies secured passage of the appropriation bills, and the Governor-General dissolved Parliament for a double dissolution election. Fraser and his government were returned with a massive majority. This led to much speculation among Whitlam's supporters as to whether this use of the Governor-General's reserve powers was appropriate, and whether Australia should become

2904-428: The government is carried on by a cabinet composed predominantly of elected Members of Parliament . However, three important factors distinguish monarchies such as the United Kingdom from systems where greater power might otherwise rest with Parliament . These are: Other privileges may be nominal or ceremonial (e.g., where the executive, judiciary, police or armed forces act on the authority of or owe allegiance to

2970-435: The modern role of the Monarch is symbolic only. The monarch formally appoints and dismisses ministers, including the prime minister. However, any action of the monarch requires a countersignature from a minister. It is also a principle in Danish constitutional literature that "the power follows the responsibility" ( magten følger ansvaret ), and the monarch being free from responsibility means they have no genuine power. In

3036-414: The monarch and through powers still formally possessed by the monarch. No person may accept significant public office without swearing an oath of allegiance to the King . With few exceptions, the monarch is bound by constitutional convention to act on the advice of the government. Poland developed the first constitution for a monarchy in continental Europe, with the Constitution of 3 May 1791 ; it

3102-441: The monarch is still the nominal chief executive, but is bound by convention to act on the advice of the Cabinet. However, a few monarchies (most notably Japan and Sweden ) have amended their constitutions so that the monarch is no longer the nominal chief executive. There are fifteen constitutional monarchies under King Charles III , which are known as Commonwealth realms . Unlike some of their continental European counterparts,

3168-688: The monarch's name, in the form typical in Europe the monarch no longer personally sets public policy or chooses political leaders. Political scientist Vernon Bogdanor , paraphrasing Thomas Macaulay , has defined a constitutional monarch as "A sovereign who reigns but does not rule". In addition 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, such powers generally may only be exercised strictly in accordance with either written constitutional principles or unwritten constitutional conventions, rather than any personal political preferences of

3234-505: The monarchs having ceded power and remaining as a titular position. In many cases the monarchs, while still at the very top of the political and social hierarchy, were given the status of "servants of the people" to reflect the new, egalitarian position. In the course of France 's July Monarchy , Louis-Philippe I was styled "King of the French" rather than "King of France". Following the unification of Germany , Otto von Bismarck rejected

3300-728: The political leadership of the Danish contribution to the NATO led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The current Defence Minister is Troels Lund Poulsen . In 1905, the offices of the Minister for the Navy and the Minister of War were merged to create the current office of Defence Minister. Prime Minister of Denmark The prime minister of Denmark ( Danish : Danmarks statsminister , Faroese : Forsætisráðharri , Greenlandic : Ministeriuneq )

3366-493: The powers of the monarch and creating the office of premierminister . The inaugural holder of the office was Adam Wilhelm Moltke . The prime minister presides over a cabinet that is formally appointed by the monarch. In practice, the appointment of the prime minister is determined by their support in the Folketing (the National Parliament). Since the beginning of the 20th century, no single party has held

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3432-401: The powers retained by the Thai monarch under the constitution, lèse majesté protects the image of the monarch and enables him to play a role in politics. It carries strict criminal penalties for violators. Generally, the Thai people were reverent of Bhumibol. Much of his social influence arose from this reverence and from the socioeconomic improvement efforts undertaken by the royal family. In

3498-448: The premiership of Carl Theodor Zahle , becoming titled "Minister of State" (in-line with its Scandinavian neighbours, Norway and Sweden), which it remains to this day. By the mid-nineteenth century a strong party-system had developed, with most prime ministers being the leader of either Venstre ( left ) or Højre ( right ). However, by 1924 the Social Democrats had become the largest party and Højre had disappeared. During

3564-474: The prime minister from 2001 to April 2009. His coalition government consisted of Venstre and the Conservative People's Party, with parliamentary support from the national-conservative Danish People's Party ( Dansk Folkeparti ). On 5 April 2009, Rasmussen resigned to become Secretary General of NATO , leaving minister of finance and vice president of Venstre Lars Løkke Rasmussen to be

3630-482: The prime minister has no say with respect to Denmark's autonomous regions, the Faroe Islands and Greenland , while the Folketing on the other hand does, as all laws passed by the Faroese and Greenlandic parliaments must be ratified by the Folketing. There are checks on the prime minister's power. If the Folketing revokes its confidence in an incumbent prime minister, the prime minister must either resign along with

3696-689: The prime minister. Following the September 2011 election the right-wing lost by a small margin to the opposing centre-left coalition, led by Helle Thorning-Schmidt who on 3 October 2011 formed a new government initially consisting of the Social Democrats , the Danish Social Liberal Party and the Socialist People's Party . Following a general election defeat , in June 2015 Thorning-Schmidt resigned as Prime Minister and

3762-574: The resignation of William Pitt the Younger as prime minister in 1801. The sovereign's influence on the choice of prime minister gradually declined over this period. King William IV was the last monarch to dismiss a prime minister, when in 1834 he removed Lord Melbourne as a result of Melbourne's choice of Lord John Russell as Leader of the House of Commons. Queen Victoria was the last monarch to exercise real personal power, but this diminished over

3828-475: The resignation of the government, it existed de jure until a new cabinet was formed on 5 May 1945. The twentieth century was dominated by Social Democratic prime ministers leading left-wing coalitions; Social Democratic prime ministers were in power nearly continuously from 1924 until 1982. The first prime minister from the Conservative People's Party , Poul Schlüter , came to power as the head of

3894-483: The ruling monarchs wield significant executive power. However, while they are theoretically very powerful within their small states, they are not absolute monarchs and have very limited de facto power compared to the Islamic monarchs , which is why their countries are generally considered to be liberal democracies and not undemocratic. For instance, when Hereditary Prince Alois of Liechtenstein threatened to veto

3960-466: The same person as hereditary monarchy under the Westminster system of constitutional governance. Two constitutional monarchies – Malaysia and Cambodia  – are elective monarchies , in which the ruler is periodically selected by a small electoral college . The concept of semi-constitutional monarch identifies constitutional monarchies where the monarch retains substantial powers, on

4026-754: The same time, in Scotland , the Convention of Estates enacted the Claim of Right Act 1689 , which placed similar limits on the Scottish monarchy. Queen Anne was the last monarch to veto an Act of Parliament when, on 11 March 1708, she blocked the Scottish Militia Bill . However Hanoverian monarchs continued to selectively dictate government policies. For instance King George III constantly blocked Catholic Emancipation , eventually precipitating

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4092-478: The sovereign. In The English Constitution , British political theorist Walter Bagehot identified three main political rights which a constitutional monarch may freely exercise: the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, and the right to warn. Many constitutional monarchies still retain significant authorities or political influence, however, such as through certain reserve powers , and may also play an important political role. The Commonwealth realms share

4158-463: Was added to the constitution in 1953 with section 15. Today, it means that the monarch on the responsibility of the resigning prime minister cannot appoint a new prime minister which they expect will be met with a successful vote of no confidence. With no party having held a majority in over a century, parties form alliances. Usually, the Social Democrats join with centre-left parties, and Venstre with centre-right parties. Following elections when there

4224-419: Was succeeded by Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who headed a minority government consisting entirely of ministers from Venstre . The Social Democrats returned to power after the 2019 election , with Mette Frederiksen assuming the role of prime minister. The Constitution of Denmark states that the monarch , who is the head of state , has supreme authority and acts out this power through their ministers. However,

4290-682: Was that of the Hittites . They were an ancient Anatolian people that lived during the Bronze Age whose king had to share his authority with an assembly, called the Panku , which was the equivalent to a modern-day deliberative assembly or a legislature. Members of the Panku came from scattered noble families who worked as representatives of their subjects in an adjutant or subaltern federal-type landscape. According to Herodotus , Demonax created

4356-561: Was the second single-document constitution in the world just after the first republican Constitution of the United States . Constitutional monarchy also occurred briefly in the early years of the French Revolution , but much more widely afterwards. Napoleon Bonaparte is considered the first monarch proclaiming himself as an embodiment of the nation, rather than as a divinely appointed ruler; this interpretation of monarchy

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