There are several countries in the world that live in monarchies. To some, it may seem anachronistic that the nobility is preserved, while others argue that it serves the unity of the nation. We invite you to discover some curiosities of the world of kings and princesses and find out their influence on current societies. First, an announcement: our first book is already on sale. To buy it, look in the description of this video. Since Barbados became a republic in 2021, there are 43 countries left on the planet that are politically organized through a monarchy. What does this mean? Different realities are grouped under that name, but what they share is that the head of state is precisely a monarch, almost always an hereditary and lifelong position. On a philosophical level, it used to be considered that the power of kings came directly from God, and there the existence of royalty was justified. In some cases, the power of the kings is symbolic or ceremonial, but they do not retain political power as they did a few centuries ago. In others, on the other hand, the monarchs are also heads of government and lead the destinies of their countries. This is the case of Brunei, where the sultan is head of state, prime minister, chancellor, defense minister and finance minister. Moreover, according to the country's own constitution, the sultan "can not do any wrong in a personal or official capacity." There it is stipulated that he will never be responsible for any proceeding before a court. Other absolute monarchies that have royal families and that rule to this day are Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and Eswatini. There are also some particular cases, such as elective monarchies. This is the case of Malaysia, where the king is elected every five years by the nine rulers of the country. The Vatican can also be considered an elective monarchy, as well as being a theocracy. The pope, head of the smallest state in the world, is elected by the cardinals and has a lifetime mandate. Another European monarchical state that is not hereditary is Andorra. There, the head of state falls on two princes. One is the Bishop of Urgell, appointed by the Catholic Church. The other is the president of France, voted for by the citizens of that republic. There are also some lesser known cases of monarchical systems that are not heads of state and coexist with another national organization. Is there a king in America? Yes, specifically in Bolivia. Julio I is the current Afro-Bolivian king, an institution recognized in the country since 2007. Julio is a direct descendant of an African royal house that was brought to America as a slave. Indonesia, a presidential republic, lives with a monarch. The Yogyakarta Special Region is located on the island of Java, has more than 3 million inhabitants and has a particular regime. It is ruled by a sultan, who is part of a monarchy founded in the mid-18th century. The current monarch is Hamengkubuwono X. Beyond these particular cases, most monarchies today evolved from what was happening a few centuries ago. In parliamentary monarchies, the kings are heads of state but not heads of government. That is, executive decisions fall on other people, almost always elected by popular vote. Japan has the oldest monarchy of those that are in force. Emperor Naruhito, who came to power in 2019, is part of a dynasty believed to date back more than 2,600 years. But the figure of the kings, in general, is not only decorative. With the death of Elizabeth II we could see the importance that the British gave her, with eternal queues to pay her homage and various displays of affection and respect. It's not just a cultural issue there. Every week, Elizabeth met with the prime minister, in charge of leading the government, who informed her of the news. The content of these meetings did not transcend the press. The custom, of course, is maintained with the current monarch. Who not only reigns in the United Kingdom, but is also the head of state in these 14 countries. Although in practice it does not happen, it has a large number of prerogatives. For example, in theory it has the power to appoint ministers, declare war, and ratify treaties. He is also head of the country's armed forces. Furthermore, British law considers that the sovereign "can do nothing wrong", so he can not be prosecuted or arrested for crimes. This works like this in the UK, one of the few countries that does not have a constitution. But in Spain, where there are, they have some points in common. This country, also governed by a parliamentary monarchy, has a magna carta in which it is stated that "Spaniards are equal before the law, without any discrimination based on birth, race, sex, religion, opinion or any other reason. other personal or social condition or circumstance. However, the same Magna Carta maintains that “the person of the King is inviolable and not subject to responsibility”. That is to say, it is first held that there is no difference by birth, but then it is stated that the king, which is a hereditary office, is not subject to responsibility. Spain is one of the few restored monarchies. This European country had a brief republic between 1931 and 1939, until the Francisco Franco dictatorship broke out. Less remembered is the republic that England had in the 17th century, which abolished the monarchy even before the French. The trend, in general, is that countries that choose to abolish their monarchies do not turn back. This is how we have seen it from the 20th century in countries like Russia, Iran, Greece or Nepal. Further back in time, in the 19th century, there were also monarchies in the two most populous countries in Latin America, Mexico and Brazil, but today they are federal republics. Those who defend the existence of the monarchy today maintain, for example, that it favors the unity of the nation. In countries like Belgium or Spain, there are regions with different cultures and languages, and the figure of the king can serve to unite and achieve a common identity. There is also the economic issue. The UK makes huge profits every year from the tourism generated by its royalty. Even defenders of the monarchy argue that it may be cheaper to maintain royalty than to hold elections in republics. On the other hand, on many occasions the objectives that the republics had set themselves were not met and problems persist. Furthermore, constitutional monarchies do not appear to be opposed to democracy. If we look at the ranking of The Economist magazine on the most democratic countries in the world, we see that seven of the first twelve correspond to monarchies, despite the fact that this system is used by a quarter of the states. Do you think that monarchical systems can be useful today or is it something typical of other times? We invite you to leave us your opinion.
