What is Federal Constitutional Monarchy?

Information about Federal Constitutional Monarchy

A federal constitutional monarchy is a federation of states with the executive under the authority of a constitutional monarch. A monarchy run as a federation of smaller units is generally governed by constitutional convention, unlike in a unitary state which can accommodate both constitutional and absolute monarchs. There are divisions between both the powers and duties of all levels of the federation and the responsibility of the monarch in each jurisdiction.

Although each member unit of a federal state has a degree of sovereignty, individual units within the federation are not a monarchy in and of themselves. The monarch is the head of state of the country as a whole rather than of each unit individually; there is a Queen of Canada, but no Queen of Saskatchewan. The exception to this rule is Malaysia. While there is a Yang di-Pertuan Agong who acts as king of the entire country, nine of the thirteen states of Malaysia has its own monarch, in most cases a sultan.

The monarchical form of federation is contrasted with the federal republic.

List of federal constitutional monarchies

Federation Style Subdivisions Head of State
AustraliaCommonwealthStates and territories of AustraliaQueen of Australia[1]
BelgiumKingdomCommunities and regions of BelgiumKing of the Belgians
CanadaDominion (historical)Provinces and territories of CanadaQueen of Canada
Great Britain[2]United KingdomConstituent countriesQueen of the United Kingdom
Malaysia(None)States of MalaysiaYang di-Pertuan Agong
NetherlandsKingdomConstituent countriesKing of the Netherlands[3]
Saint Kitts and NevisFederationParishes of Saint Kitts and NevisQueen of Saint Kitts and Nevis
Spain[4]KingdomAutonomous communities of SpainKing of Spain[5]
United Arab Emirates(none)EmiratesPresident
(i.e. the Emir of Abu Dhabi)

Historical federal constitutional monarchies

Federation Style Subdivisions Head of State Era
North German Confederation(none)States of the North German ConfederationFederal Presidency
(i.e. the King of Prussia)		1867-1871
German Empire(none)States of the German Empire, 1 ReichslandGerman Emperor
(i.e. the King of Prussia)		1871-1918

References and notes

1. ^ The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (c. 12) specifically mentions the Queen: "The provisions of this Act referring to the Queen shall extend to Her Majesty’s heirs and successors in the sovereignty of the United Kingdom." Here, Her Majesty refers to Queen Victoria.
2. ^ The United Kingdom is not officially a federation, but some of its constituent countries (esp. Scotland) have considerable power and autonomy.
3. ^ The Dutch Constitution only speaks of Koning (King), but uses the term in a gender-neutral way.
4. ^ Spain is not officially a federation, but its constitution gives considerable power and autonomy to the governments of its subdivisions.
5. ^ According to the Spanish Constitution females may inherit "the Crown of Spain", however, the document (in an unofficial translation) only speaks of "King", "Queen consort", and "consort of the Queen".
federation (Latin: foedus, covenant) is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal") government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states is typically constitutionally entrenched and may
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constitutional monarchy is a form of government established under a constitutional system which acknowledges an elected or hereditary monarch as head of state, as opposed to an absolute monarchy, where the monarch is not bound by a constitution and is the sole source of political
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Saskatchewan


Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Multis E Gentibus Vires (Latin: "The Strength of Many Peoples")

Capital Regina
Largest city Saskatoon
Official languages English
Government
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Motto
"Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu"
"Unity Is Strength" 1
Anthem
Negaraku
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Malaysia

This article is part of the series:
Politics of Malaysia

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  • Social contract
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Malaysia

This article is part of the series:
Politics of Malaysia

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The Rulers of the Malay States in Malaysia are the seven Sultans of Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Selangor and Johor, the Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negeri Sembilan and the Raja of Perlis.
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federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. A federation is composed of a number of self-governing states united by a federal government.
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federation (Latin: foedus, covenant) is a union comprising a number of partially self-governing states or regions united by a central ("federal") government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the component states is typically constitutionally entrenched and may
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A style of office, or honorific, is a form of address which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a title or post, or to the political office itself. An honorific can also be awarded to an individual in a personal capacity.
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Administrative division (also known as "Subnational entities") is a generic term for an administrative region within a country or Political division — on an arbitrary level below that of the sovereign state — typically with a local government
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For the comedy film of the same name, see .


Head of state or Chief of state is the generic term for the individual or collective office that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchic or republican nation-state, federation,
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Anthem
Advance Australia Fair [1]


Capital Canberra

Largest city Sydney
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The English noun commonwealth dates originally from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth" which is "well-being". The term literally meant "common well-being".
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The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government.

Northern
Territory

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Australia

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Politics of Australia

Federal Government
Executive
  • Queen (Queen Elizabeth II)
  • Governor-General (Michael Jeffery)
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Motto
Eendracht maakt macht   (Dutch)
L'union fait la force"   (French)
Einigkeit macht stark
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Communities:!!style="line-height:2em;"|Regions: |- | ||Flemish Region

(yellow) |- |Flemish Community

(yellow * ) | |- | ||Brussels-Capital Region

(orange 
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Belgium

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Politics of Belgium

  • Constitution
  • King
  • Albert II
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dominion, often Dominion,[1] was a self-governing colony or autonomous state within the British Empire prior to 1948,[2] and included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and Ireland.
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Canada

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Politics and government of
Canada


Federal
Executive (The Crown)
Sovereign (Queen Elizabeth II)
Governor General (Michalle Jean)
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
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Canada

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Politics and government of
Canada


Federal
Executive (The Crown)
Sovereign (Queen Elizabeth II)
Governor General (Michalle Jean)
Queen's Privy Council for Canada
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This page is protected from moves until disputes have been resolved on the .
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Motto
"Dieu et mon droit" [2]   (French)
"God and my right"
Anthem
"God Save the Queen" [3]
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Constituent countries is a phrase used, often by official institutions, in contexts in which a number of countries make up a larger entity or grouping, concerning these countries; thus the OECD has used the phrase in reference to the parts of former Yugoslavia[1]
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British monarchy is a system of government in which a hereditary monarch is the sovereign of the United Kingdom and its overseas territories, and holds the now constitutional position of head of state.
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Motto
"Bersekutu Bertambah Mutu"
"Unity Is Strength" 1
Anthem
Negaraku
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Malaysia

This article is part of the series:
Politics of Malaysia

  • Constitution
  • Social contract
  • Yang di-Pertuan Agong
  • Mizan Zainal Abidin
  • Cabinet

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Malaysia

This article is part of the series:
Politics of Malaysia

  • Constitution
  • Social contract
  • Yang di-Pertuan Agong
  • Mizan Zainal Abidin
  • Cabinet

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