The Constitution of Monaco, first adopted in 1911 after the Monégasque Revolution and heavily revised by Prince

Rainier III Rainier III (Rainier Louis Henri Maxence Bertrand Grimaldi; 31 May 1923 – 6 April 2005) was Prince of Monaco from 1949 to his death in 2005. Rainier ruled the Principality of Monaco for almost 56 years, making him one of the longest-ruling m ...

on 17 December 1962, outlines three branches of government, including several administrative offices and a number of councils, who share advisory and legislative power with the

prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

. The constitution also defines the

line of succession to the Monegasque throne Line most often refers to: * Line (geometry), object with zero thickness and curvature that stretches to infinity * Telephone line, a single-user circuit on a telephone communication system Line, lines, The Line, or LINE may also refer to: Arts ...

; this section was modified on 2 April 2002. By word count, it is the shortest constitution in the world currently in force.

Executive branch

The prince retains the highest executive power, but the principality's head of government is the

minister of state Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. I ...

, who presides over a six-member

Council of Government The Council of Government of Monaco is the Prince's governing body. It consists of six members: Minister of State, who chairs the council, and the five members (four counsellors and one delegate); he also has voting rights, and has control of ...

, helps advise the prince, and is responsible for enforcing the laws. The principality's local affairs (i.e., the administration of the four quarters of Monaco-Ville, La Condamine,

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...

, and Fontvieille) are directed by the Communal Council, which consists of fifteen elected members and is presided over by the mayor.

Legislative branch

Under the 1962 constitution, the prince shares his power with the unicameral National Council, the Principality's legislative body. Though it is independent of the prince and may act contrary to his wishes, his signature is required to confirm any of its proposed laws.

Judicial branch

Judicial power is invested in the prince, who delegates judicial procedures to the various courts, which dispense justice in his name. The independence of the judges is guaranteed by the constitution. The Supreme Court of Monaco is composed of five chief members and two assistant judges named by the prince on the basis of nominations by the National Council and other government bodies. The Supreme Court is the highest court for judicial appeals and also interprets the constitution when necessary. Monaco's legal system, closely related to that of France, is patterned after the Napoleonic Code.

References

External links

Constitution de la Principauté
(in French)
Constitution of the Principality
(in English) Politics of Monaco

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

Government of Monaco {{constitution-stub