Government and Politics of Monaco

Government Type

constitutional monarchy

Administrative Divisions

none; there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are four quarters (quartiers, singular - quartier); Fontvieille, La Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo

Legal System

based on French law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

21 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Monaco; in the case of a child born out of wedlock, the mother must be a citizen and father unknown dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 10 years

Executive Branch

chief of state: Prince ALBERT II (since 6 April 2005) head of government: Minister of State Didier Guillaume (since 5 September 2024) cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; the Minister of State is appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government

Legislative Branch

unicameral National Council or Conseil National (24 seats; 16 members elected by list majority system, 8 by proportional representation; to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 9 February 2003 (next to be held February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UNAM 21, UND 3

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme (judges appointed by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council)

Political Parties

National and Democratic Union or UND [Jean-Louis CAMPORA]; Union for Monaco or UPM (including National Union for the Future of Monaco or UNAM) [leader NA]

Head of State

Prince ALBERT II

Head of Government

Minister of State Michel Roger

Cabinet

Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch

Elections

the monarchy is hereditary; minister of state appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national candidates presented by the French Government

Constitution

17-Dec-62

Independence

1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of Grimaldi)

National Holiday

National Day (Prince of Monaco Holiday), 19 November

International Organization Participation

ACCT, FAO, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

Monaco does not have an embassy in the US consulate(s) general: New York

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

the US does not have an embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) is accredited to Monaco

Capital City

Monaco

Location

43 44 N, 7 25 E

Time Difference

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

History

founded as a Greek colony in the 6th century B.C., the name derives from two Greek words monos (single, alone) and oikos (house) to convey the sense of a people "living apart" or in a "single habitation"

The local point of contact for U.S. citizens in Monaco is the U.S. Consular Agency in Nice. U.S. Consular Agency Nice 7, Avenue Gustave V 3rd floor Tel. 33 (4) 93 88 89 55 Fax 33 (4) 93 87 07 38 Website: http://marseille.usconsulate.gov/nice.html

Military Branches

no regular military forces; Directorate of Public Security