ABSTRACT
This chapter presents Monaco profiles of longstanding democracies and of the European Union, and provides essential detail on history, electoral system, political parties and cleavages, and governments. Monaco lacks responsible government. The prince picks the minister of state, who until 2005 had to be a French citizen. The Principality of Monaco has been ruled by the House of Grimaldi since 1297. Monaco uses a parallel electoral system, with two-thirds of the seats elected in one multi-member constituency by plurality vote and one-third of the seats assigned by proportional representation with a 5 percent threshold and using the Hare quota. Parties have traditionally been weak actors in Monaco, given the lack of responsible government and panachage by the voters. After its defeat, the national and democratic union then renamed itself rally and issues, and then returned to control the National Council in 2013 via the centre-right Horizon Monaco coalition with smaller parties created prior to said election.
