MONARCHY A monarchy is a form of government in which sovereignty is actually or nominally embodied in a single individual (the monarch).

[1] Forms of monarchy differ widely based on the level of legal autonomy the monarch holds in governance, the method of selection of the monarch, and any predetermined limits on the length of their tenure. When the monarch has no or few legal restraints in state and political matters, it is called an absolute monarchy and is a form of autocracy. Cases in which the monarch's discretion is formally limited (most common today) are called constitutional monarchies. In hereditary monarchies, the office is passed through inheritance within a family group, whereas elective monarchies are selected by some system of voting. Historically these systems are most commonly combined, either formally or informally, in some manner. (For instance, in some elected monarchies only those of certain pedigrees are considered eligible, whereas many hereditary monarchies have legal requirements regarding the religion, age, gender, mental capacity, and other factors that act both as de facto elections and to create situations of rival claimants whose legitimacy is subject to effective election.) Finally, there are situations in which the expiration of a monarchs reign is set based either on the calendar or on the achievement of certain goals (repulse of invasion, for instance.) The effect of historical and geographic difference along each of these three axes is to create widely divergent structures and traditions defining monarchy. Monarchy was the most common form of government into the 19th century, but it is no longer prevalent, at least at the national level. Where it exists, it now often takes the form of constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch retains a unique legal and ceremonial role, but exercises limited or no political power pursuant to a constitution or tradition which allocates governing authority elsewhere. Currently, 44 sovereign nations in the world have monarchs acting as heads of state, 16 of which are Commonwealth realms that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their head of state. All European monarchies are constitutional ones, with the exception of the Vatican City, but sovereigns in the smaller states exercise greater political influence than in the larger. The monarchs of Cambodia, Japan, Jordan, Malaysia and Morocco "reign, but do not rule" although there is considerable variation in the amount of authority they wield. Although they reign under constitutions, the monarchs of Brunei, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Swaziland appear to continue to exercise more

political influence than any other single source of authority in their nations, either by constitutional mandate or by tradition. Monarchies are associated with political or socio-cultural hereditary rule, in which monarchs rule for life (although some monarchs do not hold lifetime positions, such as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia, who serves a fiveyear term) and pass the responsibilities and power of the position to their children or family when they die. Most monarchs, both historically and in the modern day, have been born and brought up within a royal family, the center of the royal household and court. Growing up in a royal family (when present for several generations it may be called a dynasty), and future monarchs were often trained for the responsibilities of expected future rule.

DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN MONARCHY AND DEMOCRACY A monarchy is a variation of government where sovereignty is embodied in a single individual, usually a king or queen. In many cases, whatever the monarch says is law. A democracy is a form of government in which eligible citizens have an equal say in decisions that affect leaders, laws and their lives. 1. Democracy is a type of government that emanates from the constituted powers that are elected, depending on the system (presidentialist, parliamentary, constitutional monarchy, semi-presidentialist, semiparliamentary, etc) directly or indirectly by the people. Whereas in an absolute monarchy, an absolutist regime exists and is in power because of family lineage. 2. In democracy three state powers (in most cases) exist as a checks and balances system, these being the judicial, executive and legislative as it was enunciated in Montesquieus Of the Spirit of law. And they are independent, complementary and with no relation of subordination. Whereas in an absolute monarchy, the monarch holds all of the state power in his hands, therefore not having a checks and balances system, and the monarch is entitled to do whatever he wants. 3. On a democracy the president can either serve as head of state, head of government or both, depending of the system that applies to the country, and with limited powers, but in a monarchy the king is the head of state and monarch, having complete power to decide on matters that a head of state or of government wouldnt be able to do so. 4. In a democracy there is a Political Constitution the defines how the countrys structure is going to be, how the public officers are going to be elected, how it will work, etc In a monarchy there doesnt exists, not a real one at least, a constitution and the only orders that are valid are the ones that emanate from the Monarch. 5. In a democracy human rights are guaranteed by the constitution and its laws, whereas in a Monarchic regime the state entities defined by the king will kill, torture, and abuse people, just to assure a popular insurrection doesnt arise. 6. In a democracy there are several ways to have reinstated ones rights when they are being abused by the government, but in a monarchy there is no way to reverse the decisions of the ruler, except by his own free will or discretion.

DETAILS ABOUT 3 ABSOLUTE MONARCHY SYSTEMS IN THE WORLD SAUDI ARABIA The government of Saudi Arabia is led by the monarch, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, who acceded to the throne in 2005. No political parties or national elections are permitted and according to The Economist's 2010 Democracy Index, the Saudi government was the seventh most authoritarian regime from among the 167 countries rated. Government is dominated by the royal family. The Basic Law specifies that the king must be chosen from among the sons of the first king, Abdul Aziz Al Saud, and their male descendants subject to the subsequent approval of religious leaders (the ulema). In 2007 an "Allegiance Council" was created, comprising King Abdulaziz's surviving sons plus a grandson of each his deceased sons, to determine which member of the royal family will be the heir apparent (the Crown Prince) after Prince Salman, who is the current Crown Prince, either dies or accedes to the throne. Law Making Process The politics of Saudi Arabia takes place in the context of an absolute monarchy founded upon the tenets of Islam. The King of Saudi Arabia is both head of state and the head of government, but decisions are, to a large extent, made on the basis of consultation among the senior princes of the royal family and the religious establishment. The Qur'an is declared to be the constitution of the country, which is governed on the basis of Islamic law (Sharia). Saudi Arabia has no formal constitution; however, by Royal Decree in 1992, the King implemented the Basic Law of Governance. To the extent that the Basic Law can be considered an informal constitution, Article I establishes the Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet Mohammed as the formal constitution. There is no standard legislature in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, new laws primarily originate from the Council of Ministers or the Majlis al-Shura. Of course, the King himself can issue royal decrees without consultation or proposition of legislation by either of these bodies; however, he is subject to compliance with the basic tenets of Sharia law. The King governs with the assistance and advice of the Council of Ministers, also referred to as the Cabinet. As suggested by the name, the Council is composed of the heads of 22 ministry departments. The Council drafts

resolutions which are binding upon a majority vote of the members, but enactment of the resolution is dependent upon ratification by the Kings decree. This body and the ministers individually are responsible for drafting regulations and implementing the policies of the Kingdom. Similarly, the King also receives assistance from the Majlis al-Shura, or Consultive Council. Originally, this 150-member body acted only in an advisory capacity, but in 2003, the Shura was granted power to propose legislation also. The decisions of the Shura are subject to debate and approval by the Council of Ministers. Regardless of whether the bodies agree or disagree, the adoption or rejection of the proposal is solely within the Kings discretion. Decisions and resolutions approved by the King via royal decrees are published in the Umm al-Qura, or Official Gazette. If permitted by decree, regulations can be promulgated by individual ministries or government agencies, but such regulations are not generally published, rather they are distributed through ministerial or administrative circulars Legal System The legal system of Saudi Arabia is based on Sharia, Islamic law derived from the Quran and the Sunnah (the traditions) of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The sources of Sharia also include Islamic scholarly consensus developed after Muhammad's death and analogical reasoning by Muslim judges. Its interpretation by judges in Saudi Arabia is influenced by the medieval texts of the literalist Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence. Uniquely in the Muslim world, Sharia has been adopted by Saudi Arabia in an uncodified form. This, and the lack of judicial precedent, has resulted in considerable uncertainty in the scope and content of the country's laws. The government therefore announced its intention to codify Sharia in 2010, but this is yet to be implemented. Sharia has also been supplemented by regulations issued by royal decree covering modern issues such as intellectual property and corporate law. Nevertheless, Sharia remains the primary source of law, especially in areas such as criminal, family, commercial and contract law, and the Quran and the Sunnah are declared to be the country's constitution. In the areas of land and energy law the extensive proprietorial rights of the Saudi state (in effect, the Saudi royal family) constitute a significant feature.

Courts in Saudi Arabia observe few formalities and the country's first criminal procedure code, issued in 2001, has been largely ignored. Decisions are made without juries and usually by a single judge. King Abdullah, in 2007, introduced a number of significant judicial reforms, although they are yet to be fully implemented. Criminal law punishments in Saudi Arabia include public beheading, stoning, amputation and lashing. Serious criminal offences include not only internationally recognized crimes such as murder, rape, theft and robbery, but also apostasy, adultery, witchcraft and sorcery. In addition to the regular police force, Saudi Arabia has a secret police, the Mabahith, and "religious" police, the Mutawa. The latter enforces Islamic social and moral norms. Rights Human rights in Saudi Arabia are intended to be based on Islamic religious laws under rule of the Saudi royal family. The government of Saudi Arabia, and the Saudi legal system, has been criticized for its treatment of religious and political minorities, homosexuals, apostates, and women. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ratified the International Convention against Torture in October 1997 according to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Human rights of Saudi Arabia are specified in article 26 of the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia. Recently created human rights organisations include Human Rights First Society (2002), Association for the Protection and Defense of Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia (2007) Saudi Civil and Political Rights Association (2009) and the government-associated National Society for Human Rights (2004). In 2008, the Shura Council ratified the Arab Charter on Human Rights. In 2011, the Specialized Criminal Court was used to charge and sentence human rights activists. Saudi women face discrimination in many aspects of their lives, such as the justice system. Although they make up 70% of those enrolled in universities, for social reasons, women make up 5% of the workforce in Saudi Arabia,[19] the lowest proportion in the world. The treatment of women has been referred to as "sex segregation and "gender apartheid". Implementation of a government resolution supporting expanded employment opportunities for women met resistance from within the labor ministry, from the religious police,[25] and from the male citizenry. At the U.N. Third Millennium Summit in New York City, The King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz defended Saudi Arabia's position on human rights, saying "It is

absurd to impose on an individual or a society rights that are alien to its beliefs or principles." Western-based human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, have criticized the activities of both the Mabahith and the Mutawa, as well as a number of other aspects of human rights in Saudi Arabia. These include the number of executions, the range of offences which are subject to the death penalty, the lack of safeguards for the accused in the criminal justice system, the treatment of homosexuals, the use of torture, the lack of religious freedom, and the highly disadvantaged position of women. Additionally, Albert Shanker Institute and Freedom House consider that "Saudi Arabia's practices diverge from the concept of the rule of law."

BRUNEI Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei. Brunei officially the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia. Apart from its coastline with the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the state of Sarawak, Malaysia, and it is separated into two parts by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Law Making Process Brunei has an absolute monarchy. It has a legal system based on English common law, although Islamic shariah law supersedes this in some cases. The political system in the country is governed by the constitution and the tradition of the Malay Islamic Monarchy, the concept of "Melayu Islam Beraja" (MIB). The three components of MIB cover Malay culture, Islamic religion and the political framework under the monarchy. Under Brunei's 1959 constitution, His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah is the head of state with full executive authority, including emergency powers which are renewed every two years, since 1962. The Sultan's role is enshrined in the national ideology known as Melayu Islam Beraja (MIB), or Malay Muslim Monarchy. The country has been under hypothetical martial law since the Brunei Revolt of 1962. Hassanal Bolkiah is also the state's Prime Minister, Finance Minister and Defence Minister. The Royal family retains a venerated status within the country.] The country also has its own parliament. Legal System Brunei has a dual legal system. The first is the system inherited from the British, similar to the ones found in India, Malaysia and Singapore. It is based on the English common law, but with codification of a significant part of it. The common law legal system covers most of the laws in Brunei. The structure of the common law courts in Brunei starts with the magistracy. There are currently less than 10 magistrates for the country, all of whom are locals. A rung above the magistracy is the intermediate courts. This was set up

to be a training ground for the local. There are currently two intermediate court judges, both are locals. The High Court of the Supreme Court currently consist of three judges, two of whom are locals. The Chief Justice of is a High Court of Hong Kong judge. There is no jury system in Brunei; a judge or magistrate sits alone to hear a case except for capital punishment cases where two High Court judges will sit. The Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court consists of three Judges, all of whom are currently retired British judges. The Court of Appeal sits twice a year for about a month each time. Appeals to the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in criminal cases are no longer available, whilst still retaining a very limited right of appeal to the Privy Council in civil cases. The other system of Justice in Brunei is the shariah courts. It deals mainly in Muslim divorce and matters ancillary to a Muslim divorce in its civil jurisdiction and in the offenses of khalwat (close proximity) and zina (illicit sex) amongst Muslims. The shariah court structure is similar to the common law court structure except that it has no intermediate court and that the Court of Appeal is the final court of appeal. All magistrates and judges in both the common law courts and the shariah courts are appointed by the Government. All local magistrates and judges were appointed from the civil service with none thus far being appointed from the private practice. Rights The Constitution states, "The religion of Brunei Darussalam shall be the Muslim religion according to the Shafi'i sect of that religion: Provided that all other religions may be practiced in peace and harmony by the person professing them in any part of Brunei Darussalam." However, the Government imposed many restrictions on non-Shafi'i and non-Islamic religious practice. Practitioners of non-Muslim faiths are not allowed to proselytize. All private schools offer voluntary Islamic instruction to Muslim students, and all post-secondary students are required to attend courses on the national Malay Muslim Monarchy ideology. Schools are not allowed to teach Christianity. The Government uses a range of municipal and planning laws and other legislation to restrict the expansion of religions other than official Islam. The country's various religious groups coexisted peacefully. The law discourages Muslims from learning about other faiths. At the same time,

Islamic authorities organize a range of activities to explain and propagate Islam, as well as offering financial incentives and housing. The Government also funds construction of mosques. Brunei is a destination, and to a lesser extent, a source and transit country for men and women who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced labor and forced prostitution. Men and women from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, China, and Thailand migrate to Brunei for domestic or other low-skilled labor but sometimes face conditions of involuntary servitude upon arrival. There are over 88,000 migrant workers in Brunei, some of whom face debt bondage, non-payment of wages, passport confiscation, confinement to the home, and contract switching factors that may contribute to trafficking. There were credible reports of nationals from South Asian countries subjected to nonpayment of wages and debt bondage in Brunei for up to two years to pay back foreign recruitment agents. Some of the 25,000 female domestic workers in Brunei were required to work exceptionally long hours without being granted a day for rest, creating an environment consistent with involuntary servitude. There are reports of women forced into prostitution in Brunei, and reports that women arrested for prostitution attest to having been victims of trafficking. Brunei is a transit country for trafficking victims in Malaysia, including Filipinas, who are brought to Brunei for work permit re-authorization before being returned to Malaysia. The Government of Brunei does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. While the government has laws to prosecute trafficking, it has never prosecuted a trafficking case. The government did not proactively identify any trafficking victims during the year, nor did it develop or implement formal procedures to identify victims of trafficking. Male Homosexuality is illegal in Brunei and can be punished with up to 10 years imprisonment or a fine of 30,000 Brunei dollars.

THE SULTANAT OF OMAN Oman is an absolute monarchy in which the Sultan of Oman exercises ultimate authority, but its parliament has some legislative and oversight powers.[9] In November 2010, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) listed Oman, from among 135 countries worldwide, as the nation most-improved during the preceding 40 years.[10] According to international indices, Oman is one of the most developed and stable countries in the Arab world.[11] Oman is an absolute monarchy in which all legislative, executive, and judiciary power ultimately rests in the hands of the hereditary sultan, and in which the system of laws is based firmly on Islamic sharia. Freedom House has routinely rated the country "Not Free".

Law Making Process The Omani legislature is the bicameral Council of Oman, consisting of an upper chamber, the Council of State (Majlis ad-Dawlah) and a lower chamber, the Consultative Council (Majlis ash-Shoura). Political parties are banned. The upper chamber has 71 members, appointed by the Sultan from among prominent Omanis; it has only advisory powers. The 84 members of the Consultative Council are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms, but the Sultan makes the final selections and can negotiate the election results.[38] The members are appointed for three-year terms, which may be renewed once. The last elections were held on 15 October 2011. Sultan Qaboos bin Said is the de facto prime minister and also controls the foreign affairs and defence portfolios. The sultan has absolute power and issues laws by decree.[40] He is the longest-serving ruler in the Middle East. Legal system The judiciary branch is subordinate to the sultan and the Ministry of Justice. Sharia (Islamic law) is the source of all legislation, and Sharia Court Departments within the civil court system are responsible for family-law matters, such as divorce and inheritance. In some rural areas, tribal laws and customs are frequently used to settle disputes.

The Basic Statute of the State is the cornerstone of the Omani legal system and it operates as a constitution for the country. The Basic Statute was issued in the year 1996 and thus far has only been amended once, in 2011, as a response to protests. Civil and criminal law and judicial penalties must also be fully in compliance with international laws. The Sultanate has signed laws adopted by the UN, in particular those relating to the protection of human rights, the protection of minorities, as well as the conventions against all forms of discrimination against women and to safeguard the rights of the child. The rule of law, the sovereignty of the state, and the independence of the judiciary are among the most important principles that were established to protect the rights of every Omani citizen. Each defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a legal process. The use of physical and/or psychological abuse is prohibited. All penalties shall be in accordance with the law before which all citizens are equal. Rights Although a report by the U.S. State Department, based on conditions in 2010, summed up the human rights situation in the country by asserting that the government generally respected the human rights of its citizens, the details in the report itself strongly indicate otherwise, and several international human-rights groups have described the state of human-rights in Oman in highly critical terms. For example, Freedom House has routinely rated the country Not Free and an official of Human Rights Watch, in a December 2012 overview of Oman and five other smaller Gulf states, stated: Human rights conditions...are quite poor overall....There is little respect for core civil and political rights such as freedom of expression, assembly and association. Peaceful dissent typically faces harsh repression. The administration of justice is highly personalised, with limited due process protections, especially in political and securityrelated cases. A 2012 report by Bertelsmann Stiftung declared that while Omans legal code theoretically protects civil liberties and personal freedoms, both are regularly ignored by the regime. Oman, therefore, cannot be considered free. On the other hand, Middle East Concern, in a 2011 report, claimed that Oman's recent human-rights record had been generally good, citing adherence to proper arrest and judicial procedures and acceptable prison conditions,

even as it acknowledged the limits on freedom of expression and assembly, academic freedom, and other restrictions. In reaction to growing public demonstrations by protesters demanding greater freedom and human rights, Oman's already severe constraints on freedom of speech, assembly, and association have been tightened even further since early 2011.

CONCLUSION The popularity of the notion of absolute monarchy declined substantially after the French Revolution which promoted theories of government based on popular sovereignty. Many nations formerly with absolute monarchies, such as Morocco, have moved towards constitutional monarchy, although in some cases the monarch retains tremendous power, to the point that the parliament's influence on political life is negligible. In Bhutan, the government moved from absolute monarchy to constitutional monarchy following planned parliamentary elections to the Tshogdu in 2003, and the election of a National Assembly in 2008. Nepal had several swings between constitutional rule and direct rule related to the Nepalese Civil War, the Maoist insurgency, and the 2001 Nepalese royal massacre. The Nepalese monarchy was abolished on May 28, 2008. Anthropology, sociology, and ethology as well as various other disciplines such as political science attempt to explain the rise of absolute monarchy ranging from extrapolation generally, to Marxist explanations in terms of the class struggle as the underlying dynamic of human historical development generally and absolute monarchy in particular. According to Norbert Elias's The Civilizing Process, monarchs such as Louis XIV could enjoy such great power because of the structure of the societies at that time: more precisely, they could play off against each other two rival classes, namely the rising bourgeoisie, who grew wealthy from commerce and industrial production, and the nobility, who lived off the land and administrative functions.

National Emblem of Oman

The Sultans Palace in Muscat

The Flag of Oman

Qaboos bin Said al Said (Sultan of Oman)

Flag of Saudi Arabia

Emblem of Saudi Arabia

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia

Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei

Emblem of Brunei

Flag of Brunei

Palace of Sultan of Brunei