Tuesday 16 June 2009

Royal assent to Danish Act of Succession - three other acts forgotten

In the State Council held at Christiansborg Palace on Friday Queen Margrethe gave her assent to the new Act of Succession, which came into force on Sunday (14 June).

https://www.retsinformation.dk/Forms/R0710.aspx?id=123644

Normally the Danish Parliament starts its summer recess just before Constitution Day on 5 June, with a State Council to sanction the last acts a few days later. This year there will however be a sitting of Parliament as late as Thursday this week to approve the results of the European Parliament election.
After that there will have to be another State Council as well, for the simple reason that the Ministry of Education forgot (!) to send three Acts passed by Parliament to the Queen for her assent within 30 days. This means that the bills will have to be proposed to Parliament once again, then read three times on Thursday and then sent to the Queen. According to Politiken this opens up for further debate on the role of the Danish monarchy, with Margrethe Vestager, the parliamentary leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party, arguing that the Constitution should be changed so that the monarch's assent will no longer be necessary.

http://politiken.dk/politik/article733479.ece

2 comments:

  1. So, the politicians made a mistake - and then ask for constitutional changes so that the Monarch's assent would no longer be necessary.

    Does not that prove that the Monarch's role is important in case the politicians "forget" other constitutional necessities?

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  2. Well,I guess it was the staff at the Ministry who forgot, so one should blame the bureaucrats rather than the politicians. But indeed it is often said that it is a good thing that one need's the assent of a head of state who is above the legal process, as it can prevent "sloppiness" and ensure that things are done in the proper way.

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