Co-Princes of Andorra
Co-Princes of Andorra | |
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Coprínceps d'Andorra ( Coat of arms of High Authorities of Andorra | |
Incumbent | |
Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília since 12 May 2003 | |
Co-incumbent | |
Emmanuel Macron since 14 May 2017 | |
Details | |
Style | His Excellency |
First monarch | Pere d'Urtx Roger-Bernard III |
Formation | 1278 |
Residence | La Seu d'Urgell Cathedral (Spain) Élysée Palace (France) |
Appointer | The Pope (for the Episcopal Co-Prince) French citizens (five years, renewable once consecutively) (for the French Co-Prince) |
Constitution |
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Andorra portal |
The co-princes of Andorra are jointly the heads of state (
Origin and development of the co-principality
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2015) |
Tradition holds that
Before 1095, Andorra did not have any type of military protection, and since the Bishop of Urgell knew that the Count of Urgell wanted to reclaim the Andorran valleys,[4] he asked for help from the lord of Caboet. In 1095, the lord and the bishop signed a declaration of their co-sovereignty over Andorra. Arnalda, daughter of Arnau of Caboet, married the viscount of Castellbò, and both became viscounts of Castellbò and Cerdanya. Their daughter, Ermessenda,[5] married Roger Bernat II, the French count of Foix. They became, respectively, count and countess of Foix, viscount and viscountess of Castellbò and Cerdanya, and also co-sovereigns of Andorra (together with the Bishop of Urgell).[citation needed]
In the 11th century, a dispute arose between the Bishop of Urgell and the Count of Foix. The conflict was mediated by
Through inheritance, the Foix title to Andorra passed to the
Recent history
On 12 July 1934, Andorra's monarchical system was challenged by an adventurer named Boris Skossyreff, who issued a proclamation in Urgell declaring himself "Boris I, King of Andorra".[9] Though initially enjoying some support within Andorra's political establishment, he was ultimately arrested by Spanish authorities on 20 July 1934 after declaring war on the Bishop of Urgell (who had refused to relinquish his own claim to the principality). Skossyreff was expelled, and was never considered to have been the Andorran monarch in any legal sense.
Before 1993, Andorra had
In 2009, French president Nicolas Sarkozy threatened to abdicate as French co-prince if the principality did not change its banking laws to eliminate its longstanding status as a tax haven.[11]
In 2014,
Contemporary political role
The Constitution of Andorra carefully defines the exact role and prerogatives of the co-princes of Andorra today. The constitution establishes Andorra as a "parliamentary coprincipality",[13] providing for the Bishop of Urgell and the president of France to serve together as joint heads of state.[14] The constitution distinguishes between which powers they may exercise on their own (Article 46), and which require the countersignature of the head of the Andorran government, or the approval of the "Síndic General", the Andorran legislature (Article 45).
Powers the co-princes may exercise on their own include:[15]
- Joint exercise of the "prerogative of grace" (the power to pardon);
- Each co-prince may appoint one member of the Superior Council of Justice and one member of the Constitutional Tribunal;
- Establishment of such services as they deem necessary to fulfil their constitutional prerogatives, and appointment of individuals to fulfil these services;
- Requesting a preliminary judgement about the constitutionality of proposed laws, or of international treaties;
- Agreeing to the text of any international treaty, prior to submitting it for parliamentary approval;
- Bringing a case before the Constitutional Tribunal in the event of any conflict over the exercise of their constitutional prerogatives.
Powers the co-princes may exercise in conjunction with the head of government include:[16]
- Calling for elections or referendums in accordance with constitutional provisions;
- Appointing the head of government in accordance with constitutional provisions;
- Dissolve the General Council (the Andorran legislature) prior to the expiration of its current term (but not until at least one year has passed since the prior election);[17]
- Accrediting diplomatic representatives from Andorra to foreign states, and receive credentials of foreign representatives to Andorra;[a]
- Appointing office-holders in accordance with appropriate constitutional provisions;
- Sanctioning and enacting laws in accordance with constitutional provisions;
- Granting formal consent to international treaties, once ratified by the General Council.
Each co-prince is granted an annual allowance by the General Council to dispose of as he or she sees fit.[18] Each appoints a personal representative in Andorra,[19] and in the case of incapacitation of one of them, the constitution provides for the other prince to govern in his or her absence, with the concurrence of the Andorran head of government or the General Council.[20]
Certain treaties require the participation of the co-princes (or their designated representatives) in their negotiation process as well as their final approval; these are detailed in Articles 66 and 67 of the constitution.
The co-princes jointly retain the right to propose amendments to the constitution; this same right rests with the General Council.[21] They have no veto power over legislation passed by the General Council, though they do retain a veto over certain international treaties, as described above.
Vacancy
In case of vacancy of either co-prince, Andorra "recognizes the validity of the interim procedures foreseen by their respective statuses, in order for the normal function of Andorran institutions not to be interrupted".[22]
List of rulers
See also
Notes
- letters of credenceof ambassadors of France to Andorra or vice-versa are signed twice by the French president: once as sender and once as recipient.
References
- ^ "The constitution of the Principality of Andorra". andorramania.com.
- ^ "Why is the President of France Co-Prince of Andorra?". Royal Central. 7 October 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, serves as Co-Prince of Andorra in addition to his duties as French President and is one of the few examples of a democratically elected leader serving in a royal capacity in another country. Since 2003, the other Co-Prince is the bishop of Urgell from Spain, Joan-Enric Vives i Sicília.
- ^
"La formació d'Andorra". Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. Enciclopèdia Catalana. (in Catalan) English version
- ^ a b c Things about the history of Andorra Archived 9 February 2010 at archive.today French Co-prince (in Catalan)
- ^
"Ermessenda de Castellbò". Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana. Enciclopèdia Catalana. (in Catalan) English version
- ^ Armengol Aleix 2009, p. 172.
- ^ Guillamet Anton 2009, p. 172.
- ^ Armengol Aleix 2009, p. 342, 343.
- ^ Events, Issues 19–24, p. 46, 1938
- ^ Andorra: Septicentennial for a Ministate, from Time, 30 October 1978.
- ^ Sarkozy threatens to renounce Andorran title.
- ^ Jesús Bastante (22 September 2014). "La aprobación de la ley del Aborto en Andorra podría llevar a Vives a Barcelona". Religión. Periodisto Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 1:4.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 43:1–2.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, Article 46.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, Article 45.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra:45:1:E and 71:1–3.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 47.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 48.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 45:3.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 105.
- ^ Constitution of Andorra, 49.
Bibliography
- Armengol Aleix, E. (2009). Andorra: un profund i llarg viatge (in Catalan). Andorra: Government of Andorra. ISBN 9789992005491.
- Guillamet Anton, J. (2009). Andorra: nova aproximació a la història d'Andorra (in Catalan). Andorra: Revista Altaïr. ISBN 9788493622046.
External links
- Representació de S.E. El Copríncep Francés
- El Copríncep d'Urgell
- Rulers.org – Andorra list of rulers for Andorra