Items16The creator’s order
  1. 1AndorraAndorraTwo co-princes: the Bishop of Urgell and the President of France Andorra's heads of state are the bishop of a neighboring diocese in Catalonia and whoever France elects as president, so one of them is chosen by French voters rather than Andorran ones. The 1993 constitution, approved by referendum,…0
  2. 2San MarinoSan MarinoTwo Captains Regent, replaced every six months San Marino never trusts one person with the top job for long. Its parliament, the Great and General Council, elects two Captains Regent from among its own members to serve together as heads of state for six months, with new pairs taking office on…0
  3. 3Vatican CityVatican CityAn elected absolute monarchy under the Pope Vatican City's monarch is chosen by election, not birth: the cardinals in conclave pick the Pope, who holds the fullness of the state's legislative, executive and judicial power. Day-to-day government is delegated to the Governorate and its Pontifical…0
  4. 4LiechtensteinLiechtensteinA powerful prince whom voters can abolish Liechtenstein reversed the usual European story of monarchs losing power. In a 2003 referendum, about 64 percent of voters approved the prince's proposal to keep his power to veto laws and dismiss the government, after he had warned he might leave for…0
  5. 5MonacoMonacoA prince who alone proposes laws, and a parliament of citizens only Monaco's 24-member National Council is elected only by Monégasque citizens, roughly 7,500 of whom were called to vote in 2023, a minority of the people who live there. The Council votes on laws and the budget and ratifies…0
  6. 6SarkSarkA feudal parliament that voted itself into democracy in 2008 Until 2008, Sark's parliament, the Chief Pleas, was mostly made up of landholding tenants who sat by right of their property rather than by election. Islanders backed a fully elected chamber in a 2006 referendum, and the first democratic…0
  7. 7Isle of ManIsle of ManTynwald, where new laws are still proclaimed from an open-air hill The Isle of Man is a self-governing Crown Dependency, and its parliament, Tynwald, keeps a ritual that predates most legislatures. Tynwald Court normally sits in Douglas, but once a year, on Tynwald Day in early July, its members…0
  8. 8Monastic community of Mount AthosMonastic community of Mount AthosA self-governing republic of monasteries inside Greece The Athos peninsula is governed by its 20 Orthodox monasteries, which together form the Holy Community and run its administration from Karyes, while a governor appointed by the Greek state looks after public order. Its special status is…0
  9. 9Appenzell InnerrhodenAppenzell InnerrhodenThe Landsgemeinde, an open-air assembly that votes by show of hands Appenzell Innerrhoden is a small Swiss canton rather than a country, but its government is one of the most instructive anywhere. On the last Sunday in April, voters gather in the town square and decide laws and elect officials by…0
  10. 10BhutanBhutanA democracy introduced by its own king, with a retirement age for the monarch Bhutan's move to parliamentary democracy came from the throne rather than from protest, and the 2008 constitution builds in safeguards found almost nowhere else. The king must step down at 65 in favor of the heir,…0