Liechtenstein

A 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 Vienna if they refused. The same constitution lets 1,500 citizens force a vote on abolishing the monarchy, with no princely veto over the result, and a 2012 attempt to remove the veto was rejected by about 76 percent. It is a rare system in which a strong hereditary ruler and direct democracy each hold a check on the other.