Re:Queen Elizabeth II has died
by Beltalowda on Thursday September 08, 2022 @03:51PM
(#32771106)
King Baudouin of Belgium tried to exercise his power in the 90s by refusing to sign the abortion law, citing his catholic faith.
The law got signed in to effect anyway. The "trick" was that parliament can sign laws in to effect if the king is incapacitated. They declared him incapacitated, signed the law, and declared him "capable" again the next day. Whether that was truly legal and in accordance to the letter of the law was a matter of some debate (in my reading of the text, it's not), but I expect things will go in a similar fashion for the British monarchy if Charles really tries to use his "hard power" (rather than "soft power"/influence) in any way.
Re:Queen Elizabeth II has died
by pluijzer on Thursday September 08, 2022 @05:03PM
(#32772050)
Keep in mind that king Baudouin requested himself for a solution where he would not have to sign the law without I obstructing the democratic process. So it is not fully true that they went against the will of the king.
The law got signed in to effect anyway. The "trick" was that parliament can sign laws in to effect if the king is incapacitated. They declared him incapacitated, signed the law, and declared him "capable" again the next day. Whether that was truly legal and in accordance to the letter of the law was a matter of some debate (in my reading of the text, it's not), but I expect things will go in a similar fashion for the British monarchy if Charles really tries to use his "hard power" (rather than "soft power"/influence) in any way.