Elective monarchy

An elective monarchy is a monarchy whose reigning king or queen is elected in some form.

The Holy Roman Empire and Polish monarchies were historical examples of this, in which the Emperor or King was elected by a small council of nobles.

At the start of the 20th Century, several monarchs of newly-independent nations were elected by parliaments. Without a well-established hereditary royal family, new nations often chose their own monarchs from among the foreign or domestic nobility in hopes that a stable hereditary monarchy would eventually emerge from the process. The now-defunct royal families of Finland and Germany were originally appointed in this manner.

Other monarchs, such as the Shah of Iran have been required to undergo a parliamentary vote of approval before being allowed to ascend to the throne.

Currently, the world's only truly "elective monarchies" are in Malaysia, where the King is elected to a 5-year term by and from a small group of local hereditary rulers, and in Vatican City, where the Pope is elected to a life term by and (and usually from) the College of Cardinals.