THE INDEPENDENT: The people of Luxembourg stripped their beloved monarch of his political powers today after he tried to veto a bill that allows for the legalisation of euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Grand Duke Henri, ceremonial ruler of Luxembourg's 470,000 inhabitants, provoked an unprecedented crisis in the sedate territory two weeks ago when he refused to sign the law, apparently for reasons of conscience.
Henri is a devout Catholic. The hereditary monarch's powers are largely nominal but, under the Grand Duchy's constitution, no new legislation can come into force without royal assent. Until a fortnight ago, no member of the dynasty had ever challenged the parliamentary process.
A constitutional amendment approved by parliament yesterday limits the monarch to announcing decisions of parliament, in effect, muzzling the Grand Duke but the move has provoked a debate about the monarchy's future.
"It's just one article in our constitution that's changing but it represents an enormous loss of monarchical rights," Professor Paul Margue, a historian, said. "You might be right to ask what then is the point of having a Grand Duke at all?"
Henri, a handsome, affable 53-year old, has previously seen off a string of scandals, including an affair, but the constitutional crisis triggered by his attachment to traditional Catholic values may have irredeemably tarnished his image. "He's badly overstepped his mark by meddling in politics. No Grand Duke has ever dared to block a law before it's been approved by the parliament," said Lucien Montebrusco, political editor of the Luxembourg daily Tageblatt. Like many, Montebrusco believes Henri may have been egged on by the Catholic Church and by his Cuban wife, Maria-Theresa, a great-niece of the former dictator Fulgencio Batista. >>> By Vanessa Mock in Luxembourg | December 11, 2008
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