Parliamentary election in Monaco, 5 February 2023

Around 7,500 Monegasque citizens were called to the polls on February 5, 2023 to renew the 24 seats of the National Council.

Under the 1962 constitution, the Principality’s Council of Government is appointed by the Prince, and is not accountable to Parliament. The Minister of State, head of government, is appointed by the Prince after consultation with the French government. In this context of strong monarchical power, the National Council is the key institution representing Monegasque citizens vis-à-vis the Prince.

Only two lists competed in the 2023 election. The Union nationale monégasque (UNM, right-wing) is the result of the merger of all three parties represented in parliament during the previous term: Primo! Priorité Monaco (liberal and eurosceptic right), Horizon Monaco (monarchist right) and Union monégasque (center). Brigitte Boccone-Pagès took over from Stéphane Valeri, who had been at the forefront of Monegasque politics for two decades, as the party‘s leader. The Nouvelles Idées pour Monaco (NIM, center-left) list was headed by Daniel Boeri, a former member of Priorité Monaco and the only opposition MP in the outgoing parliament.

With its conservative, eurosceptic program, UNM emphasized continuity with the policies of previous legislatures. NIM, on the other hand, campaigned mainly on environmental and social issues, including launching a debate on the legalization of abortion, which is still illegal in Monaco.

Against a backdrop of falling voter turnout (57.3%, -13.1 pp), the election was a landslide victory for the UNM, which won 89.6% of the vote and all 24 seats in the National Council. Brigitte Boccone-Pagès was subsequently elected head of the National Council, the first woman to hold this position.