Prérogatives

Prérogatives are exclusive powers and privileges attached to a particular office, authority, or institution that enable its holder to act without the ordinary authorization required of others. The term is used in French political and legal discourse to describe the discretionary authorities that accompany high office and are understood as powers conferred by law or constitution rather than by common consent.

The word derives from Old French prerogatif, itself from Latin prae rogativus, meaning “approved beforehand” or “requested in advance.” In French, the plural prérogatives denotes such office-based privileges across civil service, judiciary, and executive branches.

Prérogatives can cover a range of functions, such as appointing and dismissing officers, issuing decrees, directing foreign policy, or summoning and dissolving legislative bodies, but their use is typically limited by constitutional rules, statutes, and judicial review. In many systems, prerogatives are distinguished from ordinary rights in that they depend on holding an office and may be exercised at the body's discretion or to safeguard state functioning.

Historically, prérogatives were the prerogatives of monarchs in feudal and early modern states. With the development of constitutionalism, many such powers were constitutionalized, regulated, or curtailed, while some offices retain essential prerogatives necessary for governance, albeit under checks and accountability mechanisms.

Prérogatives are not universal rights; they are contingent on office and context, and while they enable efficient government, they invite scrutiny over the balance between executive discretion and democratic accountability.