Basic Trope: Kings and queens are voted for based (at least theoretically) on merit, instead of inheriting their positions because they were (usually) the last monarch's eldest child.
- Straight: Alice is elected as queen of Tropestan by the various nobles of the realm after the previous queen dies, despite her previously having been an unrelated duchess.
- Exaggerated:
- Alice is elected as queen of Tropestan in a general election where every citizen gets a vote; it's indistinguishable from an ordinary democracy save for elections only occurring on the monarch's death.
- In addition to the above, Tropestani monarchs traditionally abdicate after reigning for four years. As a result, Tropestan is a republic in all but name.
- Downplayed:
- Alice is elected as queen of Tropestan by the various dukes and counts of the realm, but she was the previous queen's daughter, and only she, her sisters, and maybe her aunts were candidates anyways.
- Tropestan's monarchy is normally hereditary, but an election is held if the monarch dies with no surviving children.
- Justified:
- Just because someone is born into a royal family doesn't mean they are a suitable leader. Choosing someone based on merit (usually) helps Tropestan choose leaders that look out for everyone's best interests.
- It gives people a sense of power, because they have a say in who the leader is and what laws are enacted; it helps prevent abuses of power.
- Approximately half of Tropestan's founders wanted a hereditary monarchy, while the other half wanted a republic. They eventually decided that an elective monarchy would be a fair compromise.
- Tropestan requires its rulers to take a Vow of Celibacy, so hereditary monarchy wouldn't work for obvious reasons.
- Inverted:
- Alice inherits a Hereditary Republic from her mother.
- Alice is voted out of her royal position.
- Subverted: Alice says she was elected, but the voters were told quite clearly that a wrong vote would be dangerous.
- Double Subverted: Alice was elected fairly, despite a rival slandering her with claims she rigged the vote.
- Parodied:
- Alice and Bob get a first dance as king and queen, just like at prom. (Bonus points if they were elected king and queen of the prom back in the day!)
- Alice is elected queen. Bob is elected king. They don't get along at all. Awkwardness and hilarity ensue.
- Zig-Zagged: Over the centuries, Tropestan has been a hereditary monarchy, an elective monarchy, a dictatorship, a republic, straight-up anarchy, and back to a monarchy.
- Averted:
- Tropestan relies on some other form of government, such as a democratically-elected counsel, or a presidency.
- Tropestan is a hereditary monarchy.
- Tropestan has no government whatsoever.
- Enforced:
- The Holy Tropestan Empire is a blatant Fantasy Counterpart Culture to the Holy Roman Empire, and the writers know someone will complain if the government doesn't match.
- It was originally a story about Alice being elected president, but Executive Meddling forced the writer to shoehorn in some sort of monarchy because princesses makes better merchandise than presidents.
- Lampshaded: "Don't forget to vote for a king and queen next week!"
- Invoked: Tropestan decides to elect leaders based on merit, not birth, after removing The Caligula from power.
- Exploited:
- Charles tries to get people to vote for him by promising them all manner of great things, but since he only cares about himself, nothing good comes of Charles' reign.
- Alice is a duchess unrelated to the current queen. She goes around making friends and giving generously to other electors, and just when she's popular enough to win an election, the previous queen suffers a suspicious Hunting "Accident".
- Defied:
- Tropestan is debating whether to change its form of government and decides it's better just to maintain the status quo, since they're afraid voting wouldn't improve things.
- Tropestan considers replacing its hereditary monarchy with an elective monarchy, but decides to go all the way and become a republic instead.
- Tropestan is a dictatorship.
- Tropestan decides it needs no stinkin' government!
- Discussed: Jim and Kate debate the merits of each candidate in the upcoming royal election.
- Conversed: "That's not how monarchy works in the real world." "Well, in some countries, it is." "Not in countries most viewers like us know reasonably well."
- Implied: It's never explained how Tropestan's monarchy works, but their gallery of historical monarchs is full of people that look nothing alike, suggesting that they're not related.
- Played for Laughs: The royal election is treated like a parody of a presidential election — complete with Sleazy Politicians promising the moon in their extremely long speeches, ads full of Narm and Glurge, blatantly slanderous attack ads, obvious corruption and "debates" that consist of the candidates insulting each other.
- Played for Drama: The evil and ambitious Alice tries to rig the election.
- Deconstructed: Alice is an immoral and/or incompetent queen, making people doubt the utility of using popular democratic processes.
- Reconstructed: Alice is replaced with Carol, who repairs most of the damage she's done and giving people hope that democracy can work.
Don't forget to vote at the main article!
