Editing Veto (section)

 {{Short description|Legal power to stop an official action, usually enactment of legislation}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
[[File:President Ronald Reagan signing veto of defense authorization bill.jpg|thumb|270px|US President [[Ronald Reagan]] signing a veto of a bill.]]

A '''veto''' is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. In the most typical case, a [[president (government title)|president]] or [[monarch]] vetoes a [[bill (law)|bill]] to stop it from becoming [[statutory law|law]]. In many countries, veto powers are established in the country's [[constitution]]. Veto powers are also found at other levels of government, such as in state, provincial or local government, and in international bodies.

Some vetoes can be overcome, often by a [[supermajority]] vote: [[Veto power in the United States|in the United States]], a two-thirds vote of the [[United States House of Representatives|House]] and [[United States Senate|Senate]] can override a presidential veto.<ref name="us-veto">[[Article One of the United States Constitution#Clause 2: From bills to law|Article I, Section 7, Clause 2]] of the [[United States Constitution]]</ref> Some vetoes, however, are absolute and cannot be overridden. For example, [[United Nations Security Council veto power|in the United Nations Security Council]], the five permanent members ([[China and the United Nations|China]], [[France and the United Nations|France]], [[Russia and the United Nations|Russia]], the [[United Kingdom and the United Nations|United Kingdom]], and the [[United States and the United Nations|United States]]) have an absolute veto over any Security Council [[United Nations resolution|resolution]].

In many cases, the veto power can only be used to prevent changes to the status quo. But some veto powers also include the ability to make or propose changes. For example, the [[Indian president]] can use an amendatory veto to propose amendments to vetoed bills.

The executive power to veto legislation is one of the main tools that the executive has in the [[legislative process]], along with the [[proposal power]].{{sfn|Palanza|Sin|2020|p=367}} It is most commonly found in [[presidential system|presidential]] and [[semi-presidential system]]s.<ref name="oecd-system"/> In [[parliamentary system]]s, the head of state often has either a weak veto power or none at all.{{sfn|Bulmer|2017|p=5}} But while some political systems do not contain a formal veto power, all political systems contain veto players, people or groups who can use [[Power (social and political)|social and political power]] to prevent policy change.{{sfn|Oppermann|Brummer|2017|p=3}}

The word "veto" comes from the [[Latin]] for "I forbid". The concept of a veto originated with the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] offices of [[Roman consul|consul]] and [[tribune of the plebs]]. There were two consuls every year; either consul could block military or civil action by the other. The tribunes had the power to unilaterally block any action by a [[Roman magistrate]] or the [[Senatus consultum|decrees]] passed by the [[Roman Senate]].<ref name="Spitzer">{{cite book |last=Spitzer |first=Robert J. |title=The presidential veto: touchstone of the American presidency |pages=1–2 |publisher=SUNY Press |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-88706-802-7}}</ref>