Editing Royal assent (section)

===Belgium===
In Article 109 of the constitution: "The King ''sanctions'' and ''promulgates'' laws". In Belgium, the royal assent is called ''sanction royale'' / ''koninklijke bekrachtiging'' (Royal Sanction), and is granted by the King signing the proposed statute (and a minister countersigning it). The Belgian constitution requires a theoretically possible refusal of royal sanction to be countersigned—as any other act of the monarch—by a minister responsible before the House of Representatives. The monarch promulgates the law, meaning that he or she formally orders that the law be officially published and executed. In 1990, when [[Baudouin of Belgium|King Baudouin]] advised his cabinet he could not, in conscience, sign a bill decriminalising abortion (a refusal patently not covered by a responsible minister), the [[Belgian federal government|Council of Ministers]], at the King's own request, declared Baudouin incapable of exercising his powers. In accordance with the Belgian constitution, upon the declaration of the Sovereign's incapacity, the Council of Ministers assumed the powers of the head of state until parliament could rule on the King's incapacity and appoint a regent. The bill was then assented to by all members of the Council of Ministers "on behalf of the Belgian People".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://reflex.raadvst-consetat.be/reflex/pdf/Mbbs/1990/04/05/10906.pdf|title=Abortion Act 1990|publisher=[[Belgian official journal]]|access-date=22 June 2014|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181320/http://reflex.raadvst-consetat.be/reflex/pdf/Mbbs/1990/04/05/10906.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> In a joint meeting, both houses of parliament declared the King capable of exercising his powers again the next day.<ref>E.Witte, De liberalisering van de abortus-wetgeving in België (1970–1990), in: Rapporten en perspectieven</ref>