Editing Veto (section)

=== Roman veto ===
[[File:Tiberius Gracchus.jpg|thumb|Tiberius Gracchus, Roman tribune]]
The institution of the veto, known to the Romans as the ''intercessio'', was adopted by the [[Roman Republic]] in the 6th century BC to enable the tribunes to protect the [[mandamus]] interests of the [[plebeians]] (common citizenry) from the encroachments of the [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patricians]], who dominated the Senate. A tribune's veto did not prevent the senate from passing a bill but meant that it was denied the force of law. The tribunes could also use the veto to prevent a bill from being brought before the plebeian assembly. The consuls also had the power of veto, as decision-making generally required the assent of both consuls. If they disagreed, either could invoke the ''intercessio'' to block the action of the other. The veto was an essential component of the Roman conception of power being wielded not only to manage state affairs but to moderate and restrict the power of the state's high officials and institutions.<ref name="Spitzer" />

A notable use of the Roman veto occurred in the [[Gracchi brothers|Gracchan land reform]], which was initially spearheaded by the tribune [[Tiberius Gracchus]] in 133 BC. When Gracchus' fellow tribune [[Marcus Octavius]] vetoed the reform, the Assembly voted to remove him on the theory that a tribune must represent the interests of the plebeians. Later, senators outraged by the reform murdered Gracchus and several supporters, setting off a period of internal political violence in Rome.<ref>{{Cite book
  | isbn = 9781316061923
  | title = Law and Power in the Making of the Roman Commonwealth
  | author-first = Luigi 
  | author-last = Capogrossi Colognesi
  | publisher = Cambridge University Press
  | year = 2014
  | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=kMkZBQAAQBAJ
  | chapter = Tiberius Gracchus and the distribution of the ''ager publicus''
}}</ref>