A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action, most commonly used to stop a bill from becoming law. The word "veto" comes from the Latin for "I forbid". Veto powers are established in many countries constitutions, and they can be held by a president, monarch, or other chief executive.
Key features of a veto include:
- Authority: A veto is an authoritative prohibition or interdiction.
- Power: It is a power of one department or branch of a government to forbid or prohibit finally or provisionally the carrying out of projects attempted by another department.
- Message: A veto can be communicated through a message that communicates the reasons for vetoing a proposed law.
- Override: In some cases, a veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives.
Veto powers can be limited to certain matters, such as budgetary or non-budgetary matters. A legislative veto is a veto power exercised by a legislative body, which can be exercised against an action of the executive branch or another chamber of a bicameral legislature.
