The Noble Republic, also known as the Nobles' Democracy or the Golden Liberty, was a unique political system in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth between the 16th and 18th century. The main political power was consolidated in the hands of the nobles, who constituted around 10% of the society (an unusually high number in comparison to other countries) and were all considered equal. The king was elected by the nobility, and his power was very limited, as important political decisions were taken by the Sejm, or the parliament, which was also controlled by the nobles. Perhaps the most famous (or infamous) quirk of this political system was the liberum veto rule, which gave even one participant the power to prevent a law to be introduced, and therefore all legislation worked with the consensus principle.