Constitution In 36 editions of 36.

19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996

11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980, 6 March 1991, and 26 August 1992

December 1990

March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

2 June 1991 approved by referendum; 11 June 1991 formally adopted

• 13 March 1992;
• provided for establishment of a plural political system;
• supplanted on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional Constitution which enlarged the National Assembly and created two vice presidents

• new constitution came into force 25 September 1992;
• underwent a major revision on 23 November 1995, substantially increasing the powers of the president, and a further revision in 1999, to create the position of national ombudsman (Provedor de Justica)

• 20 May 1972 approved by referendum;
• 2 June 1972 formally adopted;
• revised January 1996

passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7 January 1995

passed by referendum 31 March 1996

23 December 2001

note: a Transitional National Unity Government (GUNT) was formed on 20 January 2002 following the passing of the new constitution; the GUNT governed until the presidential elections on 14 April 2002

• 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978, amended April 1990;
• transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994;
• in November 1998, a draft constitution was approved by former President Laurent KABILA but it was not ratified by a national referendum;
• one outcome of the ongoing inter-Congolese dialogue is to be a new constitution

constitution approved by referendum in January 2002

3 November 1960; has been amended numerous times, last time 27 July 1998

multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

11 September 1971

approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995

the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented

• none;
• constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12 April 1973;
• a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but was not formally presented to the people;
• since then a few more outlines for a constitution have been compiled under the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), but so far none have been accepted

ratified December 1994; effective 22 August 1995

adopted 14 March 1991

• 24 April 1970;
• suspended July 1994;
• rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996;
• reestablished in January 1997

new constitution approved 28 April 1992

23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale)

16 May 1984, amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, and 1996

12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, and 2001

2 April 1993

6 January 1986

11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977

19 August 1992 by national referendum

18 May 1994

adopted 12 January 1992

12 July 1991

12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996

30 November 1990

ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990

the constitution of January 1993 was revised by national referendum on 12 May 1996 and again by referendum on 18 July 1999

new constitution adopted May 1999

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted as Fundamental Law the constitution of 18 June 1991, provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord, the July 1994 Declaration by the Rwanda Patriotic Front, and the November 1994 multiparty protocol of understanding

1 January 1989

approved March 1990; effective 10 September 1990

a new constitution was adopted 7 January 2001

18 June 1993

1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979

note: the Transitional National Government formed in August 2000 has a mandate to create a new constitution and hold elections within three years

• 10 December 1996;
• this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997;
• it is being implemented in phases

• 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985;
• interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989;
• new constitution implemented on 30 June 1998 partially suspended 12 December 1999 by President BASHIR

25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992

1 June 1959; amended 12 July 1988

• 8 October 1995;
• adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993;
• the Constituent Assembly was dissolved upon the promulgation of the constitution in October 1995

2 August 1991

21 December 1979

adopted 3 October 1985

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944

• the Bonn Agreement called for a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) to be convened within 18 months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority to draft a new constitution for the country;
• the basis for the next constitution is the 1963/64 Constitution, according to the Bonn Agreement

adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995

adopted 12 November 1995

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times

• no written constitution or bill of rights;
• note - Bhutan uses 1953 Royal decree for the Constitution of the National Assembly;
• on 7 July 1998, a Royal edict was ratified giving the National Assembly additional powers

most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

adopted 17 October 1995

26 January 1950

3 May 1947

adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998

25 February 1948

adopted 5 May 1993; note - amendment proposed by President AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 10 February 1996 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature

adopted January 1998

12 February 1992

9 November 1990

10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999

adopted 12 December 1993

adopted 16 August 1978

6 November 1994

adopted 18 May 1992

new constitution adopted 8 December 1992

Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990

1 November 1981

1 January 1986

10 July 1973

30 November 1966

21 September 1981

1 June 1977

1959, revised 1972 and 1992

7 November 1949

24 February 1976, amended July 1992

3 November 1978

28 November 1966

23 December 1983

19 December 1973

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

• 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986;
• note - suspended 25 May 1993 by former President SERRANO;
• reinstated 5 June 1993 following ouster of president;
• amended November 1993

• approved March 1987;
• suspended June 1988, with most articles reinstated March 1989;
• in October 1991, government claimed to be observing the constitution;
• return to constitutional rule, October 1994

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995

6 August 1962

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

present constitution came into force 19 December 1989

29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

9 January 1987, with reforms in 1995 and 2000

11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983 and 1994

• ratified 3 March 1952;
• approved by US Congress 3 July 1952;
• effective 25 July 1952

19 September 1983

22 February 1979

27 October 1979

1 August 1976

• introduced 30 August 1976;
• suspended in 1986;
• restored and revised 5 March 1988

Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954

a constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote

• Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991;
• approved by referendum 14 March 1993;
• came into force 4 May 1993

1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

30 March 1994; revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996

7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a constitutional package creating a federal state

the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution

adopted 12 July 1991

adopted on 22 December 1990

ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993

1849 was the original constitution; there was a major overhaul 5 June 1953, allowing for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

adopted 28 June 1992

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

17 July 1919

• 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992, Amsterdam Treaty in 1996, Treaty of Nice in 2000;
• amended to tighten immigration laws 1993

23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990

30 May 1969

11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)

• 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972;
• 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight;
• 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system

29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution

1 January 1948

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

the 1991 Constitutional Law which supplements the 1922 constitution, provides for basic rights and freedoms

5 October 1921

adopted 25 October 1992

17 October 1868, occasional revisions

1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December 1974 and again in 1987

new constitution adopted 28 July 1994; replaces old Soviet constitution of 1979

17 December 1962

adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17 February 1983

adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991

note: the Macedonian Parliament approved November 2001 a series of new constitutional amendments, strengthening minority rights

17 May 1814, modified in 1884

• 16 October 1997;
• adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997;
• passed by national referendum 23 May 1997

25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, 5 November 1992, and 3 September 1997

8 December 1991

8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution

27 April 1992

• ratified 1 September 1992, fully effective 1 January 1993;
• changed in September 1998 to allow direct election of the president;
• amended February 2001 to allow Slovakia to apply for NATO and EU membership

adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

1 January 1975

29 May 1874

adopted 28 June 1996

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

adopted late December 2000; Bahrani voters approved on 13-14 February 2001 a referendum on legislative changes (revised constitution calls for a partially elected legislature, a constitutional monarchy, and an independent judiciary)

• 16 August 1960;
• negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently;
• in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" in 1983;
• a new constitution for the Turkish Cypriot area passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership

22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted

no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the Basic Laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law

8 January 1952

approved and promulgated 11 November 1962

23 May 1926, amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a new basic law which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens

provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent constitution

governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993

13 March 1973

7 November 1982

2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)

16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001

8 June 1968, amended 1989

• 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act);
• originally, the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867;
• charter of rights and unwritten customs

5 February 1917

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789

ratified 1966, in effect 1967

9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

4 August 1965