Constitution In 36 editions of 36.

• 8 September 1963;
• revised 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;
• note - a new constitution will likely be passed following the next legislative election

December 1990

March 1965, effective 30 September 1966

2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991 formally adopted; amended April 2000

28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum

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

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

ratified by popular referendum 5 December 2004; effective 27 December 2004

passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits

23 December 2001

18 February 2006

approved by referendum 20 January 2002

new constitution adopted 4 August 2000

multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992

11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980 and 25 May 2005

approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995

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

the first constitution was signed into law in July 2005 and is scheduled to be implemented in January 2006

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 January 1997

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, NA 1996

• 12 December 1963;
• amended as a republic 1964;
• reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 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

4 October 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

new constitution adopted 18 July 1999

new constitution adopted May 1999

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

new constitution adopted 4 June 2003

1 January 1989

approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990

new constitution adopted 7 January 2001

18 June 1993

1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times

25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979

note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing

• 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;
• under the CPA, Interim National Constitution ratified 5 July 2005;
• Constitution of Southern Sudan signed December 2005

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 1988, 2002

8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system

24 August 1991; amended in 1996 to establish presidential term limits

21 December 1979

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times

new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004

adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005

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 - in 2001, the king commissioned the drafting of a constitution, and in March 2005 publicly unveiled it;
• is awaiting national referendum

most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

adopted 24 August 1995

26 January 1950; amended many times

3 May 1947

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

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

17 July 1948

• adopted 5 May 1993;
• note - amendment proposed by President Askar AKAYEV and passed in a national referendum on 2 February 2003 significantly expands the powers of the president at the expense of the legislature;
• following the spring 2005 demonstrations, a new Constitutional Council was appointed and the reform process is ongoing

adopted 1 January 1998

12 February 1992

9 November 1990

• 12 April 1973;
• suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985;
• suspended 15 October 1999, restored in stages in 2002;
• amended 31 December 2003

adopted 12 December 1993

adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 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, amended in 2000

1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994

7 November 1949

24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002

3 November 1978

28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002

23 December 1983

19 December 1973

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

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

• approved March 1987;
• suspended June 1988 with most articles reinstated March 1989;
• constitutional government ousted in a military coup in September 1991, although in October 1991, military government claimed to be observing the constitution;
• returned to constitutional rule in October 1994;
• constitution remains technically in force but has not been observed since Aristide's departure in 2004

11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995

6 August 1962

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)

effective 19 December 1989

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

9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000

11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004

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

Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006)

Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954

adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998

Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 4 May 1993

1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)

• 15 March 1994;
• revised by national referendum of 24 November 1996 giving the presidency greatly expanded powers and became effective 27 November 1996;
• revised again 17 October 2004 removing presidential term limits

• 7 February 1831;
• amended many times;
• revised 14 July 1993 to create 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; revised 2000, 2001

ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993

5 June 1849 adoption of original constitution; a major overhaul of 5 June 1953 allowed for a unicameral legislature and a female chief of state

adopted 28 June 1992

based on a series of treaties:

• the Treaty of Paris, which set up the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) in 1951;
• the Treaties of Rome, which set up the European Economic Community (EEC) and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) in 1957;
• the Single European Act in 1986;
• the Treaty on European Union (Maastricht) in 1992;
• the Treaty of Amsterdam in 1997;
• and the Treaty of Nice in 2001;
• note - a new draft Constitutional Treaty, signed on 29 October 2004 in Rome, gave member states two years for ratification either by parliamentary vote or national referendum before it was scheduled to take effect on 1 November 2006;
• defeat in French and Dutch referenda in May-June 2005 caused a suspension of the ratification process

5 June 1953 (Danish constitution)

1 March 2000

• adopted by referendum 28 September 1958, effective 4 October 1958;
• amended concerning election of president in 1962;
• amended to comply with provisions of 1992 EC Maastricht Treaty, 1996 Amsterdam Treaty, 2000 Treaty of Nice;
• amended to tighten immigration laws in 1993;
• amended in 2000 to change the seven-year presidential term to a five-year term

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

new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929)

• 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

adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937

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

passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution

5 October 1921

adopted 25 October 1992

17 October 1868; occasional revisions

1964 constitution; amended many times

new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979

17 December 1962

12 October 1992 (was approved by the Assembly)

adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002

• adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991;
• amended November 2001 by a series of new constitutional amendments strengthening minority rights and in 2005 with amendments related to the judiciary

17 May 1814; amended many times

adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997, passed by national referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997

25 April 1976; revised many times

8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003

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

• 28 September 1990;
• note - a new draft constitution approved by Parliament on 30 September 2006 stresses that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia;
• the draft must still be approved by a national referendum

• ratified 1 September 1992, 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

6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978

1 January 1975

revision of Constitution of 1874 approved by the Federal Parliament 18 December 1998, adopted by referendum 18 April 1999, officially entered into force 1 January 2000

adopted 28 June 1996

unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960

new constitution 14 February 2002

• 16 August 1960;
• from December 1963, the Turkish Cypriots no longer participated in the government;
• negotiations to create the basis for a new or revised constitution to govern the island and for better relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held intermittently since the mid-1960s;
• in 1975, following the 1974 Turkish intervention, Turkish Cypriots created their own constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State of Cyprus," which became the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" when the Turkish Cypriots declared their independence in 1983;
• a new constitution for the "TRNC" passed by referendum on 5 May 1985

Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia Order in Council 1960, effective 16 August 1960

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

ratified on 15 October 2005

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

1 January 1952; amended 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984

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 basic law considered by the government to be a constitution 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

ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005

governed according to Shari'a 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 and 2003

• made up of unwritten and written acts, customs, judicial decisions, and traditions;
• the written part of the constitution consists of the Constitution Act of 29 March 1867, which created a federation of four provinces, and the Constitution Act of 17 April 1982, which transferred formal control over the constitution from Britain to Canada, and added a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as procedures for constitutional amendments

5 February 1917

4 October 1958 (French Constitution)