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Field Listing - Constitution
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Country Constitution Afghanistan new constitution drafted 14 December 2003-4 January 2004; signed 16 January 2004 Albania adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998 Algeria 8 September 1963; revised 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996 American Samoa ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967 Andorra Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991, approved by referendum 14 March 1993, effective 4 May 1993 Angola 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 Anguilla Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 Antigua and Barbuda 1 November 1981 Argentina 1 May 1853; revised August 1994 Armenia adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005 Aruba 1 January 1986 Australia 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 Austria 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) Azerbaijan adopted 12 November 1995 Bahamas, The 10 July 1973 Bahrain new constitution 14 February 2002 Bangladesh 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times Barbados 30 November 1966 Belarus 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 Belgium 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state Belize 21 September 1981 Benin December 1990 Bermuda 8 June 1968; amended 1989 and 2003 Bhutan 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 Bolivia 2 February 1967; revised in August 1994 Bosnia and Herzegovina the Dayton Agreement, signed 14 December 1995, included a new constitution now in force; note - each of the entities also has its own constitution Botswana March 1965, effective 30 September 1966 Brazil 5 October 1988 British Virgin Islands 1 June 1977, amended in 2000 Brunei 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984) Bulgaria adopted 12 July 1991 Burkina Faso 2 June 1991 approved by referendum, 11 June 1991 formally adopted; amended April 2000 Burma 3 January 1974; suspended since 18 September 1988; national convention convened in 1993 to draft a new constitution but collapsed in 1996; reconvened in 2004 but does not include participation of democratic opposition Burundi 28 February 2005; ratified by popular referendum Cambodia promulgated 21 September 1993 Cameroon 20 May 1972 approved by referendum, 2 June 1972 formally adopted; revised January 1996 Canada 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 Cape Verde 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) Cayman Islands 1959; revised 1962, 1972, and 1994 Central African Republic 5 December 2004; ratified by popular referendum Chad passed by referendum 31 March 1996; a June 2005 referendum removed constitutional term limits Chile 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005 China most recent promulgation 4 December 1982 Christmas Island Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act of 1955 (23 November 1955) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992 Colombia 5 July 1991 Comoros 23 December 2001 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 18 February 2006 Congo, Republic of the approved by referendum 20 January 2002 Cook Islands 4 August 1965 Costa Rica 7 November 1949 Cote d'Ivoire new constitution adopted 4 August 2000 Croatia adopted on 22 December 1990; revised 2000, 2001 Cuba 24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002 Cyprus 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 Czech Republic ratified 16 December 1992, effective 1 January 1993 Denmark 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 Djibouti multiparty constitution approved by referendum 4 September 1992 Dominica 3 November 1978 Dominican Republic 28 November 1966; amended 25 July 2002 East Timor 22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model) Ecuador 10 August 1998 Egypt 11 September 1971; amended 22 May 1980 El Salvador 23 December 1983 Equatorial Guinea approved by national referendum 17 November 1991; amended January 1995 Eritrea a transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented Estonia adopted 28 June 1992 Ethiopia ratified December 1994, effective 22 August 1995 European Union 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 Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) 3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998 Faroe Islands 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) Fiji enacted on 25 July 1997 to encourage multiculturalism and make multiparty government mandatory; effective 28 July 1998 Finland 1 March 2000 France 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 French Guiana 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) French Polynesia 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Gabon adopted 14 March 1991 Gambia, The 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished January 1997 Georgia adopted 24 August 1995 Germany 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990 Ghana approved 28 April 1992 Gibraltar 30 May 1969 Greece 11 June 1975; amended March 1986 and April 2001 Greenland 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) Grenada 19 December 1973 Guadeloupe 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Guam Organic Act of Guam, 1 August 1950 Guatemala 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 Guernsey unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Guinea 23 December 1990 (Loi Fundamentale) Guinea-Bissau 16 May 1984; amended 4 May 1991, 4 December 1991, 26 February 1993, 9 June 1993, NA 1996 Guyana 6 October 1980 Haiti 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 Holy See (Vatican City) new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929) Honduras 11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982; amended 1995 Hong Kong Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution" Hungary 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 Iceland 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times India 26 January 1950; amended many times Indonesia August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of amemdments concluded in 2002 Iran 2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the presidency and eliminate the prime ministership Iraq ratified on 15 October 2005 Ireland adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite; effective 29 December 1937 Isle of Man unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act of 1961 does not embody the unwritten Manx Constitution Israel 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 Italy passed 11 December 1947, effective 1 January 1948; amended many times Jamaica 6 August 1962 Japan 3 May 1947 Jersey unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice Jordan 1 January 1952; amended 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960, 1965, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1984 Kazakhstan first post-independence constitution adopted 28 January 1993; new constitution adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995 Kenya 12 December 1963; amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1997, 2001 Kiribati 12 July 1979 Korea, North adopted 1948; completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992, and September 1998 Korea, South 17 July 1948 Kuwait approved and promulgated 11 November 1962 Kyrgyzstan 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 Laos promulgated 14 August 1991 Latvia 15 February 1922; an October 1998 amendment on Fundamental Human Rights replaced the 1991 Constitutional Law, which had supplemented the constitution Lebanon 23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989 Lesotho 2 April 1993 Liberia 6 January 1986 Libya 11 December 1969; amended 2 March 1977 Liechtenstein 5 October 1921 Lithuania adopted 25 October 1992 Luxembourg 17 October 1868; occasional revisions Macau Basic Law, approved in March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution" Macedonia 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 Madagascar 19 August 1992 by national referendum Malawi 18 May 1994 Malaysia 31 August 1957; amended 16 September 1963 Maldives adopted 1 January 1998 Mali adopted 12 January 1992 Malta 1964 constitution; amended many times Marshall Islands 1 May 1979 Martinique 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Mauritania 12 July 1991 Mauritius 12 March 1968; amended 12 March 1992 Mayotte 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Mexico 5 February 1917 Micronesia, Federated States of 10 May 1979 Moldova new constitution adopted 29 July 1994, effective 27 August 1994; replaced old Soviet constitution of 1979 Monaco 17 December 1962 Mongolia 12 February 1992 Montserrat effective 19 December 1989 Morocco 10 March 1972; revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996 Mozambique 30 November 1990 Namibia ratified 9 February 1990, effective 12 March 1990 Nauru 29 January 1968; amended 17 May 1968 (Constitution Day) Nepal 9 November 1990 Netherlands adopted 1815; amended many times, most recently in 2002 Netherlands Antilles 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended New Caledonia 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) New Zealand consists of a series of legal documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments, as well as The Constitution Act 1986, which is the principal formal charter; adopted 1 January 1987, effective 1 January 1987 Nicaragua 9 January 1987; reforms in 1995 and 2000 Niger new constitution adopted 18 July 1999 Nigeria new constitution adopted May 1999 Niue 19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act) Norfolk Island Norfolk Island Act of 1979 Northern Mariana Islands Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands effective 1 January 1978; Covenant Agreement fully effective 4 November 1986 Norway 17 May 1814; amended many times Oman 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 Pakistan 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 Palau 1 January 1981 Panama 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted 1978, 1983, 1994, and 2004 Papua New Guinea 16 September 1975 Paraguay promulgated 20 June 1992 Peru 31 December 1993 Philippines 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987 Pitcairn Islands 30 November 1838; reformed 1904 with additional reforms in 1940; further refined by the Local Government Ordinance of 1964 Poland adopted by the National Assembly 2 April 1997, passed by national referendum 25 May 1997, effective 17 October 1997 Portugal 25 April 1976; revised many times Puerto Rico ratified 3 March 1952, approved by US Congress 3 July 1952, effective 25 July 1952 Qatar ratified by public referendum on 29 April 2003, endorsed by the amir on 8 June 2004, effective on 9 June 2005 Reunion 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Romania 8 December 1991; revision effective 29 October 2003 Russia adopted 12 December 1993 Rwanda new constitution adopted 4 June 2003 Saint Helena 1 January 1989 Saint Kitts and Nevis 19 September 1983 Saint Lucia 22 February 1979 Saint Pierre and Miquelon 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 27 October 1979 Samoa 1 January 1962 San Marino 8 October 1600; electoral law of 1926 serves some of the functions of a constitution Sao Tome and Principe approved March 1990, effective 10 September 1990 Saudi Arabia governed according to Shari'a law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993 Senegal new constitution adopted 7 January 2001 Serbia and Montenegro 4 February 2003 Seychelles 18 June 1993 Sierra Leone 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times Singapore 3 June 1959; amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution) Slovakia 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 Slovenia adopted 23 December 1991 Solomon Islands 7 July 1978 Somalia 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
note: the formation of transitional governing institutions, known as the Transitional Federal Government, is currently ongoing South Africa 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 Spain 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 Sri Lanka adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978 Sudan 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 Suriname ratified 30 September 1987 Swaziland the first constitution was signed into law in July 2005 and is scheduled to be implemented in January 2006 Sweden 1 January 1975 Switzerland 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 Syria 13 March 1973 Taiwan 25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005 Tajikistan 6 November 1994 Tanzania 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984 Thailand new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997 Togo multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992 Tokelau administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970 Tonga 4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967 Trinidad and Tobago 1 August 1976 Tunisia 1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002 Turkey 7 November 1982 Turkmenistan adopted 18 May 1992 Turks and Caicos Islands introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 Tuvalu 1 October 1978 Uganda 8 October 1995 Ukraine adopted 28 June 1996 United Arab Emirates 2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996 United Kingdom unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice United States 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789 Uruguay 27 November 1966, effective February 1967; suspended 27 June 1973, new constitution rejected by referendum 30 November 1980; two constitutional reforms approved by plebiscite 26 November 1989 and 7 January 1997 Uzbekistan new constitution adopted 8 December 1992 Vanuatu 30 July 1980 Venezuela 30 December 1999 Vietnam 15 April 1992 Virgin Islands Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 Wallis and Futuna 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) Yemen 16 May 1991; amended 29 September 1994 and February 2001 Zambia 24 August 1991 Zimbabwe 21 December 1979 This page was last updated on 2 May, 2006