It's no surprise that the quest for democracy, self-determination and human rights forms the backdrop to many modern African constitutions.
And, given South Africa's past, it's not surprising that our Constitution frequently stresses the need to create a society that is "open and democratic", and that it emphasises dignity, justice and equality. Linked to the question of origins is one of ideals. A look at the first page of the document reveals that the language used in our Constitution is at times quite emotive - not the dry legal jargon you find in Acts of Parliament.
It's not surprising: the writers of our Constitution were emotionally invested in the process. They were dealing with the hopes of a nation being reborn - but also had to keep one eye on the very real fears created by the decades of despair that had led the country to this juncture. There's a good example in the preamble: "We, the people of South Africa, recognise the injustices of our past; honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.
Constitutions and constitutionalism go hand-in-hand with human rights. Rights are often entrenched in a special part of a constitution, called a bill of rights. It is this part of the Constitution that has attracted the greatest interest - and has had the greatest impact on South Africans - in the past few years. These provisions deal with the rights to equality, human dignity, life and privacy, among others, as well as the freedoms of religion and expression. They also touch on labour relations, children, education and the legal process.
See the page on the Bill of Rights for more. The Constitution itself is protected, which means it is more difficult to change it than it is to change a ordinary laws. Section 74 2 states that bills amending the Constitution require a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly as well as a supporting vote of six of the nine provinces represented in the National Council of Provinces.
Some parts are even more firmly entrenched. For example, a bill amending Section 1 of the Constitution, which sets out the founding values, requires a 75 percent majority. There is much debate in legal circles about the correct approach to interpreting legislation. Historically, in the case of normal statutes, words were given their plain and literal meaning.
But this is not always appropriate for a text such as the Constitution, which needs to be read with an eye to the values that run through it.
A clause in the Bill of Rights even makes this explicit: Section 39 1 says: "When interpreting the Bill of Rights, a court, tribunal or forum must promote the values that underlie an open and democratic society based on human dignity, equality and freedom.
Lastly, the Constitution including its amendments and schedules - the sections that flesh out details such as the design of the flag and the oath the president takes is well over pages long. New Word List Word List. Save This Word! See synonyms for constitution on Thesaurus. We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.
See constitute , -ion. Words nearby constitution constituency , constituent , Constituent Assembly , constituent structure , constitute , constitution , constitutional , Constitutional Convention , Constitutional Democratic Party , constitutional disease , constitutionalism. Until the constitution is amended , the power to appoint ministers will remain with the president. When he suspended the constitution and dissolved Congress , he had the imprimatur of the armed forces.
East and West Germany united under article 23 of the Bonn constitution. The drafting of a new constitution cannot be a monopoly of the white minority regime. Official documents. C2 the general state of someone's health :. He has a very strong constitution. Health in general. Comprising and consisting of. Several people objected to the constitution of the committee , arguing that women were under-represented.
Examples of constitution. The tendency to see constitutions as predetermined legal moulds can be a source of flawed institutional arrangements and eventual institutional failure.
From the Cambridge English Corpus. Lacking in the document, for example, was the ' reinforcement ' of the presidency so much a feature of earlier francophone constitutions.
We have long known that many policies have been placed in constitutions because they would be relatively hard to change. Scholars should make an effort to understand the goals that were embodied in the texts as the constitutions were written. The text of the constitutions was merely the tip of an iceberg of common law, legislative compromise, judicial decision, and extra-governmental practice.
The formal or informal system of primary principles and laws that regulates a government or other institutions. The supreme law of some countries, such as Australia, Ireland, and the United States. A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i. When these principles are written down into a single document or set of legal documents, those documents may be said to embody a written constitution; if they are written down in a single comprehensive document, it is said to embody a codified constitution.
Constitutions concern different levels of organizations, from sovereign states to companies and unincorporated associations.
A treaty which establishes an international organization is also its constitution, in that it would define how that organization is constituted. Within states, whether sovereign or federated, a constitution defines the principles upon which the state is based, the procedure in which laws are made and by whom. Some constitutions, especially codified constitutions, also act as limiters of state power, by establishing lines which a state's rulers cannot cross, such as fundamental rights.
The Constitution of India is the longest written constitution of any sovereign country in the world, containing articles, 12 schedules and amendments, with , words in its English language version, while the United States Constitution is the shortest written constitution, at 7 articles and 27 amendments. A document and specification of democratic articles, principles, regulations and rules defining the fundamental governmental rules of a country or form of unity government that are cocreated and changed with the choices and decisions of the people.
The focus is on cocreating optimum health, human rights, right to life, shared and equal prosperity for all, stability, unity government, solidarity, cohesion, animal rights, right to housing, right to education, right to parent, right to childcare, right to a standard of living, right to internet access, economic stability, financial stability, civil rights, equal rights, equal opportunities, employment rights, childrens rights, sustainable development, sustainable development goals, united partnership, multi-party working, community empowerment systems, equal distribution of income, wealth, fairness and justness across society, the country, europe and the world and contribute to the cocreation of global and national peace agreements, peace treaties, the universes truth and a fair, just and transparent system of checks and balances.
Every country in the world deserves a constitution, a living document that people know they have the choice and ability to see and change it. The numerical value of Constitution in Pythagorean Numerology is: 8. He apparently thinks that politically, the best thing for the court, regardless of the law and the Constitution is that the court be viewed as implementing Roe v.
Wade's most extreme positions, and so that's what he did. I'll let Anderson Cooper speak for Anderson Cooper I think Mr. Kellyanne Conway husband and I both have come to this with really just the simple idea that the Constitution is a bipartisan document, and you have a President who There is a tragic flaw in our precious Constitution , and I dont know what can be done to fix it.
This is it Only nut cases want to be president.
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