Back in April, we updated researchers on the content that was released in the World Constitutions Illustrated database from January 2020 to March 2020. Read below to find out what new documents have been added to this ever-growing database.
Update from April to Date
Since our last content news update, we have updated 33 countries and added 114 new titles to the World Constitutions Illustrated database.
We will continue to post constitutional content news right here in the HeinOnline blog. Be sure to subscribe to our blog to receive notifications when new posts are published.
Algeria
Now available is the original Arabic text of the Constitution of 1989 from the Journal Officiel. Also included is the current text as amended in 1996 and in 2016.
Austria
Now included is the amended text of the Federal Constitutional Law by Acts 16 and 24 of 2020 as published in the Bundesgesetzblatt on March 21 and April 4, respectively. The provisions will be in effect until December 31, 2020, concerning decision-making procedures that may be followed during the coronavirus pandemic. Also added is the current consolidated text from the Federal Chancellery in German.
Barbados
We have added the text of the Amendment Act of January 31, 2020 for the Constitution of 1966 from the Official Gazette.
Benin
Now available is our own current translation of the Constitution of 1977 of the People’s Republic.
Botswana
We have added 13 new documents concerning the Constitution of 1966. These documents include amending laws, statutory instruments concerning commencement, and rectification of published errors in the various official consolidation of the text.
Brazil
We have added the text of the Constitutional Amendment No. 106 of May 7, 2020 from four sources, including the Diario Oficial. This amendment provides for exceptional and extraordinary measures in response to the global pandemic but does not alter the text of the Constitution. Professor Keith Rosenn has also updated several of his translations to account for the amendments up to No. 105 of December 12, 2019.
Burkina Faso
We have added the text of law No. 43-59 AL of December 9, 1959, specifying that the President of the Council of Ministers of, at that time, Upper Volta assumes the title of President of the Republic.
Chile
We have added the text of the following amending laws from the Constitution of 1980 as codified in 2005.
- Three laws of March 20 and March 25, 2020, concerning the process for elections to a constituent assembly to draft a new constitution in light of delays occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic
- Laws Nos. 21.233 of May 20 and 21.237 of May 27, 2020, concerning the remuneration of government functionaries and additional provisions for decisions-making during the pandemic.
The included text of the amending laws is from the Diario Oficial and the Library of the National Congress, including the consolidated text of the latter. We have also updated our own current translation correspondingly.
Congo, Republic of the
We have added the official French texts of 11 Constitutional laws of 1959 from the Journal de la Communauté, which provided the constitutional structure of the Congo until the adoption of the Constitution of 1961.
Côte d’Ivoire
Now available:
- Amending Constitutional Law No. 2020-348 of March 19, 2020 to the Constitution of 2016. We have included the text of the amending law from the Journal Officiel and our own current translation correspondingly.
- Our own translation of the Constitution of 1959, the first constitution of independent Côte d’Ivoire as a member of the State of the French Community.
Gambia
Now available is the final draft text, the report, and the explanatory memorandum of the Constitutional Review Commission of the Gambia of March 2020.
Greece
Now available is the text of the amending law of November 2, 2019 to the Constitution of 1975 published in the official gazette in Greek. The Hellenic Parliament has yet to update its English translation. Additionally, we have included the previous amending laws of 1986, 2001, and 2008 from the official gazette in Greek.
Guinea
We have added the Supreme Court transcriptions of the following basic constitutional documents of Guinea in French.
- The Constitution of 1958
- The Constitution of 1982
- The Constitution of 2010
- The Fundamental Law of 1990
Haiti
Now available is the original official French and Creole diglot text of the Constitution of 1987 from Le Moniteur, the official gazette.
Hungary
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Law XII of March 30, 2020, a controversial law concerning exceptional emergency powers, was adopted. We have included the text from the Magyar Kozlony, along with the English translation from the Ministry of Justice.
India
We have added the text from the Gazette of India for the 104th Amendment Act of January 21, 2020 to the Constitution of 1949/50.
Ireland
We have added the current diglot consolidated text for the 38th Amendment to the Constitution of 1937 in English and Gaelic as provided by the offices of the Prime Ministry.
Kiribati
We have added the text of the Kiribati Act of 1979, which made provisions for the independence of the Gilbert Islands under the name of Kiribati, from the original text of the Act published by HMSO in 1979.
Malawi
We have added the text of Act No. 15 of 2017 amending the Constitution of 1994, concerning the age of majority in an effort to limit the practice of child marriage. Additionally, we have updated our own current consolidation correspondingly.
Mexico
Now available:
- Our current consolidated translation of the Decree published in the Diario Oficial of March 6, 2020, as well as the consolidated text of the National Juridical Order.
- The consolidated Spanish texts of the National Juridical Order and of the Electoral Tribunal of the amended Decree to the Constitution of 1917, published in the Diario Oficial of May 8, 2020. Additionally, we have updated our own current translation correspondingly.
Niger
Now available is our translation of the Constitution of 1958, the first constitution of the independent Niger as a member of the State of the French Community.
Norway
We have added:
- The English translation of the original text of the Constitution of May 17, 1814, as commissioned by the Government of Norway and published in Christiania in 1814.
- The amended text by four Resolutions of May 14-29, 2020: Nos. 1085-1088 to the venerable Constitution of 1814, from the official collection of the laws. We have included the current consolidated text from the Ministry of Justice in English, Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk.
Seychelles
Now available is the Commencement Notice for the amending law Act No. 4 of 2016, and the current consolidated text as amended to Act 8 of 2018.
Singapore
We have added the current consolidated text of amended Act No. 22 of May 15, 2020 to the Constitution of 1963 as provided by the Law Revision Commission. This act provides for extraordinary meetings of Parliament during the global pandemic.
Solomon Islands
We have included the amended Act No. 16 of December 24, 2018 to the Constitution of 1978, which provides for dual citizenship.
South Africa
We have now have added the text of four amending laws to the Constitution of 1996 (two from 2002 and two from 2003).
Francophone African Constitutions of 1958-59
We have added the original text of the Constitution of 1958 from the period of the French Community which was adopted by the francophone States of Africa. These constitutional documents appeared together in the Journal officiel de la Communauté of June 15, 1959. These documents have been added for the following countries:
- Benin, formally Dahomey
- Burkina Faso, formally Upper Volta
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Gabon
- Madagascar
- Mali, formally Sudanese Republic
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Senegal
Stay tuned for our next update!
For help searching or navigating World Constitutions Illustrated, check out our LibGuide!
HeinOnline search gurus are available Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Call us at (800) 277-6995, email us, or chat with us!
Stay connected with HeinOnline: Tweet us, like us, follow us, and watch us!
