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The Global Gender Equality Constitutional Database is a repository of gender equality related provisions in 194 constitutions from around the world. The Database was updated in partnership with the International Bar Association's Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) and with support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Japan. Experience its wealth and depth of information by starting your search now.
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
(1) Subject to subsection (2), the High Court has original jurisdiction to determine any question as to the interpretation or application of this Constitution.
(2) Where —
(a) any question as to the interpretation or application of this Constitution arises in any proceedings in a subordinate court; and
(b) that court is of the opinion that the question involves a substantial question of law,
the court may, and shall if a party to the proceedings so requests, refer the question to the High Court for determination. (Sec. 134)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishI. The Popular Action shall be filed during the period in which the violation or threat to the rights and collective interests continues. To file this action it is not necessary to exhaust the judicial or administrative processes that might exist.
II. Any person, in his or her individual name or on behalf of a collective, may file this action, and it shall be filed obligatorily by the Public Ministry and the Public Defender (Ministerio Público y el Defensor del Pueblo) when, in the exercise of their functions, they have knowledge of these acts. The procedure for the Action for Constitutional Protection shall be applied. (Art. 136) - SpanishI. La Acción Popular podrá interponerse durante el tiempo que subsista la vulneración o la amenaza a los derechos e intereses colectivos. Para interponer esta acción no será necesario agotar la vía judicial o administrativa que pueda existir.
II. Podrá interponer esta acción cualquier persona, a título individual o en representación de una colectividad y, con carácter obligatorio, el Ministerio Público y el Defensor del Pueblo, cuando por el ejercicio de sus funciones tengan conocimiento de estos actos. Se aplicará el procedimiento de la Acción de Amparo Constitucional. (Art. 136)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English1. Appeals of unconstitutionality against laws or statutory rules may be lodged by one fifth of the General Council, the Head of Government and three Local Councils. One fifth of the General Council may lodge an appeal of unconstitutionality against the Rules of Procedure of the Chamber. The appeal shall be lodged within the thirty days following the publication of the rule.
… (Art. 99) - Catalan1. Poden interposar recurs d'inconstitucionalitat contra les lleis i els decrets legislatius una cinquena part dels membres del Consell General, el cap de Govern i tres Comuns. Una cinquena part dels membres del Consell General pot interposar recurs d'inconstitucionalitat contra el reglament de la cambra. El termini d'interposició de la demanda és de trenta dies des de la data de publicació de la norma.
… (Art. 99)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English1. The President of the Republic may ask the Constitutional Court to conduct a prior review of the constitutionality of any rule contained in legislation that has been submitted for enactment, any international treaty submitted to him for ratification or any international agreement sent to him for signature.
2. One tenth of the Members of the National Assembly in full exercise of their office may also request a prior review of the constitutionality of any rule contained in legislation that has been submitted for enactment.
… (Art. 228) - Portuguese1. O Presidente da República pode requerer ao Tribunal Constitucional a apreciação preventiva da constitucionalidade de qualquer norma constante de diploma legal que tenha sido submetido para promulgação, tratado internacional que lhe tenha sido submetido para ratificação ou acordo internacional que lhe tenha sido remetido para assinatura.
2. Pode ainda requerer a apreciação preventiva da constitucionalidade de qualquer norma constante de diploma legal que tenha sido submetido à promulgação um décimo dos Deputados à Assembleia Nacional em efectividade de funções.
... (Art. 228)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishThe Constitutional Court is the judge of the exceptions of unconstitutionality raised before or by a jurisdiction.
Any person may refer the Constitution Court to [a matter concerning] the unconstitutionality of any legislative or regulatory act.
In addition, he may refer the Constitutional Court to [a matter], by the procedure of the exception of unconstitutionality invoked in a matter concerning him before a jurisdiction.
That [jurisdiction] stays [its] decision and refers the Constitutional Court to [it], all [other] matters ceasing. (Art. 162) - FrenchLa Cour constitutionnelle est juge de l’exception d’inconstitutionnalité soulevée devant ou par une juridiction.
Toute personne peut saisir la Cour constitutionnelle pour inconstitutionnalité de tout acte législatif ou réglementaire.
Elle peut, en outre, saisir la Cour constitutionnelle, par la procédure de l’exception de l’inconstitutionnalité invoquée dans une affaire qui la concerne devant une juridiction.
Celle-ci sursoit à statuer et saisit, toutes affaires cessantes, la Cour constitutionnelle. (Art. 162)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
1. An appeal shall lie as of right from decisions of the Court of Appeal to the Caribbean Court of Justice in the following cases
…
c. final decisions in any civil or criminal proceedings which involve a question as to the interpretation of this Constitution;
… (Sec. 106)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English(1) The Constitutional Court has jurisdiction:
a) to annul statutes or individual provisions thereof if they are in conflicts with the constitutional order;
b) to annul other legal enactments or individual provisions thereof if they are in conflict with the constitutional order or a statute;
c) over constitutional complaints by the representative body of a self-governing region against an unlawful encroachment by the state;
d) over constitutional complaints against final decisions or other encroachments by public authorities infringing constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights and basic freedoms;
e) over remedial actions from decisions concerning the certification of the election of a deputy or senator;
f) to resolve doubts concerning a deputy or senator’s loss of eligibility to hold office or the incompatibility under Article 25 of some other position or activity with holding the office of deputy or senator;
g) over a constitutional charge brought by the Senate against the president of the republic pursuant to Article 65, paragraph 2;
h) to decide on a petition by the president of the republic seeking the revocation of a joint resolution of the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate pursuant to Article 66;
i) to decide on the measures necessary to implement a decision of an international tribunal which is binding on the Czech Republic, in the event that it cannot be otherwise implemented;
j) to determine whether a decision to dissolve a political party or other decision relating to the activities of a political party is in conformity with constitutional acts or other laws;
k) to decide jurisdictional disputes between state bodies and bodies of self-governing regions, unless that power is given by statute to another body.
(2) Prior to the ratification of a treaty under Article 10a or Article 49, the Constitutional Court shall further have jurisdiction to decide concerning the treaty’s conformity with the constitutional order. A treaty may not be ratified prior to the Constitutional Court giving judgment.
(3) A statute may provide that, in place of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Administrative Court shall have jurisdiction:
a) to annul legal enactments other than statutes or individual provisions thereof if they are inconsistent with a statute;
b) to decide jurisdictional disputes between state bodies and bodies of self-governing regions, unless that power is given by statute to another body. (1993 Constitution, Art. 87) - Czech(1) Ústavní soud rozhoduje
a) o zrušení zákonů nebo jejich jednotlivých ustanovení, jsou-li v rozporu s ústavním pořádkem,
b) o zrušení jiných právních předpisů nebo jejich jednotlivých ustanovení, jsou-li v rozporu s ústavním pořádkem nebo zákonem,
c) o ústavní stížnosti orgánů územní samosprávy proti nezákonnému zásahu státu,
d) o ústavní stížnosti proti pravomocnému rozhodnutí a jinému zásahu orgánů veřejné moci do ústavně zaručených základních práv a svobod,
e) o opravném prostředku proti rozhodnutí ve věci ověření volby poslance nebo senátora,
f) v pochybnostech o ztrátě volitelnosti a o neslučitelnosti výkonu funkcí poslance nebo senátora podle čl. 25,
g) o ústavní žalobě Senátu proti prezidentu republiky podle čl. 65 odst. 2,
h) o návrhu prezidenta republiky na zrušení usnesení Poslanecké sněmovny a Senátu podle čl. 66,
i) o opatřeních nezbytných k provedení rozhodnutí mezinárodního soudu, které je pro Českou republiku závazné, pokud je nelze provést jinak,
j) o tom, zda rozhodnutí o rozpuštění politické strany nebo jiné rozhodnutí týkající se činnosti politické strany je ve shodě s ústavními nebo jinými zákony,
k) spory o rozsah kompetencí státních orgánů a orgánů územní samosprávy, nepřísluší-li podle zákona jinému orgánu.
(2) Ústavní soud dále rozhoduje o souladu mezinárodní smlouvy podle čl. 10a a čl. 49 s ústavním pořádkem, a to před její ratifikací. Do rozhodnutí Ústavního soudu nemůže být smlouva ratifikována.
(3) Zákon může stanovit, že namísto Ústavního soudu rozhoduje Nejvyšší správní soud
a) o zrušení právních předpisů nebo jejich jednotlivých ustanovení, jsou-li v rozporu se zákonem,
b) spory o rozsah kompetencí státních orgánů a orgánů územní samosprávy, nepřísluší-li podle zákona jinému orgánu. (Ústava 1993, Čl. 87)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
The Constitutional Council is referred to [a matter] by:
• the President of Faso;
• the Prime Minister;
• the President of the National Assembly;
• one-tenth (1/10) at least of the members of the National Assembly.
In addition, any citizen may refer [a matter] to the Constitutional Council concerning the constitutionality of the laws, either directly, or through the procedure of the pleadings [exception] of unconstitutionality invoked in a matter [affaire] which concerns them before a jurisdiction. This must postpone [the matter] until the decision of the Constitutional Council which must intervene within a maximum period of time of thirty days counting from its referral [to the matter].
The Constitutional Council can refer itself to any questions relative to its competence, if it judges it necessary. (Art. 157) - French
Le Conseil constitutionnel est saisi par :
• le Président du Faso;
• le Premier ministre;
• le Président de l'Assemblée nationale;
• un dixième (1/10) au moins des membres de chaque chambre du Parlement.
En outre, tout citoyen peut saisir le Conseil constitutionnel sur la constitutionnalité des lois, soit directement, soit par la procédure de l’exception d’inconstitutionnalité invoquée dans une affaire qui le concerne devant une juridiction. Celle-ci doit surseoir jusqu’à la décision du Conseil constitutionnel qui doit intervenir dans un délai maximum de trente jours à compter de sa saisine.
Le Conseil constitutionnel peut se saisir de toutes questions relevant de sa compétence s’il le juge nécessaire. (Art. 157)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
The organic laws and the ordinances concerning the domain arising from the organic law are submitted by the Prime Minister to the Constitutional Court before their promulgation or their publication.The other categories of law, the ordinances as well as the regulatory acts that supposedly infringe the fundamental rights of the human person and the public freedoms may be deferred to the Constitutional Court, either by the President of the Republic, or by the Prime Minister, or by the Presidents of the Chambers of Parliament or one-tenth (1/10) of the members of each Chamber, or by the Presidents of the Court of Cassation, of the Council of State and of the Court of Accounts, or by any citizen or any juridical person prejudiced by the law or the ordinance contested.
… (Art. 85) - French
Les lois organiques et les ordonnances portant sur le domaine relevant de la loi organique sont soumises par le Premier Ministre à la Cour Constitutionnelle avant leur promulgation ou leur publication.
Les autres catégories de loi, les ordonnances ainsi que les actes réglementaires censés porter atteinte aux droits fondamentaux de la personne humaine et aux libertés publiques peuvent être déférés à la Cour Constitutionnelle, soit par le Président de la République, soit par le Premier Ministre, soit par les Présidents des Chambres du Parlement ou un dixième (1/10e) des membres de chaque Chambre, soit par les Présidents de la Cour de Cassation, du Conseil d’Etat et de la Cour des Comptes, soit par tout citoyen ou toute personne morale lésée par la loi, l’ordonnance ou l’acte réglementaire querellé.
... (Art. 85)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishAny person may seek amparo before the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice for violation of the rights granted by this Constitution.
The habeas corpus may be sought before the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice or before the Chambers of Second Instance that do not reside in the capital. The resolution of the Chamber that denies the freedom of the favored person [favorecido] may be the object of review [revisión], at the request of the interested party, by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice. (Art. 247) - SpanishToda persona puede pedir amparo ante la Sala de lo Constitucional de la Corte Suprema de Justicia por violación de los derechos que otorga la presente Constitución.
El habeas corpus puede pedirse ante la Sala de lo Constitucional de la Corte Suprema de Justicia o ante las Cámaras de Segunda Instancia que no residen en la capital. La resolución de la Cámara que denegare la libertad del favorecido podrá ser objeto de revisión, a solicitud del interesado, por la Sala de lo Constitucional de la Corte Suprema de Justicia. (Art. 247)