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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
- English1. Appropriate principles of interpretation of this Constitution shall be developed and employed by the courts to reflect the unique character and supreme status of this Constitution.
2. In interpreting the provisions of this Constitution a court of law shall—
a. promote the values which underlie an open and democratic society;
b. take full account of the provisions of Chapter III and Chapter IV2; and
c. where applicable, have regard to current norms of public international law and comparable foreign case law.
3. Where a court of law declares an act of executive or a law to be invalid, that court may apply such interpretation of that act or law as is consistent with this Constitution.
4. Any law that ousts or purports to oust the jurisdiction of the courts to entertain matters pertaining to this Constitution shall be invalid. (Sec. 11)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishWhen the Executive Authority vetoes a bill as unconstitutional and the National Assembly by majority vote insists that it be adopted, the bill shall be sent to the Supreme Court for a decision on its constitutionality. If the Supreme Court's judgment declares the bill constitutional, the Executive Authority is obliged to approve it and have it promulgated. (Art. 171)
- SpanishCuando el Ejecutivo objetare un proyecto por inexequible y la Asamblea Nacional, por la mayoría expresada, insistiere en su adopción, aquél lo pasará a la Corte Suprema de Justicia para que decida sobre su inconstitucionalidad. El fallo de la Corte que declare el proyecto constitucional, obliga al Ejecutivo a sancionarlo y hacerlo promulgar. (Art. 171)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishThe Supreme Constitutional Court shall not consider the constitutionality of the laws put by the President of the Republic to a referendum and obtained the approval of the people. (Art. 148)
- Arabicلا يحق للمحكمة الدستورية العليا أن تنظر في دستورية القوانين التي يطرحها رئيس الجمهورية على الاستفتاء الشعبي وتنال موافقة الشعب. (المادّة 148)
Jurisdiction and Access
- EnglishThe appellate division of the Supreme Court may review cases heard in the national courts, and cases heard in state or local courts if they require interpretation of this Constitution, national law, or a treaty. If a state constitution permits, the appellate division of the Supreme Court may review other cases on appeal from the highest state court in which a decision may be had. (Art. XI, Sec. 7)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English1. The Constitutional Council is competent:
a. to evaluate [apreciar] and to declare the unconstitutionality of the laws and the illegality of the normative acts of the organs of the State;
b. to settle conflicts of competence between the organs of sovereignty;
c. to previously verify the constitutionality of the referenda;
d. to evaluate and to deliberate concerning the dismissal of the Governor of [a] Province and of the Administrator of [a] District, by the President of the Republic;
e. to evaluate and to deliberate concerning the dissolution of the provincial, district and autarchic assemblies, by the Council of Ministers.
2. It belongs also to the Constitutional Council:
a. to verify the legal requisites required for the candidatures to President of the Republic;
b. to declare the permanent incapacity of the President of the Republic;
c. to verify the death and the loss of the mandate of the President of the Republic;
d. to evaluate in last instance, the electoral recourses and complaints, to validate
and to proclaim electoral results in the terms of the law;
e. to decide, in last instance, the legality of the constitution of the political parties and their coalitions, as well as to evaluate the legality of their denominations, acronyms, symbols, and to order the respective extinction in the terms of the Constitution and of the law;
f. to judge the actions of impugning of the elections and of deliberation of the organs of the political parties;
g. to judge the actions that have for [their] object disputes relative to the mandate of the Deputies;
h. to judge the actions that have for [their] object the incompatibilities provided for in the Constitution and in the law.
3. The Constitutional Council exercises the other competences that are attributed to it by law. (Art. 243) - Portuguese1. Compete ao Conselho Constitucional:
a) apreciar e declarar a inconstitucionalidade das leis e a ilegalidade dos actos normativos dos órgãos do Estado;
b) dirimir conflitos de competências entre os órgãos de soberania;
c) verificar previamente a constitucionalidade dos referendos;
d) apreciar e deliberar sobre a demissão do Governador de Província e do Administrador de Distrito, pelo Presidente da República;
e) apreciar e deliberar sobre a dissolução das assembleias provinciais, distritais e autárquicas, pelo Conselho de Ministros.
2. Cabe ainda ao Conselho Constitucional:
a) verificar os requisitos legais exigidos para as candidaturas a Presidente da República;
b) declarar a incapacidade permanente do Presidente da República;
c) verificar a morte e a perda de mandato do Presidente da República;
d) apreciar em última instância, os recursos e as reclamações eleitorais, validar e proclamar os resultados eleitorais nos termos da lei;
e) decidir, em última instância, a legalidade da constituição dos partidos políticos e suas coligações, bem como apreciar a legalidade das suas denominações, siglas, símbolos e ordenar a respectiva extinção nos termos da Constituição e da lei;
f) julgar as acções de impugnação de eleições e de deliberação dos órgãos dos partidos políticos;
g) julgar as acções que tenham por objecto o contencioso relativo ao mandato dos deputados;
h) julgar as acções que tenham por objecto as incompatibilidades previstas na Constituição e na lei.
3. O Conselho Constitucional exerce as demais competências que lhe sejam atribuídas por lei. (Art. 243)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English(1) An appeal shall lie from decisions of the Court of Appeal to Her Majesty in Council as of right 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. 108)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English...
(2) The High Court shall have original jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate upon all civil disputes and criminal prosecutions, including cases which involve the interpretation, implementation and upholding of this Constitution and the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed thereunder. The High Court shall also have jurisdiction to hear and adjudicate upon appeals from Lower Courts.
(3) The jurisdiction of the High Court with regard to appeals shall be determined by Act of Parliament. (Art. 80)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English1. There shall be a Constitutional Court which is an independent body composed of a President, Vice-President and three members, who -as well as the three deputy members -shall be appointed for a period of five years at the recommendation of the National Assembly.
2. The tasks of the Constitutional Court shall be:
a. to verify the purport of Acts or parts thereof against the Constitution, and against applicable agreements concluded with other states and with international organization;
b. to assess the consistency of decisions of government institutions with one or more of the constitutional rights mentioned in Chapter V3.
… (Art. 144) - Dutch1. Er is een Constitutioneel Hof, zijnde een onafhankelijk orgaan, dat gevormd wordt door de voorzitter, de vice-voorzitter en drie leden, die – evenals de drie plaatsvervangende leden – voor een periode van vijf jaren op voordracht van De Nationale Assemblée door de President worden benoemd.
2. Het Constitutioneel Hof heeft tot taak:
a. het toetsen van de inhoud van wetten of gedeelten daarvan aan de Grondwet en aan van toepassing zijnde overeenkomsten met andere mogendheden en met volkenrechtelijke organisaties;
b. Het beoordelen van de verenigbaarheid van besluiten van overheidsorganen met één of meer der in Hoofdstuk V genoemde grondrechten.
... (Art. 144)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
1. The Constitutional Court decides on:
a) compatibility of the law with the Constitution or with international agreements, as foreseen in Article 122;
b) compatibility of international agreements with the Constitution prior to their ratification;
c) compatibility of normative acts of the central and local bodies with the Constitution and international agreements;
ç) conflicts of competencies between state powers, as well as between central government and local government;
d) constitutionality of political parties and other political organizations, as well as their activity, as per Article 9 of this Constitution;
dh) dismissal from duty of the President of the Republic and finding of his/her inability to exercise his/her functions;
e) matters connected to the electability and noncompliance in assuming the functions of the President of the Republic, of deputies, of functionaries of bodies foreseen in the Constitution, as well as to the verification of their election;
ë) constitutionality of the referendum and verification of its results;
f) conclusive adjudication of the complaints of individuals against the acts of the public powers or judicial acts impairing the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, after all effective legal means for the protection of these rights have been exhausted, unless provided otherwise by the Constitution.
2. The Constitutional Court, when recourse being sought for examining a law on the revision of the Constitution, approved by the Assembly according to Article 177, shall control only the compliance with the procedural requirements foreseen in the Constitution. (Art. 131) - Albanian
1. Gjykata Kushtetuese vendos për:
a) pajtueshmërinë e ligjit me Kushtetutën ose me marrëveshjet ndërkombëtare, siç parashikohet në nenin 122;
b) pajtueshmërinë e marrëveshjeve ndërkombëtare me Kushtetutën para ratifikimit të tyre;
c) pajtueshmërinë e akteve normative të organeve qendrore dhe vendore me Kushtetutën dhe me marrëveshjet ndërkombëtare;
ç) mosmarrëveshjet e kompetencës ndërmjet pushteteve, si dhe ndërmjet pushtetit qendror dhe qeverisjes vendore;
d) kushtetutshmërinë e partive dhe të organizatave të tjera politike, si dhe të veprimtarisë së tyre, sipas nenit 9 të kësaj Kushtetute;
dh) shkarkimin nga detyra të Presidentit të Republikës dhe vërtetimin e pamundësisë së ushtrimit të funksioneve të tij;
e) çështjet që lidhen me zgjedhshmërinë dhe papajtueshmëritë në ushtrimin e funksioneve të Presidentit të Republikës, të deputetëve, të funksionarëve të organeve të parashikuara në Kushtetutë, si dhe me verifikimin e zgjedhjes së tyre.
ë) kushtetutshmerinë e referendumit dhe verifikimin e rezultateve të tij;
f) gjykimin përfundimtar të ankesave të individëve kundër çdo akti të pushtetit publik ose vendimi gjyqësor që cenon të drejtat dhe liritë themelore të garantuara në Kushtetutë, pasi të jenë shteruar të gjitha mjetet juridike efektive për mbrojtjen e këtyre të drejtave, përveçse kur parashikohet ndryshe në Kushtetutë.
2. Gjykata Kushtetuese, në rastin kur vihet në lëvizje për shqyrtimin e një ligji për rishikimin e Kushtetutës, të miratuar nga Kuvendi sipas nenit 177, kontrollon vetëm respektimin e procedurës së parashikuar nga Kushtetuta. (Neni 131)
Jurisdiction and Access
- English
The Constitutional Court is referred [to a matter] by the President of the Republic, the President of the Council of the Nation, the President of the National People's Assembly or by the Prime Minister or the Head of the Government, according to the case.
It may equally be referred [to a matter] by forty (40) Deputies or twenty-five (25) members of the Council of the Nation.
The exercise of the referral enunciated in the two preceding paragraphs does not extend to the referral [to a matter] in a pleading [exception] of unconstitutionality enunciated in Article 195 below. (Art. 193) - Arabic
تخطر المحكمة الدستورية من رئيس الجمهورية أو رئيس مجلس األمة أو رئيس المجلس الشعبي الوطني أو من الوزير األول أو رئيس الحكومة، حسب الحالة.
يمكن إخطارها كذلك من أربعين (40) نائبا أو خمسة وعشرين (25) عضوا في مجلس األمة.
ال تمتد ممارسة اإلخطار المبين في الفقرتين األولى والثانية إلى اإلخطار بالدفع بعدم الدستورية المبّين في المادة 195 أدناه. (المــادة 193) - French
La Cour constitutionnelle est saisie par le Président de la République, le Président du Conseil de la Nation, le Président de l’Assemblée Populaire Nationale ou par le Premier ministre ou le Chef du Gouvernement, selon le cas.
Elle peut être également saisie par quarante (40) députés ou vingt-cinq (25) membres du Conseil de la Nation.
L’exercice de la saisine énoncée aux deux alinéas précédents ne s’étend pas à la saisine en exception d’inconstitutionnalité énoncée à l’article 195 ci-dessous. (Art. 193)