ConstitutionNet Updates: May 2018

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Dear Reader,

In the May newsletter, we share with you four original Voices from the Field pieces and a number of updates on constitutional reform processes in different parts of the world.

Constitutional reforms in Chad formally enhance the decentralized system of governance, but strengthen the powers of the president. Despite calls for a referendum, the reforms were approved by parliament, whose mandate has been extended without fresh elections since June 2015. The island of Tobago is seeking constitutional reforms towards self-government. Despite political and popular support for the initiative, the process has been slow and overshadowed by urgent popular preoccupations.

For the first time in almost four decades, a South Korean president proposed extensive constitutional reforms. While parliament did not approve the reforms, the proposals are likely to trigger and influence future amendment initiatives. The rejection may also signal a token of maturity of Korean politics. The unprecedented change of government in Malaysia provides important opportunities to undertake much needed reforms regarding the judiciary, electoral administration and freedom of expression. Such progressive reforms would break the pattern of regressive amendments.

The remaining updates cover reform efforts from Cuba to Australia, and Mozambique to Poland. There are also new publications including a primer on the constitutional regulation of emergency powers and a graphic illustration on systems of government.

ConstitutionNet Analyses - Voices from the Field
  Malaysia’s democratic hope: Proposals for constitutional reforms
by Jaclyn L. Neo
Towards a Tobago self-government? Constitutional reforms in Trinidad and Tobago
by Derek O’Brien and Matthew Gayle
Presidential proposal for constitutional revision in South Korea: Unlikely to be passed but significant step forward
by Jongcheol Kim
Reforming the content, rather than context, of the Chadian constitution: Old wine in a new bottle?
by Dr Siodina Mandibaye Dominique
 
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What we are reading this month
  Op-ed: Presidential term limits: Slippery slope back to authoritarianism in Africa
 
Op-ed: The perils of semi-presidentialism in Sri Lanka: The collapse of cohabitation and the design of executive power
 
Op-ed: A radical thought: Could constitutional monarchies be important aids to democracy?
 
Op-ed: Why are so many democracies breaking down?
 
 
Africa
Asia and the Pacific
Europe
Latin America and the Caribbean
North America
More >

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