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Tracking Constitutional Change: 2026 Mid-Year Update from ConstitutionNet

By Alexandra Oancea, 7 July 2026

Voters lining at polling station to cast their ballots for the 2026 constitutional referendum in Bangladesh (credit: Press Information Department of Bangladesh via Wikimedia Commons)

This article was originally published in the latest issue of the Constitutional Studies journal. The Constitutional Studies journal is an international open access, double-blind peer reviewed academic journal published twice annually by the Comparative Constitutions Project and the International Association of Constitutional Law.
The information in this article is current as of June 30, 2026. For the latest updates on constitution building worldwide, consult ConstitutionNet.

Established and managed by the Constitutional Governance and Rule of Law Programme of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), ConstitutionNet is the online knowledge-sharing hub for the constitution-building community. It is the only platform dedicated to generating, collating, and disseminating knowledge and updates on constitution-building processes worldwide.

Through ConstitutionNet’s Voices from the Field series, we invite constitutional experts from around the world to analyze the process and content of reforms in their respective countries. In 2026, we have so far published more than 20 original analyses on critical ongoing constitutional reform processes. Through these articles, Voices has expanded its coverage to approximately 140 countries since its launch in 2013. A key strength of the Voices series is the reliance on in-country expertise, as authors are practitioners and scholars from or operating in the countries under discussion to ensure grounded perspectives and locally informed analysis. To complement our Voices articles and provide comprehensive updates on constitution building worldwide, our regular news digest has already brought over 150 pieces of constitutional news to our readers this year.

This article provides an overview of key constitutional developments highlighted in our Voices series and news digests during the first half of 2026, including reform efforts that warrant close attention in the coming months.

Asia and the Pacific

Across the Asia and Pacific region, constitutional reform has been high on the political agenda.

In early 2026, Kazakhstan unveiled a controversial draft constitution, which was approved by a popular referendum on March 15. While framed as a parliamentary reform and a democratic renewal, the new constitution expands presidential powers, undermines checks and balances, and raises concerns regarding its potential to allow for the extension of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s tenure.

In Thailand, voters approved the drafting of a new constitution in February, marking the first step toward reforming the military-era 2017 Constitution. However, this is only the beginning of a complex constitutional replacement process which, following a series of (controversial) court rulings, has been clarified to require three referenda: an initial one to authorize the drafting of a new constitution, a second to approve the framework and principles of the drafting process, and a final referendum to approve the completed draft. Following the first February referendum, the remainder of the process could take at least two more years. In May, the ruling Bhumjaithai Party submitted a draft constitutional amendment proposing the establishment of a Constitution Drafting Assembly to move the constitutional reform agenda forward.

Elsewhere, calls to reform the constitution are intensifying in places like Nepal, Japan, and Fiji and will deserve close attention. It will be particularly important to follow developments in Armenia, which, following the government’s pledge to accelerate the timeline for drafting a new constitution and announcements by the Ministry of Justice that a draft was ready and would be published in March, now appears reluctant to unveil it to the public. Amid stalled peace negotiations with Azerbaijan, concerns about the underlying political motivations behind the process, and the failure of the ruling party to secure a constitutional majority in the June 7 parliamentary elections, the prospects for constitutional change remain uncertain.

In other places across the region, constitutional reform efforts have stalled or failed. In February, voters in Bangladesh cast their ballots in concurrent parliamentary elections and a constitutional referendum and endorsed the ambitious reform proposals of the July Charter. However, unclarity as to which of the reforms are binding, and the refusal of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party to engage in the proposed Constitutional Reform Assembly, cast doubt on their success.

In the Maldives, a constitutional amendment to hold presidential and parliamentary elections simultaneously and shorten the current parliamentary term was passed in parliament on February 10 but failed by a wide margin during a nationwide referendum on April 4 amidst fear that the reform would undermine legislative checks over the executive.

In Malaysia, a proposal to limit the prime minister’s term to 10 years, which Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s coalition pledged to pass in the 2022 general elections, failed to pass in parliament. According to the Constitution of Malaysia, the prime minister is to stay in office for as long as he commands “the confidence of the majority of the members of the House of Representatives.”

Finally, in the Republic of Korea, a parliamentary vote on a constitutional amendment bill—which would, among other changes, grant the National Assembly the authority to approve or lift martial law—was declared invalid after a large-scale opposition boycott left the plenary session short of the required quorum of 191 lawmakers.

Europe

In Europe, 2026 has so far seen the successful advancement of numerous constitutional reform efforts.

In Luxembourg, the Chamber of Deputies definitively adopted in June a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the freedom to access abortion, making Luxembourg the second country in the world, after France, to enshrine this freedom in its Constitution. In Spain, a similar proposal to include an explicit right to voluntary termination of pregnancy in the constitution was approved by the Council of Ministers and will now have to secure a challenging three-fifths majority in both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate to move forward.

In Switzerland, voters agreed to include the right to use cash in the constitution during a nationwide referendum, joining other European countries such as Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia, while the Czech Republic has made a commitment to undertake the same reform, alongside enshrining the national currency in the constitution.

Some failed attempts at constitutional reform include Italy where voters rejected a constitutional amendment to separate the functions of judges and prosecutors, currently united in a single body, during a nationwide referendum. While the reform was purportedly introduced to strengthen the impartiality and transparency of Italy’s judicial system, many had raised concerns about threats to prosecutorial independence and autonomy.

Moreover, a constitutional amendment proposing to transform Norway into a republic failed in parliament, with 141 out of 169 in favor of continuing the monarchy, while France’s National Assembly rejected a constitutional amendment bill to reform the status of New Caledonia as a state within the French Republic.

Countries worth monitoring for the remainder of the year include Hungary and Greece. In Hungary, following the landslide victory of Péter Magyar’s TISZA Party—ending the 16-year rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán—and Magyar’s pledge to “restore the rule of law, plural democracy, and the system of checks and balances,” domestic and international expectations for the incoming government to restore constitutional democracy remain high. In June, Parliament adopted a constitutional amendment limiting prime ministerial terms to a maximum of eight years, a key campaign promise of the TISZA Party and a measure that effectively precludes a future return to power by Orbán.

In Greece, following Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ announcement of the launch of a constitutional revision process, the ruling New Democracy party submitted an ambitious constitutional reform package to Parliament in early June. In accordance with Greece’s constitutional amendment procedure, while the current parliament is responsible for identifying the constitutional provisions to be revised, the parliament elected after the 2027 general election will determine and adopt the final content of the amendments

Africa

Africa has experienced a significant number of important constitutional developments so far in 2026.

In Somalia, the final set of constitutional amendments to the Provisional Constitution adopted in March 2026 put a formal end to a constitutional review process that lasted for more than 14 years. However, for the constitution to become permanent, the amendments will need to be endorsed in a popular referendum. Amidst strong opposition from some federal member states and threats of organizing parallel elections, their faith remains uncertain.

In Algeria, a set of constitutional amendments were adopted in March affecting executive authority, parliamentary procedure, judicial governance, and electoral oversight. While framed as ‘technical’ and aimed to refine the operations of the 2020 Algerian Constitution, the reform arguably reorganizes how power is exercised across key institutions.

In Cameroon, parliament approved a constitutional reform introducing the office of vice president and a new framework for presidential succession. The vice president, a post absent since 1984, is to be appointed by presidential decree and may be dismissed by the president. The new Article 6 introduces an “automatic succession” mechanism under which the vice president would assume office and serve the remainder of the presidential term in the event of the president’s death, resignation, or permanent incapacity. This replaces the previous system, which provided for interim succession by the president of the senate and required a presidential election within a set timeframe. The reform has been widely criticised for prioritising executive continuity over electoral renewal and for lacking effective checks on the vice president. It remains to be seen who will be appointed as the inaugural vice president, and how the reform will affect the 2026 and 2031 election cycles.

Other ambitious reform efforts are underway in the region. In Botswana, despite widespread public concern about the timing of the reform—particularly given the state of the economy and the costs involved—parliament has approved the Constitution (Amendment) Bill, 2025, paving the way for the establishment of the country’s first constitutional court. The proposal is now set to proceed to a national referendum.

In Ghana, the Constitutional Review Committee, tasked with submitting proposed amendments to the 1992 Ghanaian Constitution, submitted its final report to President John Mahama in January. The government is expected to release a position paper and establish a Constitutional Review Implementation Committee to advance the reform agenda in the coming months. As many of the proposals will require approval by referendum, political and public consensus will be essential.

In Zimbabwe, the National Assembly approved a controversial constitutional amendment in late June. Among other changes, it extends presidential and parliamentary terms from five to seven years, which would prolong incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s tenure until 2030, replaces direct presidential elections with parliamentary selection, and consolidates executive control over key state institutions. Mnangagwa is expected to sign the bill into law in the coming weeks.

In Senegal, two years after the election of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and his pledge to pursue broad political reforms, and following the organization of national dialogues on the country’s justice system in 2024 and political system in 2025, the government has unveiled a package of four draft laws, including a proposal to revise the constitution and an organic law establishing a constitutional court to replace the existing Constitutional Council of Senegal. More recently, the National Assembly adopted a controversial constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening parliamentary oversight and curbing certain presidential powers, although the reform might ultimately be submitted to a referendum. Amid a deepening political rift between President Faye and former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko—who was dismissed by Faye on May 22 and elected speaker of the National Assembly a few days later—the prospects for these reforms remain highly uncertain.

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, President Félix Tshisekedi’s suggestion that he might seek a third term once his mandate expires in 2028—despite the constitutional two-term limit preventing it—have triggered strong resistance from opposition parties, now united in a new coalition. Recent efforts by the ruling majority to advance referendum legislation widely viewed as facilitating future constitutional amendments have further intensified political tensions and the constitutional standoff, warranting close scrutiny.

Other places to watch closely include Tanzania, where calls for a new constitution ahead of the 2029 local elections and 2030 general elections are gaining momentum, and where the government has committed to initiating the drafting of a new constitution, and Madagascar, where tensions between Colonel Michael Randrianirina’s interim government and the Gen Z movement have intensified, casting doubt on the promised constitutional reforms ahead of the planned June 2027 constitutional referendum and October 2027 general elections.

Americas and the Caribbean

The Americas and the Caribbean have seen several important constitutional developments so far in 2026.

In January, only a few months after the entry into force of its controversial new constitution, Nicaragua ratified a constitutional amendment eliminating dual citizenship, except for Central American citizens by birth residing in Nicaragua. While the regime justifies the measure by arguing that “whoever acquires another nationality and swears loyalty to a foreign State breaks the legal and moral bond with Nicaragua,” many see it as a tool for Co-Presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo to further crackdown on dissent among the Nicaraguan diasporas.

In El Salvador, where the maximum prison sentence used to be 60 years, the Legislative Assembly passed a constitutional amendment to Article 27, allowing life sentences for individuals convicted of murder, rape, and terrorism as part of the government crackdown on gang members. The reform has been heavily criticized, notably because of its applicability to children under 18 years old.

In Barbados, against the backdrop of its Westminster parliamentary system, the government passed a constitutional amendment requiring members of parliament to vacate their seats if they resign, are expelled, or cross the floor. The reform raised some criticism amid fears that it could be abused and lead to strategic manipulation and expulsion of members of parliament for partisan advantage, as well as regrets about the lack of comprehensive constitutional reform in the country.

In Mexico, while President Claudia Sheinbaum’s proposal to amend the electoral provisions in the constitution was rejected in March amidst fear that it would concentrate the powers of the ruling party, a controversial constitutional bill proposing the inclusion “foreign interference” as a ground to annul election results passed in the Senate at the end of May. Mexico and Brazil also both introduced constitutional amendments reducing the maximum workweek to 40 hours.

Countries to watch for potential developments include Colombia and Canada. In Colombia, President Gustavo Petro is reviving calls for the establishment of a constituent assembly to reform the constitution, a proposal that will require the support of more than two million citizens to move forward and which Petro intends to present to Congress by the end of July.

Finally, in Canada, the premier of Alberta has announced that a referendum would take place in October to ask Albertans whether Alberta should remain a province of Canada, or whether the government should start the legal process to hold a binding provincial separation referendum.

Conclusion

International IDEA’s Voices from the Field series and news digest provide readers with insightful analyses and updates of constitution-building developments around the world. In the first half of 2026, a number of constitutional reforms have successfully progressed, though some have been controversial, and others have stalled or failed. At the same time, many countries have laid the groundwork for significant constitutional overhauls that will warrant close monitoring in the coming months. Through ConstitutionNet, we will continue to deliver timely updates in 2026, tracking constitutional reform processes as they unfold globally.

ConstitutionNet welcomes contributions from local experts and practitioners who can provide firsthand insights into constitutional developments in their countries. Interested contributors are encouraged to contact the ConstitutionNet team at constitutionnet@idea.int.

About the Author

Alexandra Oancea is the Editor of ConstitutionNet and Associate Programme Officer for the Constitutional Governance and Rule of Law Programme at International IDEA.

Suggested Citation

Alexandra Oancea, 'Tracking Constitutional Change: 2026 Mid-Year Update from ConstitutionNet', ConstitutionNet, International IDEA, 7 July 2026, https://constitutionnet.org/news/voices/