Politics Case

What is the constitution?

The constitution is a set of rules , written or unwritten that establish the powers, duties & functions of various institutions of government. It also regulates the relationship between them and define the relationship between the state and the individual.

The constitution sets out the rules for the political system and the basis for government, it is the supreme law of the land , all other laws owe their authority to it & is subject to it

It makes the process of governance a rule bound activity thus government exercises legitimate authority since it drains its power from the constitution The constitution acts to limit the government's powers by

giving an indication of how the state should be governed by defining the structure of government and allowing for the creation of a state institution.

defining the allocation of authority between state institutions, i.e How the state should act and behave toward citizens

outlining rights and freedoms and stating how these are to be protected

Outline how government officials or elected

having everything written down so that if an individual thinks government is acting illegally a check can be made

preventing the executive from making any changes to the constitution to increase its power

being the supreme part of a political system , therefore parliament ( the legislature) is not sovereign and cannot increase its power at will

having a bill of rights, a feature of limited government, whereby citizens are granted constitutionally guaranteed rights to protect them from government and other citizens.

having the involvement of the people when amendments or made which broadens the concept of democracy

having entrenched provisions, these are specially protected parts of the constitution which can only be changed through special procedures. For example some of these provisions are Section 1 which establishes the supremacy of the constitution, Section 2 which deals with citizenship and section 3 the bills of rights.