Constitution of the Netherlands
Basic law of the Netherlands / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Constitution of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Dutch: Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden) is one of two fundamental documents governing the Kingdom of the Netherlands[1] as well as the fundamental law of the European territory of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is generally seen as directly derived from the one issued in 1815, constituting a constitutional monarchy; it is the third oldest constitution still in use worldwide. A revision in 1848 instituted a system of parliamentary democracy. In 1983, the most recent major revision of the Constitution of the Netherlands was undertaken, almost fully rewriting the text and adding new civil rights.
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Constitution of the Netherlands | |
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Overview | |
Original title | (in Dutch) Grondwet voor het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden van 24 augustus 1815 |
Jurisdiction | Kingdom of the Netherlands |
Ratified | 24 August 1815; 208 years ago (1815-08-24) |
Date effective | 24 August 1815; 208 years ago (1815-08-24) |
System | Constitutional monarchy |
Government structure | |
Branches | Three (executive, legislature and judiciary) |
Chambers | Two (Senate and the House of Representatives) |
Executive | Prime Minister-led Council of Ministers responsible to the House of Representatives |
Federalism | Unitary |
Electoral college | No |
Last amended | 22 February 2023; 15 months ago (2023-02-22) |
Supersedes | Grondwet van den Staat der Verëenigde Nederlanden (1814) |
The text is sober, devoid of legal or political doctrine and includes a bill of rights. It prohibits the judiciary from testing laws and treaties against the constitution, as this is considered a prerogative of the legislature. There is no constitutional court in the Netherlands.
The Kingdom of the Netherlands also includes Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten: there is an overarching instrument of the entire kingdom that has constitution characteristics: the Statute of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Sint Maarten is the only country in the kingdom of the Netherlands that has a constitutional court to govern the Sint Maarten legislature