Editing Constitutional Commission

{{Short description|A legal entity approved by a government to review a constitution}}
{{more citations needed|date=February 2008}}

A '''constitutional commission''' is a body of [[commissioner]]s appointed by a government for the purpose of making or revising a [[constitution]]. The commissioners are typically experts.<ref>Bulmer. Westminster and the World. Bristol University Press. 2020. [https://books.google.com/books?id=cLEEEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA239 p 239].</ref> However, in a country governed by a [[military regime]], the commissioners may be actual or alleged experts whose political opinions match those of that government,<ref>Ninsin and Drah (eds). Ghana's Transition to Constitutional Rule. Ghana Universities Press. 1991. p 79. [https://books.google.com/books?id=yDIuAQAAIAAJ Google]</ref> and in other countries there may perceptions or allegations that the commissioners include such persons.<ref>Anne Twomey. "Constitutional Conventions, Commissions and other Constitutional Reform Mechanisms". University of Sydney Law School. Legal Studies Research Paper No 08/38. April 2008. pp 19 & 20. Also published at 19 Public Law Review 308.</ref> The commission may be advisory or preparatory to another body or to a [[referendum]].<ref>(1976) 119 Informational Bulletin [https://books.google.com/books?id=RSJLAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA17 16]</ref>

A number of bodies have been called a '''Constitutional Commission'''.

==Afghanistan==
*[[Afghan Constitution Commission]]
**[[Timeline of the War in Afghanistan (August 2003)]]
*[[Reigns of Nadir Shah and Zahir Shah]]

== Australia ==
{{further|Constitutional history of Australia}}

In 1985 a Constitutional Commission was established (by the [[Bob Hawke|Hawke]] [[Australian Labor Party|Labor]] government) to review the Australian Constitution and reported in 1988.<ref>{{cite book|title=Final Report of the Constitutional Commission 1988|location=Canberra|publisher=Australian Government Publishing Service|year=1988}}</ref> It was seen as too partisan by many [[Liberal Party of Australia|Liberals]] and the eventual referendum questions were not supported; leading to the lowest 'yes' vote count for any referendum in [[Australia]] (in [[1988 Australian referendum|1988]]).

== Canada ==
{{further|Constitutional history of Canada}}

The federally initiated [[Rowell–Sirois Commission]] of 1937 to 1940 recommended (successfully) that the federal government take over [[unemployment insurance]] and [[pensions]] from the provinces.

The Quebec-initiated [[Royal Commission of Inquiry on Constitutional Problems]] of 1953 to 1956 argued (unsuccessfully) for the devolution of more powers to the Province of Quebec.

The federal [[Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism]] recommended (successfully) that Canada become officially [[bilingual]] and [[bicultural]] (later modified to ''multi''cultural).

==Philippines==
{{Main|Constitution of the Philippines}}
{{See also|Constitution of the Philippines#Article_IX – Constitutional Commissions}}
In January 1942, the [[Philippine Executive Commission]], or PEC, was established as the temporary caretaker government of the [[City of Greater Manila]], and eventually, of the whole Philippines during the Japanese occupation of the country during World War II. The PEC existed until the Japanese-sponsored [[Second Philippine Republic]] was established in October 1943.

In 1986, [[President of the Philippines|President]] [[Corazon Aquino]] dissolved the 1973 Constitution and called for its revision. From February 1986 to February 1987, the Philippines was governed under a provisional constitution called the "Freedom Constitution", which was drafted by her Executive Secretary [[Joker Arroyo]]. In September 1986, the [[Constitutional Commission of 1986]] was set up with all its members appointed by Aquino. The revised Philippine Constitution was ratified by a [[1987 Philippine constitutional plebiscite|plebiscite]] with 76% of votes in the affirmative.

An unrelated concept is a "constitutional commission", which is a commission created by the 1987 Constitution. These are governmental bodies that are independent of the three main branches of government. These constitutional commissions are the:
*[[Civil Service Commission (Philippines)|Civil Service Commission]]
*[[Commission on Audit (Philippines)|Commission on Audit]]
*[[Commission on Elections (Philippines)|Commission on Elections]]

The 1987 Constitution does not place upon a constitutional commission the task of amending the Constitution—that task falls to the [[Constitutional Convention (Philippines)|Constitutional Convention]], the [[Constituent Assembly (Philippines)|Constituent Assembly]], or the [[People's Initiative]], the three constitutionally sanctioned methods of amending the Constitution.

==Scotland==

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==Seychelles==
*[[Politics of Seychelles#Return to multiparty system|Seychelles Constitutional Commission]], established in 1992

==Tanzania==
*[[Tanzanian Constitutional Review Commission]]

==See also==
*[[Constitutional convention (political meeting)]]
*[[Constituent Assembly]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Constitutional commissions| ]]