Category: hp
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Term Limits Imperiled Again (this time in Colombia)
The perennial war of term limits versus presidents in Latin America seems to have opened a new front in Colombia — my native country, no less. There, it appears that term limits pose no match for popular President Uribe, whose supporters have pushed through a bill in the senate that paves the way for a…
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When Supreme Court justices attack … each other
Imagine if Justice O’Connor were to sponsor a full-page advertisement in the New York Times calling for the impeachment of her former colleague, Justice Kennedy, because she disagrees with the positions he has taken on some issue–say, voting rights. Hard to imagine, right?
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The Continental Divide Writ Small
One of the interesting phenomena in North American constitutionalism is the subtle duet of convergence alongside enduring divergence in the constitutional law and practice of the United States and Canada. The border between the two countries is often described as the longest friendly border in the world.
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Are Constitutions like Marriage?
The convenant binding two people “til death do [them] part” seems to have much in common with constitutions. Both contracts are highly symbolic and probably confer some degree of legitimacy upon unions that will inevitably weather their fair share of crises.
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Constitutional implications of Japan’s upcoming election
Japan’s Lower House elections will occur in a few days time on August 30. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has run Japan more or less continuously since its formation since 1955, is widely expected to go down to defeat. The opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) is expected to take the lead role in…
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Iraq’s Constitutional Review Committee Delivers its Final Report to Parliament
The Iraq Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) submitted its final report to the Iraq Parliament on July 27 with little notice or fanfare – over two and half years after it began its constitutionally mandated comprehensive review, the report comes in at 68 pages (in English) and represents dozens of proposed amendments to the 2005 Constitution.
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Guest Post: Constitutional Aftermath of Taiwan’s Typhoon
Typhoon Morakot, now known as Taiwan’s Katrina, brought not only a catastropic flood but also a political avalanche to Taiwan. Public criticism toward the government’s disordered, too-slow rescue efforts is giving rise to anger against President Ma, blaming him for his inaction, wooden qualities and incompetence as leader of the nation.
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Once Pinochet’s Censor, Now President of the Constitutional Court
Even close observers of Chile’s constitutional politics were taken by surprise when an electronic newspaper (‘El Mostrador’) reported a few weeks ago that the new President of the Constitutional Court had been the director of DINACOS (an agency organized during Augusto Pinochet’s regime to implement censorship).
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A noteworthy decision by the Mexican Supreme Court
On December 22, 1997 forty five persons from an indigenous community in Chiapas (a state of southern Mexico) were killed while they were praying early in the morning. The horrendous crime was followed by another one: under a lot of pressure the prosecutors captured and imprisoned fifty seven persons but several of them on false…
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Nepal’s Constitution Drafting Process
Nepal is in the midst of drafting a new constitution to address the aspirations of the many ethnic, religious, and linguistic groups that call Nepal “home”. This is a tall order, especially given that this constitutional process is part of a larger peace process aimed at, among other things, ending the decade-long “People’s War” launched…