Plan for Progress  

A Constitutional Amendment is any form of adjustment to the constitution of a sovereign nation. The constitution of a country is a lists of rulings that are approved by the congress of a state that are implemented to govern its people.In order for these amendments to be made, there are special measures that need to be implemented, which can sometimes require different procedures from that which is put into place everyday laws. The decision to make an amendment in constitution is granted as a result of a request by either the members of the legislature system or through the request of certain citizen’s association. However, some changes in constitution can only be approved with the direct influence of the electorate in a referendum.

The way in which a constitution is altered may vary from country to country. In some states the jurisdictions entail that a constitutional amendment must be agreed upon by the legislature of a country on two counts wihtin two separate but consecutive terms, and is achieved by running a general election. The legislature is then put on hold to accommodate a general election whenever it is being adopted for the first time. This is done in countries like Denmark, The Netherlands, Iceland and Norway and in sub-national entities in America like Iowa, Vermont and Wisconsin.

In countries like the US three quarters of the legislature body have to agree upon an amendment in the constitution before it can be formally put into practice. In countries like Switzerland, Canada and Australia, different requirements apply. In Canada, after a proposition is made by congress then the consent of a provincial legislature is required. While in Switzerland and Australia, a constitutional amendment has to be passed by the leading vote of electorates including separate majorities in each state within the country.

Many countries also combine various elements from each amendment procedure. In cases like the French, their constitution amendment system is formulated from one or two procedures. It can either be done by a majority vote or by a referendum. In the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts a constitutional amendment has to be made by a special majority of legislature during two consecutive terms which is then sent to a referendum for a final approval.

In Austria, the Constitutional settings are much more has much less constraints associated with the placement of constitutional amendments. Almost any piece of parliamentary legislation can be selected as constitutional law if the required supermajority and other formalities for a change in constitution are fulfilled. An amendment may take the form of a change of the centerpiece of the constitution, an alteration to another constitutional act, the B-VG, a new constitutional act, or a section of constitutional law in a non-constitutional act.