Countdown to Christmas

8 - Constitution

• Constitutions are documents that lay down the basic rules in a state. They take precedence over ordinary laws and ordinances. They also define and limit the powers of the government and all state authorities.
   
• In modern democratic states, the electoral processes and the competences of the individual levels of government are also defined and delimited from one another. From a liberal perspective, the protection of individual rights against encroachments by the state, but also against violations by other citizens, is particularly important.
   
• Constitutions with their long-term, general orientation should guarantee that short-term interests or rulers working against people's freedom do not cause great harm to people's freedom and self-determination.

Inventor

General regulations existed very early on. However, the Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to make a clear distinction between simple law and constitutional law. He also collected and commented on the constitutions of his time. The oldest constitution still in force is the Constitution of the United States. Written in 1787, ratified in 1788, and in operation since 1789, it was the first liberal constitution.