A basic law is either a

codified constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these princ ...

, or in countries with uncodified constitutions, a law designed to have the effect of a constitution. The term ''basic law'' is used in some places as an alternative to "

constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed. When these pri ...

" and may be intended as a temporary but necessary measure, until the formal enactment of a constitution. "Basic law" is sometimes used to avoid it being taken to be, like a constitution, "the highest law". There may be various reasons, such as religion, for this.

Germany

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

the term " Basic Law" () was used to indicate that the Basic Law was provisional until the ultimate

reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

. However, when Germany finally reunified in 1990, no new constitutions were adopted and instead the Basic Law was adopted throughout the entire German territory.

Hong Kong and Macau

The Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China, namely

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

and

Macau Macau or Macao is a special administrative regions of China, special administrative region of the People's Republic of China (PRC). With a population of about people and a land area of , it is the most List of countries and dependencies by p ...

, have basic laws as their constitutional documents. The basic laws are the highest authority, respectively, in the territories, while the rights of amendment and interpretation rest with the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China.

Israel

The

Basic Laws of Israel The Basic Laws of Israel () are fourteen quasi-constitutional laws of the Israel, State of Israel, some of which can only be changed by a supermajority vote in the Knesset (with varying requirements for different Basic Laws and sections). Many of ...

are fourteen quasi-

constitutional law Constitutional law is a body of law which defines the role, powers, and structure of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the parliament or legislature, and the judiciary; as well as the basic rights of citizens and, in ...

s of the State of Israel, were originally intended to be draft chapters of a future Israeli constitution, which has been indefinitely postponed since 1950.

Saudi Arabia

Promulgated in 1992, the Basic Law of Saudi Arabia has nine chapters, consisting of 83 articles without a separate

preamble A preamble () is an introductory and expressionary statement in a document that explains the document's purpose and underlying philosophy. When applied to the opening paragraphs of a statute, it may recite historical facts pertinent to the su ...

. While the

Saudi king The king of Saudi Arabia, officially the king of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (; ''Malik al-Mamlakat al-ʿArabiyat as-Suʿūdiyya''), is head of state and of the Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who holds absolute monarchy, absolute powe ...

exercises sovereign authority, the constitutional principles are explicitly tied to

Islamic theology Schools of Islamic theology are various Islamic schools and branches in different schools of thought regarding creed. The main schools of Islamic theology include the extant Mu'tazili, Ash'ari, Maturidi, and Athari schools; the extinct ones ...

and

Sharia law Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, inta ...

. Following the issuance of the basic law, an advisory consultative council was established in 1993.

List of basic laws

Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany () is the constitution of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came into effect on 23 May after having been approved b ...

* Basic Law of Saudi Arabia * Basic Law, Fundamental Law or

Constitution of Hungary The Fundamental Law of Hungary (), the country's constitution, was adopted by parliament on 18 April 2011, promulgated by the president a week later and entered into force on 1 January 2012. It is Hungary's first constitution adopted within a dem ...

Basic Laws of Sweden The Basic Laws of Sweden () are the four constitutional laws of the Kingdom of Sweden that regulate the Swedish political system, acting in a similar manner to the constitutions of most countries. These four laws are: the Instrument of Governme ...

Basic Statute of Oman The Basic Statute of the State (also referred to as the Basic Law) is the cornerstone of the Omani legal system and it operates as a constitution for the country. The Basic Statute was issued in the year 1996 and thus far has been amended twice ...

Hong Kong Basic Law The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China is a national law of China that serves as the organic law for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). With nine chapters, 160 article ...

* Macao Basic Law * Philippine

Bangsamoro Organic Law The Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL; ), also known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL), and officially designated as Republic Act No. 11054, is a Philippine law that provided for the establishment of the Bangsamoro, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Mu ...

(sometimes called the Bangsamoro Basic Law) * Constitution of the Ottoman Empire, also called as the Basic Law ()

References