The Constitution of Puntland is the

governing document 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 ...

and legal framework for the autonomous

Puntland Puntland is an autonomous state that considers itself to be part of Somalia, despite not accepting the legitimacy of Somalia's current governing administration. It was formed in 1998, and was a federal member state of Somalia from its fou ...

region of Somalia. It is the supreme law documenting the duties, powers, structure and function of the government of Puntland, subject only to

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

's federal

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 ...

. The current constitution, adopted on the 18 April 2012, is Puntland state's first and only permanent constitution.

Constitutions

1998 Provisional Charter

Delegates representing various local clans began arriving in

Garowe Garowe (, ,House of Representatives of Puntland House of Representatives of Puntland ''or'' Puntland Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of the Puntland. It has 66 members who are elected for a period of five years through universal suffrage. The House of Representatives has the po ...

on 05/06/2011. In conformity with Article 28, a constitutional commission was established and a new constitution proposed. The transitional constitution made way for an anticipated federal Somalia. The constitution was based on the following provisions: *Islamic Sharia *The system of idea sharing and collective decision making *The proportionality of Government powers; Executive, Legislative and Judiciary *Decentralization of governmental power *A multi-party system *Ensuring the existence of private ownership and the free market *Ensuring the individual fundamental rights and life, security and general stability.

Provisions of the current Puntland constitution

The current Puntland constitution was adopted on 18 April 2012. Out of 480 representatives, 472 representatives voted to approve the draft constitution.

Title I: "The Puntland State And Its Founding Principles"

*Article 1 - Name and purpose *Article 2 - Supremacy of the law *Article 3 - System of government *Article 4 - The people *Article 5 - The census *Article 6 - Land and boundaries *Article 7 - Language *Article 8 - Religion *Article 9 - Capital City *Article 10 - Flag, symbol and anthem

Title II: "The Fundamental Rights And Guarantees Of The Person"

*Chapter 1 - Individual rights and their suspension **Section 1 - Individual Rights **Section 2 - State of Exception of Individual Liberties *Chapter 2 - Social Rights **Section 1 - The Family *Chapter 3 - Citizenship and Electoral Procedures

Title III: "Economy"

***Article 46 - The economic order purpose ***Article 47 - Socio-economic system of a free enterprise ***Article 48 - Natural Resources ***Article 49 - Protection of the environment ***Article 50 - The role of the state in the economy ***Article 51 - Joint ventures companies ***Article 52 - Transaction of public property ***Article 53 - Nationalisation of private property

Title IV: "The Structure Of The Government"

*Chapter 1 - The Fundamental Organs of the State ***Article 54 - Parliamentary regime ***Article 55 - The three organs of the state ***Article 56 - Separation of organs ***Article 57 - Cooperation of organs *Chapter 2 - The Legislature **Section 1 - The House of Representatives **Section 2 - The Process of Law Formation *Chapter 3 - The Executive *Chapter 4 - The Judiciary *Chapter 5 - Other Fundamental Institutions of the State **Section 1 - The Office of the Attorney General **Section 2 - The Office for the Defence and Promotion of Human Rights **Section 3 - The Auditor General **Section 4 - Electoral Authority *Chapter 6 - Regional and District Administration **Section 1 - Regional Administration **Section 2 - District Administrations

Title V: "The Administrative Government Of Puntland"

*Chapter 1 - The Civil Service *Chapter 2 - Public Finances

Title VI: "Supremacy And Reform Of The Constitution"

*Article 133 - Pre-eminence of the constitution *Article 134 - Constitutional reforms *Article 135 - Harmonization of this constitution with federal constitution *Article 136 - Enforcement of the constitution

References

{{reflist

External links

2009 Constitution of Puntland
English translation from the

FAO The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; . (FAO) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger and improve nutrition ...

2007 first draft of the Constitution

Government of Puntland