Interim Constitution (South Africa)
This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2022) |
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 | |
---|---|
Parliament of South Africa | |
Long title
| |
Citation | Act 200 of 1993 |
Enacted by | Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 |
Status: Repealed |
The Interim Constitution was the
History
An integral part of the negotiations to end apartheid in South Africa was the creation of a new, non-discriminatory constitution for the country. One of the major disputed issues was the process by which such a constitution would be adopted. The African National Congress (ANC) insisted that it should be drawn up by a democratically elected constituent assembly, while the governing National Party (NP) feared that the rights of minorities would not be protected in such a process, and proposed instead that the constitution be negotiated by consensus between the parties and then put to a referendum.[1][2]
Formal negotiations began in December 1991 at the
In April 1993, the parties returned to negotiations, in what was known as the Multi-Party Negotiating Process (MPNP). A committee of the MPNP proposed the development of a collection of "constitutional principles" with which the final constitution would have to comply, so that basic freedoms would be ensured and minority rights protected, without overly limiting the role of the elected constitutional assembly.[2] Adopting this idea, the parties to the MPNP drew up the Interim Constitution, which was formally enacted by the apartheid-era Tricameral Parliament and came into force on 27 April 1994.
References
- ^ a b c Barnes, Catherine; de Klerk, Eldred (2002). "South Africa's multi-party constitutional negotiation process". Owning the process: Public participation in peacemaking. Conciliation Resources. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
- ^ a b c Goldstone, Richard (1997). "The South African Bill of Rights". Texas International Law Journal. 32: 451–470.
External links
- Text of the 1993 Constitution at South African Government Information
- The full text of Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1993 at Wikisource