Pillar of democracy? These countries have no constitution (and some do well)

They can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and obviously have other guiding documents. Most have Constitutions – they are just not published. Some don’t fare well in democracy rankings, but others we know well.

According to , saying “Unwritten Constitution” is an expression that can be misleading, as it does not mean that the Constitution is not written, but rather that it is not codified into law.

But there are countries that, in fact, do not have a unified written Constitution that is included in national law. This, of course, does not exclude that there are other rules that play similar roles.

In the Middle East, there are two: Israel and Saudi Arabia. They are governed by “Basic Laws”. But the fact that Israel does not have a Constitution has raised international discontent in light of the conflict in Palestine. The explains that the fact that Israel does not have a Constitution is problematic because “Constitutions restrict the power of governments by defining precisely who has what rights.”

also a country as old as San Marino (the oldest in Europe) does not have a Constitution in force. THE Canada is another country without a Constitution, along with the United Kingdom and the New Zealand. The Constitution exists, but because it is old it is not incorporated into law. And this does not mean that they are not democratic countries.

New Zealand ranks eighth among the most democratic countries, and the United Kingdom and Canada are also among the top 25.

According to the WPR, the Sweden it also doesn’t exactly have a written Constitution. “Sweden’s unwritten constitution is mainly made up of four legislative acts that regulate the organization of government, freedom of the press, freedom of speech and succession. Together with some parts of the Act of Parliament, these are considered fundamental laws and are above other laws.”