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Panama is governed under the Constitution of Panama of 1972 as amended in 1978, 1983, 1993, 1994, and 2004.[1] This is Panama's fourth constitution, previous constitutions having been adopted in 1904, 1941, and 1946. The differences among these constitutions have been matters of emphasis and have reflected the political circumstances existing at the time of their formulation.[2]
Panama's successive constitutions have been respected to varying degrees by the republic's governments. Since the 1968 coup, opponents of various governments have accused them of violating the spirit and, at times, the letter of the constitution and of invoking the state of emergency provisions for purely political purposes. The creation of public confidence in the rule of law established by the constitution posed one of the major challenges to the government in the late 1980s.[2]
- ^ Constitución Política de la República de Panamá [Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama] (PDF). 1972.
- ^ a b
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Richard Millett (December 1987). Sandra W. Meditz and Dennis M. Hanratty (ed.). Panama: A Country Study. Federal Research Division. The Constitutional Framework.
