Identity in the Constitution

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student in Public Law , Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Private Law, Faculty of Law, Theology and Political Science, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

10.22034/qjplk.2025.2041.1833

Abstract

Identity is recognized as a new normative concept in the constitution, determining the main elements of the constitution, including its type and structure. Violating this concept can undermine the validity and legitimacy of a country's constitution. Today, the concept of identity in the constitution and its function is a point of contention in the political and legal fields within the European Union, and it can be said that the initial discussions regarding the principle of identity in the constitution stem from these disputes and the political and legal competencies between the Union and its member states. Some member countries use the principle of identity in the constitution to express opposition or even resist the expansion of powers of EU-affiliated institutions. Although identity in the constitution is a static and fixed principle, various limited or unlimited interpretations can be derived from the principle of identity in the constitutions of different countries. For this reason, international law has remained silent regarding the constitutional identities of countries. This study examines the reasons and mechanisms of the principle of identity in the constitution, focusing on the legal representations of the constitutional identity of Hungary, a member state of the EU that has fundamental disagreements with the Union on issues such as immigration laws. It concludes that in unlimited identities, the content and function of constitutional identity can be unclear or even contradictory; however, in countries like the Islamic Republic of Iran, where identity is focused on limited principles, its function in the constitution is prominent and clear, preventing contradictions and conflicts within the principles of the constitution.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Books
European Public Law. (2021).Volume 27, Issue 4 , https://doi.org/10.54648/euro2021032.
Harris, William F. II. (1993). The Interpretable Constitution (Johns Hopkins University Press.
Jacobsohn, Gary Jeffrey. (2010).Constitutional Identity (Harvard University Press.
Krishnaswamy, Sudhir. (2010). Democracy and Constitutionalism in India: a Study of the Basic Structure Doctrine (Oxford University Press.
McClellan, James. (2000). Liberty, Order, and Justice: An Introduction to the Constitutional Principles of American Government (3rd ed., Liberty Fund.
Raz, Joseph. (2009). Between Authority and Interpretation (Oxford University Press.
Negretto, Gabriel L. (2012).Replacing and Amending Constitutions: The Logic of Constitutional Change in Latin AmericaLaw - Society Review, Vol. 46, Iss:4, Published online by Cambridge University Press.
 
Articles
Colón-Ríos,Joel I. (2010). ‘Legitimacy of the Juridical: Constituent Power, Democracy, and the Limits of Constitutional Reform’, 48(2) Osgoode Hall L. J.
Dr. Horcher Marosi Ildikó, Dr. Salamon László, dr. Shanda Balázs, Dr. Stumpf István és. AB Alkotmánybíróság határozata az alkotmányjogi panasz elutasításáról, az Alkotmánybírák párhuzamos indokolásával, Alkotmánybírósági ügyszám: IV/2341/2014, Budapest, 2017.
Fabbrini, F. and Sajó, A. (2019).‘The dangers of constitutional identity’ 25 European Law Journal .
Fromage, D. and de Witte, B., ‘National Constitutional Identity Ten Years on: State of Play and Future Perspectives’ (2021) 27 European Public Law.
Polzin, M. (2017).‘Constitutional Identity as a Constructed Reality and a Restless Soul’ 18 German Law Journal .
Szente, Z., ‘The Controversial Anti-Migrant Referendum in Hungary is Invalid’, Constitutional Change (11 October 2016), <https://www.constitutional-change.com/the-controversial-anti-migrantreferendum-in-hungary-is-invalid/> accessed 1 April 2022.
Szente, Z. (2013).‘The Doctrine of the Holy Crown in the Hungarian Historical Constitution’ 4 Journal on European History of Law.
Várnay's, Ernő, ‘Unpopular Constitutionalism’ (2014) 89 Indiana Law Journal.
von Bogdandy, A. and Schill, S. (2011).‘Overcoming Absolute Primacy:Respect for National Identity under the Lisbon Treaty’ Common Market Law Review, 21 German Law Journal .
Wing, Catherine Adrienne and Nye Smith, Monica. (2006). Muslim Women, France and The headscarf ban, presented at the University of California, Davis.
 
Documents
Chronowski Nóra, Vincze Attila, AB határozat - Az Uniós közös hatáskörgyakorlás, (HVG-ORAC - Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont,2021).
Detailed Discussions of the Constitutional Revision Council of the Islamic Republic of Iran, General Directorate of Cultural Affairs and Public Relations of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. (2002). Tehran: Islamic Consultative Assembly Printing House,Second edition,Vol. 3. (in Persian)
Judgment of the German Federal Constitutional Court (2 BvR 859/15) on the Public Sector Purchase Program of the ECB, Judgment of 5 May 2020.
Petition from the Senate of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, seeking review of whether the Treaty of Lisbon amending the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community is consistent with the constitutional order of the Czech Republic, 2008/11/26.
The Preamble Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.
Working documents of Working Group V, which prepared the mendment, have been published on the website of the European Convention, http://european-convention.eu.int.

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 11 August 2024
  • Revise Date: 20 September 2024
  • Accept Date: 30 September 2024

Share

How to cite

Statistics