What does it take to move from a centralized system to federalism or devolution? 🏛️ Our brief explains the challenges and options for organizing government power across multiple levels to improve accountability and responsiveness:

👇🧵 5 constitutional developments you may have missed this week from ConstitutionNet: constitutionnet.org/news

Want to build a constitution that truly protects women’s rights? 🤝⚖️ Our Constitution Assessment for Women’s Equality tool helps you assess constitutions through a gender equality lens and analyse the most critical issues affecting women’s rights: buff.ly/jtq98rC

Laos has undertaken its most far-reaching constitutional revision in a decade, introducing 62 amendments and five new provisions. Kazuo Fukuda explores the fast-tracked process, changes to local governance, economic policy, and anti-corruption bodies, and implementation challenges: buff.ly/TZjzpzE

📜How can constitutions protect your rights to education, healthcare, housing, and fair work? Our primer breaks down why these rights matter and how they can be included in constitutions: buff.ly/2v59sXw

🪪 Nicaragua amended its new Constitution to eliminate dual citizenship. Our piece explains why this is not a technical reform, but a tool of transnational repression aimed at severing exiles’ ties to their country, and consolidating dynastic rule : constitutionnet.org/news/voices/...

🗞️ In our January constitution building newsletter: ✍️ Expert analyses on Venezuela, Nepal and Ghana 🌍 Global constitutional news you may have missed 📢 Applications for Constitution Building in Africa Summer Course 🔗 Read more: buff.ly/sugt6BK 👉 Subscribe: bit.ly/3IguwEy

How do constitutions protect minorities within minorities? Our brief explores the challenge of ethnic minorities within minorities in federal systems:

🧭 On 3 January, U.S. special forces captured and extracted Nicolás Maduro, abruptly ending the rule of an authoritarian leader who had governed Venezuela since 2013. ❓️The operation has reopened a question: is a democratic transition possible in Venezuela? 📝 Read more: buff.ly/wjblz2t

How do constitutions shape natural resource governance in post-conflict settings? 🌿 Our paper explores why natural resource governance is often missing from political settlements and what can help increase levels of financial accountability:

How can constitutions be more inclusive? Our primers explore how they can reflect plural identities, interests, and priorities: 🧩Religion–State Relations: buff.ly/qSZFyOa 🧩Official Language Designation: buff.ly/D6nAZ1h 🧩Federalism: buff.ly/hkSWpoO

Nepal’s Gen Z movement didn’t just protest a social media ban, it helped overthrow a government. Our latest analysis unpacks how youth-led unrest exposed cracks in Nepal’s constitution, led to an unprecedented interim PM, and sparked a push for reform. Read the full analysis 👇 buff.ly/OxCVF8D

🕊️ How are constitutions made in fragile and conflict-affected settings? Explore our Database, a searchable resource tracking constitution-building processes across more than 200 data points in eight different stages:

👇🧵 5 constitutional developments you may have missed this week from ConstitutionNet: constitutionnet.org/news

🔎 The removal of Nicolás Maduro has reopened a fundamental question: can #Venezuela finally transition to constitutional democracy after decades of authoritarian rule? 👇 Our new piece breaks down what a genuine transition would require:

What happens when a region wants to break away? 🗺️ Our brief explains how countries handle secession, whether they allow it, ban it, or stay silent. Learn about the key choices that shape a country’s future:

🪧Nepal’s Gen Z movement erupted over a social media ban in Sept 2025, sparking deadly clashes and toppling the government. A new 10-point agreement now paves the way for constitutional review and reform. 👉 Read more: constitutionnet.org/news/voices/...

How do constitutional systems balance power, and who keeps it in check? Explore our primers on: 🕵️Fourth-Branch Institutions: buff.ly/lS7IOAU 🏛️Government Formation and Removal: buff.ly/yzeuYeO 👑Constitutional Monarchs: buff.ly/RPyZNKX

💡Have you missed our latest analysis? After nationwide consultations, Ghana's Constitution Review Committee proposes sweeping changes, from curbing “imperial presidency” to overhauling anti-corruption, courts & Parliament. 👇Nicholas Opoku breaks it down: bit.ly/3ZbSar3

🌍📝 When Indigenous Peoples are meaningfully included in constitution-making, their rights can be better protected. Our Tool helps assess how well constitutions reflect and protect Indigenous rights:

Our workshop with Cuestiones Constitucionales and @derechodelestado.bsky.social convenes students and journal editors to discuss #student #editorial work on journals, among other topics, at the IACL World Congress. Submit your abstract by January 23 to join us: wccl2026.com/en/call-for-....

💌 Missed our last constitution building newsletter? ✍️ Expert analyses on #Djibouti and #Kyrgyzstan 🌍 Constitutional news from around the world 📚 New Constitutional Studies issue 🏆 Our most-read analyses and publications in 2025 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/4qKNWmb 👉 Subscribe: bit.ly/3IguwEy

Do territorial claims shape constitution-making during moments of political change? 🌍 Our paper explores how territorial demands influence constitution-making during transitions and complex negotiations:

💡Ghana’s biggest constitutional reform push in a decade is here. After nationwide consultations, Ghana's Constitution Review Committee proposes sweeping changes, from curbing “imperial presidency” to overhauling anti-corruption, courts & Parliament. 👇Nicholas Opoku breaks it down: bit.ly/3ZbSar3

When and how rights can be limited? Dive into our primers on: ⚖️ Limitation clauses – when rights can be lawfully restricted: buff.ly/MotbniQ 🚨 Emergency powers – what governments can do in times of crisis: buff.ly/7FbLwuL

📢 Applications are open for the Central European University Summer programme "Constitution Building in Africa: Pathways to Democracy and the Rule of Law". 👉 Apply by 1 March (for visa and scholarship applicants) and 15 April (for self-funded participants not needing a visa): buff.ly/QtH0bji

Our 2025 retrospective brings together everything we tracked this year: more than 30 expert analyses and 250+ constitutional reform updates from across the world. What reform worries you most going into 2026? 🔗 bit.ly/4qepzNP #Democracy #RuleOfLaw #Constitution

How do elections and constitution-building shape each other in fragile and conflict-affected states? 🗳️📜 Explore the complex links between legitimacy, sequencing, and stability in post-conflict transitions:

🌍 2025 in constitution-building: citizens mobilised—from Brazil to Bangladesh—yet most constitutional reforms strengthened executive power, weakened courts, or curtailed rights. Our new analysis reviews global trends in 2025 and what to watch in 2026: bit.ly/4qepzNP

In 10 post-conflict substate contexts, what role can substate constitutions play? 🕊️ Our paper explores how these documents help structure power, define governance systems, and codify rights, making them vital tools for managing conflict and securing stability:

🗞️ In our latest newsletter: ✍️ Expert analyses on #Djibouti and #Kyrgyzstan 🌍 News from around the world 📚 New Constitutional Studies journal issue and ConstitutionNet annual retrospective 🏆 Our most-read analyses and publications in 2025 🔗 Read more: bit.ly/4qKNWmb 👉 Subscribe: bit.ly/3IguwEy

📜🖋️Thinking about writing a constitution? Start with the basics! Explore our primers to understand what a constitution is: buff.ly/1Wixdtn & how it can be amended: buff.ly/8Y3yGkm

In late 2025, Kyrgyzstan proposed bringing back capital punishment for crimes against women and children. Murat Karypov situates the proposal within broader trends of democratic backsliding, and examines its implications for human rights and the rule of law: buff.ly/9yw8rwU #HumanRights #RuleOfLaw

🌎 In 2025, we published 30+ articles on constitutional changes globally. In the latest edition of the @constlstudies.bsky.social journal, we review the trends: amendments that weakened or strengthened democracy, the rise and fall of new constitutions, and reforms to watch in 2026: bit.ly/3L2EGKZ

Our new issue assesses constitutionalism in the age of extremes. Explore these extremes and potential responses with pieces on #academicfreedom, #economicinequality, #executivepower, #diplomaticextremes, #AI, #constitutionalreform, #courts, #teachinglaw, and more. Read at tinyurl.com/5n7zxtp6.

🛡️Can democracy be designed to resist backsliding? Elected leaders are increasingly undermining democratic institutions from within. Our report unpacks how it happens, and what can be done to stop it: constitutionnet.org/vl/item/desi... #Democracy #RuleOfLaw #Backsliding #Constitution

Want to understand the role of presidents? Discover our primers on: 🗳️President election & removal: buff.ly/qHuk7if ❌Their veto powers: buff.ly/WF7gVhK 🏛️Their legislative powers: buff.ly/AL7zq9A 🎖️Non-executive presidents: buff.ly/L7CL5vO #President #Democracy #RuleOfLaw

What shaped global constitution-building in 2024? 🌍📜 Stalled processes, post-coup reforms, and new constitutional innovations are all covered in our Annual Review: buff.ly/kPaRF6z #Constitution #Democracy #RuleofLaw

Can reinstating the death penalty strengthen justice, or does it undermine constitutional guarantees?⚖️ Kyrgyzstan proposed amendments to bring back the death penalty for crimes against women and children, raising concerns around shrinking civic space and democratic backsliding: bit.ly/4plvdfQ

📜🌍 Curious about the work of International IDEA’s Constitution-Building team? Learn more about how we support inclusive and democratic constitution-making worldwide: buff.ly/jKPmEpk #Constitution #Democracy #RuleofLaw

⚖️ How can constitutions safeguard fairness and independence in justice systems? Discover key options for regulating the prosecution service — and the vital role of the chief prosecutor — in our primer: buff.ly/UTc03qQ #Justice #RuleOfLaw #Prosecution #Constitution #Governance

🏛️ What role do political parties play in constitutions? Our primer explores how constitutions shape the roles, rights and regulation of political parties in a democracy: buff.ly/I5LgTU3 #Constitution #PoliticalParties #Democracy #RuleOfLaw

Djibouti’s 2025 constitutional revision marks a turning point. By removing the presidential age limit, tightening eligibility, and sidelining referendums, the reform clears the way for President Guelleh to extend his rule, and reshapes the balance of power ahead of the 2026 election: buff.ly/cTJYrXa

🌍 How can young people understand and engage with constitutions? “Let’s Talk About Constitutions!” uses cartoons and simple language to teach the basics: buff.ly/CqIOMNh #Constitution #Youth #CivicEducation #Democracy

💭 International IDEA works to ensure that human rights are not abstract ideals, but lived realities for all. In this new blog, we are spotlighting six of our essential resources that demonstrate how constitutions can safeguard human rights: buff.ly/Nbb8udK #HumanRights #Democracy #RuleOfLaw

🌍 How can constitutional design address territorial divisions? Our Brief explores the spatial arrangement of public power to manage autonomy, identity, and resources: buff.ly/WoY6LWu #Constitution #Governance #Federalism #Peacebuilding

🧩 How can constitutions treat regions differently? Our publication explores when, how and with what consequences asymmetry has been used in constitution building across Asia and the Pacific: buff.ly/P66fbNe #Constitution #Governance #RuleOfLaw #Decentralization

Que se passe-t-il lorsque la réforme devient un outil de pouvoir à vie ?⚖️ À Djibouti, la suppression de limite d’âge présidentielle, le durcissement des conditions d’éligibilité et la mise à l’écart des référendums ont ouvert la voie au président Guelleh pour briguer un 6ᵉ mandat : bit.ly/450vgpU

What happens when reform becomes a tool for lifetime rule?📜⚖️ In Djibouti, the removal of the presidential age limit, tighter eligibility rules, and the sidelining of referendums have cleared the way for President Guelleh to seek a 6th term: bit.ly/44xhZFf #Djibouti #Reform #RuleOfLaw

🗞️ Missed our last newsletter? ✍️ Expert analyses on Ecuador, Pakistan, Bangladesh & Zambia 🌍 Global news you may have missed 📚 @internationalidea.bsky.social publications for Human Rights Day & 2024 International Review of Constitutional Reform 🔗 Read: bit.ly/48Hf3H4 👉 Subscribe: bit.ly/3IguwEy