Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by InternetArchiveBot (talk | contribs) at 03:36, 9 July 2019 (Rescuing 1 sources and tagging 0 as dead. #IABot (v2.0beta15)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Constituent state" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2016) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Part of the Politics series
Politics
Outline Index Category
Primary topics Outline of political science Index of politics articles Politics by country Politics by subdivision Political economy Political history Political history of the world Political philosophy
Political systems Anarchy City-state Collective leadership Confessional system Democracy Dictatorship Directorial Federacy Feudalism Hybrid regime Meritocracy Monarchy Parliamentary Presidential Republic Semi-parliamentary Semi-presidential Theocracy
Academic disciplines Political science (political scientists) International relations (theory) Comparative politics Election science Political analysis Political theory Policy studies Political psychology Political sociology
Public administration Bureaucracy (street-level) Technocracy Adhocracy Service (Public / Civil)
Policy Public policy (doctrine) Domestic policy Foreign policy Civil society Public interest
Government branches Separation of powers Legislature Executive Judiciary Election commission
Related topics Sovereignty Polity / State / Country Theories of political behavior Biology and political orientation Political organisations Critique of political economy
Subseries Electoral systems Elections voting Unitarism Federalism Government (forms / Governance) Ideology Culture Political campaigning Political parties
Politics portal
v t e

A constituent state is a state entity that constitutes a part of a sovereign state. A constituent state holds regional jurisdiction over a defined administrative territory, within a sovereign state. Government of a constituent state is a form of regional government. Throughout history, and also in modern political practice, most constituents states are parts of complex states, like federations or confederations. Constituent state can have republican or monarchical form of government. Those of republican form are usually called states or autonomous states, republics or autonomous republics, and also cantons. Those that have monarchical form of government are often defined by traditional hierarchical rank of their ruler (usually a principality, or an emirate).

Federated state

Constituent states united in a federal union under a federal government are more specifically known as federated states. There are numerous historical examples for constituent states within various federations. In modern political practice, among most notable examples are U.S. states and constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Confederated state

Constituent states united in a confederal union under a confederal government are more specifically known as confederated states. Some of the most notable historical examples of constituent states within a confederation are States of the German Confederation and States of the Confederate States of America. In modern political practice, notable examples are Cantons of Switzerland or Entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Associated state

States existing in free association with another sovereign state can be considered constituent states of a constitutional entity. For example, the Cook Islands, New Zealand and Niue constitute the three constituent countries of the Realm of New Zealand, united under a single head of state: the King or Queen of New Zealand.

Other forms of constituent states

Administrative units that are not federated or confederated but enjoy a greater degree of autonomy or self-government than other territories within the same country can be considered constituent states of that country. This relationship is by some authors called a federacy. Autonomous republics like Karakalpakstan in Uzbekistan

Political status of breakaway states

The concept of a constituent state is also used in political processes and negotiations regarding the status of various breakaway states. It is often proposed as a compromise solution or an alternative to formal recognition of a secessionist state that has unilaterally declared independence, and whose de jure sovereignty remains in dispute.

The Caucasus

The South Caucasus region consists of a number of breakaway and autonomous republics in addition to the states of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia recognised by the United Nations.

The breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have effectively maintained independence since declaration, are considered constituent republics of Georgia by the majority of world governments. The Republic of Artsakh, which is also independent in effect, is considered by the United Nations to be a constituent entity of Azerbaijan.

Cyprus

The country of Cyprus is divided between two independent political entities: the internationally recognised Republic of Cyprus in the south, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which is recognised as a sovereign state only by Turkey. Both entities are given the title of constituent state of Cyprus by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Annan Plan for reuniting Cyprus consistently used the term constituent state to refer to each entity.

Proposal for Palestine

The term constituent state has also been used to label both states in proposals for federal solutions to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. It can also describe the region of Palestine at present, which is divided between the governments of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Somalia

Because of the ongoing war in Somalia, the Somali country is now divided into a number of constituent states with varying degrees of independence from the Transitional Federal Government.

The breakaway republic of Somaliland in the north, which maintains de facto independence over its territory, is still regarded by member states of the United Nations as a constituent state of Somalia despite its declaration of independence in 1991. The states of Puntland and Galmudug in central and northeastern Somalia retain control over their own territories with little to no oversight from the federal government, which is based in Mogadishu in the south. The administrations in these states have stated that, unlike Somaliland, they do not seek outright independence from Somalia, and are merely maintaining stability until such a time when the government can effectively implement a permanent constitution for the country.

In the south and in opposition to the central government are regions administered by various Islamic insurgent groups, most notably Hizbul Islam and al-Shabaab, both of which seek to establish Sharia law within the country.

Kosovo

The Republic of Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from the Republic of Serbia in February 2008.

Other administrative entities

Palau

Palau is divided into sixteen administrative divisions termed "states", which were before 1984 called municipalities. The change in terminology reflects the fact that these divisions are afforded a larger degree of autonomy than before, with each state having its own constitution. As a unitary republic, however, the government of Palau is centralised and these divisions exist solely to establish regional government; they are not united in a federal union.

Burma

Like Palau, the government of Myanmar, or Burma, presently operates as a unitary state, with sovereignty confined within the central government. Burma comprises a number of "states", which exist alongside the country's regional divisions. Both "states" and "divisions" can be described as ethnically defined; while the Bamar remain predominant within divisions, the states are mostly dominated by minority groups.

In terms of politics, the use of the term "state" in this context is largely historical, with a number of these states having been united in various federal unions during the British colonial period. At present, most states are afforded a greater degree of autonomy than other divisions. Political separatism in many states is rampant, and territory controlled by the central government in these cases is limited. In these cases, jurisdiction within a state is mostly confined to its respective regional government.

In addition, various proposals have been made for instituting federalism in Burma, which would allow these states to implement individual constitutions.

Other uses

The term "constituent state" is sometimes also used to refer to member states of an international organisation. It is used within the European Union to refer to member states. It is also used to refer to sovereign states in bilateral negotiations or agreements between two or more states.

See also

• Country
• Constituency
• Federated state

References

1. Constituent Units Risk Lengthy Dependency on Federal Aid Archived 2010-12-18 at the Wayback Machine. Bird, Richard M (2009). Forum of Federations. Accessed 2009-11-01.
2. California. Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed 2009-11-01.
3. Website of the Governor-General of New Zealand. Accessed 2009-11-01.
4. Stepan, Alfred (1999), "Federalism and Democracy: Beyond the U.S. Model" (PDF), Journal of Democracy, 10 (4): 19–34, doi:10.1353/jod.1999.0072
5. International Covenant On Civil And Political Rights, p 5. United Nations Human Rights Committee. Accessed 2009-11-01.
6. Aghayev, Nasimi (2008), Caucasian Review of International Affairs (PDF), p. 13, retrieved 2009-11-01
7. Annan Plan - Final Revision Archived 2011-07-21 at the Wayback Machine. UNFICYP. Accessed 2009-11-01.
8. Federal/Confederal Solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian Conflict Elazar, Daniel J. Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Accessed 2009-11-01.
9. Somaliland's 'Path to Recognition'. Reynolds, Paul (2008). BBC. Accessed 2009-11-01.
10. The Signs Say Somaliland, but the World Says Somalia. Lacey, Mark (2006). The New York Times. Accessed 2009-11-01.
11. Political Background Archived 2012-11-20 at the Wayback Machine Stylianou, Stelios. Range Resources, p 7. Accessed 2009-11-01.
12. Hardline Islamists in Somalia Mail Foreign Service (2009). Mail Online. Accessed 2009-11-01.
13. ^ "Field Listing: Administrative Divisions". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. 2009-10-01. ISSN 1553-8133. Archived from the original on 2009-08-09. Retrieved 2009-11-01. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
14. Callahan, Mary (2007). Political Authority in Burma's Ethnic Minority States. Pasir Panjang, Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. p. 56. ISBN 978-981-230-462-9. p18.
15. Wa Army to Celebrate 20th Anniversary Archived April 17, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Wai Moe (2009). The Irrawaddy. Accessed 2009-11-01.
16. Federal and State Constitutions Online Burma Library. Accessed 2009-11-01.
17. The KIO Proposal. Kachin Independence Organization. Letter to the National Convention Commission, and National leaders of the Union. Accessed 2009-11-01.

External links

• [REDACTED] Quotations related to Constituent state at Wikiquote

• Political geography
• Constitutional state types