Ratification

de:Ratifikation Ratification is the process of adopting an international treaty, or a constitution or other nationally binding document (such as an amendment to a constitution) by the agreement of multiple subnational entities. The process of ratifying a constitution is most commonly observed in federations such as the United States or confederations such as the European Union.

Different organizations have different rules for how a constitutional change is ratified. Federations usually require the support of both the federal government and a certain percentage of the subsidiary entities. Some ratification processes also require a supermajority within legislatures.

The ratification of international treaties follows the same rules as the passing of laws in most democracies. An important exception is the United States, where treaty ratification requires a two-thirds majority in the U.S. Senate (and the U.S. House of Representatives does not vote on it at all). This makes it considerably more difficult in the US than in other democracies to rally enough political support for international treaties.

Ratification of the United States Constitution

See Constitution of the United States.

Ratification of the European Constitution

In some parts of Europe, the Convention the constitution it drafted received little public attention until 2003, when European heads of state met on 14 December to finalise the document. The ratification process will vary from country to country, with at least nine member states planning to hold referendums. Lithuania became the first country to ratify the constitution on 11 November 2004. Ratification must take place in all member states before the constitution comes into force. For more, see Treaty establishing a constitution for Europe.

Ireland

The ratification of the current Constitution of Ireland was achieved by plebiscite in 1937.