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que inicien enmiendas ó adiciones, el voto definitivo de los Estados volverá siempre al Congreso Nacional, que es al que corresponde escrutarlo y ordenar la promulgación de la enmienda ó adición que fuere sancionada.

ART. 132. Los períodos constitucionales del Poder Federal, durarán seis años contados desde el veintitrés de Mayo de mil novecientos cinco.

ART. 133. Al vencimiento de cada período y precisamente el veintitrés de Mayo, el Presidente de los Estados Unidos de Venezuela cesará en el ejercicio de sus funciones, y el Ministro de Relaciones Interiores entrará á ejercerla Presidencia de la República para los efectos de la trasmisión del poder.

ART. 134. Para todos los actos de la vida civil y política de los Estados, la base de población será la que determine el último Censo de la República aprobado por el Congreso.

ART. 135. En todos los actos públicos y documentos oficiales de la Nación ó de los Estados, se citará la fecha de la Independencia á partir del cinco de Julio de mil ochocientos once y la de la Federación, del veinte de Febrero de mil ochocientos cincuenta y nueve.

ART. 136. La presente Constitución, firmada por todos los miembros del Congreso Constituyente que se encuentren en esta capital, y con el "Cúmplase "del Ejecutivo Federal, será promulgada inmediatamente en el Distrito Federal, y tan luego como se reciba en los Estados de la Unión y Territorios Federales.

ART. 137. Se deroga la Constitución de veintinueve de Marzo de mil novecientos uno.

Dada en el Palacio Federal Legislativo, en Caracas, á 27 de Abril de 1904. Año 93 de la independe cia, y 46 de la Federación,

blies of the States or with the legislative chambers the votes given by the States shall always come back to the National Congress, which is the one called upon to count them and order the amendment if sanctioned to be promulgated.

ART. 132. The constitutional periods of the Federal power shall be six years to be counted from the twenty-third day of May, nineteen hundred and five.

ART. 133. At the expiration of each period, and precisely on May twenty-third, the President of the United States of Venezuela shall cease in the exercise of his functions, and the Minister of Interior Relations shall enter into the discharge of the Presidency of the Republic for the purpose of transferring it.

ART. 134. The basis of population for all the acts of the civil and political life of the States shall be determined by the last census of the Republic approved by Congress.

ART. 135. In all public acts and official documents of the Nation and of the States, mention shall be made of the date of the Independence, July fifth, eighteen hundred and eleven, and of that of the Federation, February twentieth, eighteen hundred and fifty-nine.

ART. 136. The present Constitution, signed by all the members of the Constitutional Congress who are in this capital, and the order of the Federal Executive, directing it to be complied with, shall be immediately promulgated in the Federal District and in the States and Territories of the Union, as soon as received there.

ART. 137. The Constitution of March twenty-ninth, nineteen hundred and is hereby repealed. The Federal Legisla

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REPUBLIC OF GUATEMALA.

HISTORICAL NOTES.

The Republic of Guatemala is a portion of the vast territory, which up to 1821 belonged to Spain and constituted what was called "The Kingdom of Guatemala.'

This Kingdom, founded in 1542, and ruled by a "Captain-general,' who, nominally at least, was subordinate to the Viceroy of Mexico, proclaimed its independence from Spain, on September 15, 1821, and succeeded in securing it without bloodshed.

Three years thereafter, representatives duly elected by the people of Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica, met at Guatemala City (La Antigua), and framed and promulgated (November 22, 1824) a Federal constitution, under which the five nations became States of a Union, to be known by the name of "Federación de Centro América," or "Central American Federation." (See Appendix 6.)

On the 21st of March, 1847, the federal compact was broken, and the independence of Guatemala was proclaimed. This action was reaffirmed in 1851, under the Acta Constitutiva de la Republica de Guatemala ("Constitutional Act of the Republic of Guatemala”), which was in force until January 29, 1855, when it was amended.

A Constitutional Convention, held at the city of Guatemala, framed on the 23d of October, 1876, the instrument called "Pro-Constitución de Guatemala" (Pro-Constitution of Guatemala). The supreme power of the Republic was then vested in Don José RUFINO BARRIOS. (See Appendix 7.)

A new Constitution, promulgated December 11, 1879, was put in operation on the 1st of March, 1880. That Constitution, as amended on November 5, 1887, is the one now in force.

LIST OF IMPORTANT BOOKS TO BE CONSULTED IN REFERENCE TO THE CONSTITUTION OF GUATEMALA.

AROSEMENA (JUSTO). Estudios constitucionales sobre los Gobiernos de la América latina. Paris, 1878.

SAVARIA (SALVADOR A.). Manual de instrucción cívica.

SARAVIA (ANTONIO G.). La administración pública.

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CONSTITUTION.

(Promulgated December 11, 1879, as amended November 5, 1887.)

Los Representantes del Pueblo soberano de Guatemala, legítimamente convocados, y reunidos en suficiente número, han decretado y sancionado las leyes fundamentales, que reunidas en un solo cuerpo forman la siguiente Constitución de la República.

TÍTULO I.

DE LA NACIÓN Y SUS HABITANTES.

ARTÍCULO 1. Guatemala es una Nación libre, soberana é independiente. Delega el ejercicio de la soberanía en las autoridades que establece la Constitución.

ART. 2. Mantendrá y cultivará con las demás Repúblicas de CentroAmérica, íntimas relaciones de familia y reciprocidad. Y siempre que se proponga la nacionalidad centro-americana de una manera estable, justa, popular y conveniente, la República de Guatemala estará pronta á reincorporarse en ella.

ART. 3. El Poder Supremo de la Nación es republicano, democrático y representativo, y se divide para su ejercicio en legislativo, ejecutivo, y judicial, y habrá en sus funciones entera indepen

dencia.

ART. 4. Los guatemaltecos se dividen en naturales y naturali zados.

ART. 5. Son naturales:

1o. Todas las personas nacidas ó

We, the representatives of the sovereign people of Guatemala, lawfully called to convene and assembled in sufficient number, do hereby decree and sanction the fundamental laws which, united in a single body, form the present Constitution of the Republic.

TITLE I.

THE NATION AND ITS INHABITANTS.

ARTICLE 1. Guatemala is a free, sovereign, and independent Nation. The exercise of its sovereignty is delegated to the authorities established by the Constitution.

ART. 2. Guatemala shall maintain and cultivate intimate family and reciprocal relations with the other Republics of Central America. And whenever the Central American nationality should be again brought into existence, in a suitable, just, popular, and advisable manner, the Republic of Guatemala shall be ready to become a part thereof.

ART. 3. The supreme power of the Nation is republican, democratic, and representative, and is divided into three branches, namely, legislative, executive, and judicial, which shall be entirely independent of each other in the exercise of their functions.

ART. 4. Guatemalans are divided into native and naturalized.

ART. 5. Native Guatemalans are: 1. All those born or who may

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