Constitutional convention (political custom)

:Alternative meaning: Constitutional convention (political meeting)

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A constitutional convention is an informal and uncodified procedural agreement that is followed by the institutions of a state. In some states, notably those

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Commonwealth of Nations states which follow the Westminister system and whose political systems are derived from British constitutional law, most of the

Related Topics:
Commonwealth of Nations - Westminister system - British constitutional law

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functions of government are guided by constitutional

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convention rather than by a formal written constitution.

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In these states, the actual distribution of power may be

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markedly different from those which are described in the

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formal constitutional documents. In particular, the formal

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constitution often confers wide discretationary powers to

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the head of state which in practice are used only on

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the advice of the head of government.

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Some constitutional conventions operate separate from or alongside written constitutions, others, notably in Britain, which has no written constitution, have a form of constitutional status. Many old conventions have been replaced or superseded by laws.

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