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Ratification is the process of adopting a constitution
or other nationally binding document (such as an amendment to a constitution) by the agreement of multiple subnational entities.
This process 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 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 super majority within
legislatures.
Ratification of the United States Constitution
See: Constitution of the United
States
Ratification of the European Union Treaty
In some parts of Europe, the Convention and its resulting constitution received little public attention until December 2003, when European heads of state met
(14 December) to finalise the document. Elsewhere, the text was the subject
of some controversy, during 2003 in the United Kingdom, where its
opponents see it as the start of moves towards a federal European superstate. On April
20, 2004, the British Prime
Minister Tony Blair surprisingly announced that the treaty would be subject
to a referendum in the United Kingdom.
Ireland
The ratification of the current Constitution of
Ireland was achieved by plebiscite in 1937.
See also: Amendment
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