The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution

Although an integral part of most constitutions, the preamble has been on the margin of interest of legal studies for a long time. The key reason may rest on the fact that the legal nature of the preamble has not been fully determined and clarified yet. The process of determining and defining its le...

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Main Author: Simović Darko
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Law, Niš 2020-01-01
Series:Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Nišu
Subjects:
Online Access:https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0350-8501/2020/0350-85012087015S.pdf
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author Simović Darko
author_facet Simović Darko
author_sort Simović Darko
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description Although an integral part of most constitutions, the preamble has been on the margin of interest of legal studies for a long time. The key reason may rest on the fact that the legal nature of the preamble has not been fully determined and clarified yet. The process of determining and defining its legal nature is a delicate task, particularly considering that it is a phenomenon which lies at the junction between politics and law. Given the fact that most constitutions do not determine the legal effect of the preamble, the legal theory has engendered three distinct perspectives on the legal nature of the preamble. According to the first point of view, a preamble is a ceremonial political declaration and an introductory statement into the normative part of the constitution, for which reason it lacks the operative legal value. The second point of view attributes limited legal significance to the preamble, but only as an auxiliary tool for interpreting unclear constitutional norms, as it classifies them into a relevant socio-political context. According to the third point of view, the preamble is an integral part of the constitution and its legal effect is equal to the normative part of the constitution. The author suggests that any principal viewpoints and extremes should be avoided in drawing conclusions in this field because the legal nature of the preamble first and foremost depends on its content.
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spelling doaj.art-ba518b1c52cf4398ba0ae9cbc938c89b2022-12-21T17:56:14ZengFaculty of Law, NišZbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Nišu0350-85012560-31162020-01-01598715360350-85012087015SThe legal nature of the preamble to the constitutionSimović Darko0Kriminalističko-policijski Univerzitet u Beogradu, SerbiaAlthough an integral part of most constitutions, the preamble has been on the margin of interest of legal studies for a long time. The key reason may rest on the fact that the legal nature of the preamble has not been fully determined and clarified yet. The process of determining and defining its legal nature is a delicate task, particularly considering that it is a phenomenon which lies at the junction between politics and law. Given the fact that most constitutions do not determine the legal effect of the preamble, the legal theory has engendered three distinct perspectives on the legal nature of the preamble. According to the first point of view, a preamble is a ceremonial political declaration and an introductory statement into the normative part of the constitution, for which reason it lacks the operative legal value. The second point of view attributes limited legal significance to the preamble, but only as an auxiliary tool for interpreting unclear constitutional norms, as it classifies them into a relevant socio-political context. According to the third point of view, the preamble is an integral part of the constitution and its legal effect is equal to the normative part of the constitution. The author suggests that any principal viewpoints and extremes should be avoided in drawing conclusions in this field because the legal nature of the preamble first and foremost depends on its content.https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0350-8501/2020/0350-85012087015S.pdfconstitutionpreambleconstitutional courtconstitutionalismrepublic of serbia
spellingShingle Simović Darko
The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
Zbornik Radova Pravnog Fakulteta u Nišu
constitution
preamble
constitutional court
constitutionalism
republic of serbia
title The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
title_full The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
title_fullStr The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
title_full_unstemmed The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
title_short The legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
title_sort legal nature of the preamble to the constitution
topic constitution
preamble
constitutional court
constitutionalism
republic of serbia
url https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0350-8501/2020/0350-85012087015S.pdf
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