DIRECTIVE FOR THE FIRST NATIONAL CONSTITUTION DAY

DIRECTIVE FOR THE FIRST NATIONAL CONSTITUTION DAY*

December 3, 2014

The Constitution is the fundamental law of the country, the general statute of governance, and the embodiment of the will of the Party and the people. It enjoys the highest legal status, authority and effect. It is a good Constitution that suits China’s national conditions and realities, and conforms to the requirements of the times. It is the fundamental legal guarantee for our country and people to overcome difficulties and risks, withstand tests, and continue to advance along the path of socialism with Chinese characteristics. To ensure law-based governance of the country, we must first ensure governance based on the Constitution; to ensure law-based exercise of state power, we must first ensure exercise of state power based on the Constitution. We must uphold the unity of Party leadership, the people’s status as masters of the country, and law-based governance. We must unswervingly follow the path of socialist rule of law with Chinese characteristics and safeguard the authority of the Constitution and the law. The establishment of National Constitution Day presents an opportunity to strengthen education about the Constitution, uphold its letter and spirit, improve the awareness of the need to abide by it, and promote its full implementation. We should give better play to the important role of the Constitution in building a moderately prosperous society, expanding reform, and advancing the rule of law in an all-round way.

∗ On December 4, 1982, the current Constitution of the People’s Republic of China was adopted at the Fifth Session of the Fifth National People’s Congress. In October 2014, the Fourth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee adopted the Decision on Some Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Advancing the Rule of Law, which proposed the designation of December 4 of each year as National Constitution Day. In November of the same year, the 11th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People’s Congress adopted the Resolution on the Establishment of National Constitution Day, officially declaring December 4 as National Constitution Day.

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