Saudi Arabia · Constitution
Basic Law of Governance
Not a constitution in the ordinary sense. Article 1 declares that the kingdom's constitution is the Qur'an and the Sunna of the Prophet, and the Basic Law is a royal decree setting out the system of government beneath them. It establishes the monarchy as hereditary within the descendants of the founder, requires the state to protect Islam and apply the Sharia, and enumerates duties of the state and rights of the family, property and privacy. There is no elected legislature, no provision for judicial review of royal decrees and no amendment procedure separate from ordinary royal decree.
The constitutional text
Not a constitution in the ordinary sense. Article 1 declares that the kingdom's constitution is the Qur'an and the Sunna of the Prophet, and the Basic Law is a royal decree setting out the system of government beneath them. It establishes the monarchy as hereditary within the descendants of the founder, requires the state to protect Islam and apply the Sharia, and enumerates duties of the state and rights of the family, property and privacy. There is no elected legislature, no provision for judicial review of royal decrees and no amendment procedure separate from ordinary royal decree.
Separation of powers
Unitary. Thirteen provinces headed by governors drawn from the royal family and appointed by the King, each with an appointed provincial council. No legislative competence exists below the national level.
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