Ratifikasi

Ratifikasi ialah kelulusan prinsipal terhadap perbuatan ejennya yang tidak mempunyai kuasa di sisi undang-undang untuk mengikat prinsipalnya. Istilah ini digunakan dalam undang-undang kontrak persendirian, perjanjian antarabangsa, dan perlembagaan persekutuan seperti di Amerika Syarikat dan Kanada.

Undang-undang swasta

Dalam kontrak undang-undang, keperluan ratifikasi boleh timbul melalui dua cara:

1. Seseorang ejen mencuba mengikat prinsipalnya, walaupun tidak berkuasa untuk berbuat demikian: Satu contoh ialah pekerja yang biasanya tidak bertanggungjawab terhadap pembelian bekalan mengikat kontrak untuk berbuat demikian bagi pihak majikannya. Apabila majikan mendapat tahu kontrak itu, dia berhak meratifikasikan atau menolaknya.
2. Seseorang prinsipal memberikan ejennya kebenaran untuk mengikat perjanjian, tetapi berhak meluluskannya. Keadaan ini adalah biasa dalam perjanjian tawar-menawar kolektif kesatuan sekerja. Kesatuan sekerja memberikan kebenaran kepada satu atau lebih orang untuk berunding dan memeterai perjanjian dengan pihak pengurusan, tetapi perjanjian itu tidak sah di sisi undang-undang sehingga anggota-anggota kesatuan meratifikasikan perjanjian itu. Jika perjanjian itu ditolak oleh anggota-anggota kesatuan, maka perjanjian itu tidak sah di sisi undang-undang dan perundingan diteruskan.

Ratifikasi perjanjian antarabangsa

Rencana utama: Perjanjian

The ratification of international treaties is accomplished by filing instruments of ratification as provided for in the treaty. In most democracies, the legislature authorizes the government to ratify treaties through standard legislative procedures (i.e., passing a bill).

In the UK, treaty ratification is a Royal Prerogative, exercised by Her Majesty's Government; however, by convention called the Ponsonby Rule, treaties are usually placed before parliament for 21 days before ratification.

In the US, the treaty power is a coordinated effort between the Executive branch and the Senate. The President may form and negotiate a treaty, but the treaty must be advised and consented to by a two-thirds vote in the Senate. Only after the Senate approves the treaty can the President ratify it. Once a treaty is ratified, it becomes binding on all the states under the Supremacy Clause. While the United States House of Representatives does not vote on it at all, the requirement for Senate advice and consent to ratification makes it considerably more difficult in the US than in other democratic republics to rally enough political support for international treaties. Also, if implementation of the treaty requires the expenditure of funds, the House of Representatives may be able to block, or at least impede, such implementation by refusing to vote for the appropriation of the necessary funds.

In the US, the President usually submits a treaty to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) along with an accompanying resolution of ratification or accession. If the treaty and resolution receive favorable committee consideration (a committee vote in favor of ratification or accession) the treaty is then forwarded to the floor of the full U.S. Senate for such a vote. The treaty or legislation does not apply until it has been ratified. A multilateral agreement may provide that it will take effect upon its ratification by less than all of the signatories. Even though such a treaty takes effect, it does not apply to signatories that have not ratified it. Accession has the same legal effect as ratification. Accession is a synonym for ratification for treaties already negotiated and signed by other states. An example of a treaty to which the U.S. Senate did not advise and consent to ratification is the Treaty of Versailles, which was part of the resolution of the First World War.

Ratifikasi Perlembagaan Eropah

The process for ratifying the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe—a proposed constitutional document for the European Union (EU)—varied from country to country; seven countries were intending to hold binding referendums to determine the outcome, sixteen would decide by parliamentary vote and two countries opted for parliamentary approval advised by an advisory referendum. To take full effect, the constitution should have been ratified by all the member states of the EU as well as the European Parliament. The constitution was ratified by the European Parliament and sixteen member states (based on the parliaments of fourteen member states, and referendums in two others, Spain and Luxembourg). However, referendums first in France (on 29 May 2005) and then in the Netherlands (on 1 June 2005) rejected the constitution. After some minor modifications, such as dropping the label 'constitution' and references to the flag, the text was adopted as the Treaty of Lisbon.

Ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon took place on November 3, 2009 with the signature of the Czech republic. This happened after the constitutional court of the Czech republic found the Lisbon treaty to be compatible with the Czech constitution.

Ratifikasi perlembagaan

Persekutuan biasanya memerlukan kedua-dua sokongan kerajaan persekutuan dan setakat sokongan daripada kerajaan-kerajaan negeri sebelum pindaan perlembagaan persekutuan dapat dikuatkuasakan.

Ratifikasi Perlembagaan Amerika Syarikat

Rencana utama: Sejarah Perlembagaan Amerika Syarikat

Perkara Ketujuh dalam perlembagaan Amerika Syarikat menghuraikan proses bagaimana seluruh dokumen perlembagaan dapat dijadikan berkesan. Ia menetapkan bahawa 9 daripada 13 negeri yang asal perlu meratifikasikan dokumen perlembagaan itu. Sebaik sahaja negeri ke-9 meratifikasikan dokumen itu — New Hampshire, 21 Jun 1788 - suatu jadual waktu ditetapkan untuk memulakan operasi di bawah Perlembagaan tersebut dan pada 4 Mac 1789, kerajaan di bawah Perlembagaan pun memulakan operasinya.

Lihat juga

• Konvensyen Vienna tentang Undang-undang Perjanjian
• Pindaan perlembagaan
• Veto