From antiquity down to the modern era, philosophers, political scientists, and jurists have
always recognized the imperatives of constitutionalism1 and the difficulties of attaining it. For
Africa, after more than four decades of mostly authoritarian, corrupt, and incompetent rule,
the 1990s began with a slow and painful move towards what many optimistically hoped
would usher in a new era of democratic governance and constitutionalism. One of the main
features of this process has been reforms designed to introduce constitutions that promote …