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Basic Law of Governance (promulgated by the Royal Decree No. A/90 dated 27/08/1412H (March 1, 1992)), Saudi Arabia

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Year of Version 1992 Dates Entry into force: March 5, 1992 Published: March 5, 1992 Promulgated: March 1, 1992 Type of Text Constitution/Basic Law Subject Matter Other Notes The Basic Law of Governance is the Constitution in Saudi Arabia. It states that the Qur'an and the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad are the constitution of the country and stresses in Article 7 that Islamic Religious Law “Sharia” is the foundation of the Kingdom. The Qur'an and the Sunnah are the sources of the authority of the government and they govern all administrative regulations of the State. The Basic Law of Governance confirms the monarchical system and defines the judicial authority, the executive authority and the legislative authority although there is no separation between authorities, in particular between the legislative and the executive. The executive authority consists of the King, the Council of Ministers, local governments, ministry subsidiaries, and other public agencies. The legislative authority is shared by the King, the Council of Ministers, and the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura).The legislative authority is referred to in the Basic System as the 'regulatory authority” which is empowered to enact laws and regulations. The Judicial system is composed of a Supreme Judicial Council, Courts of Appeals, and First-Instance Courts. There is also an administrative judicial body known as the Board of Grievances affiliated to the King. The Saudi legal system has several administrative committees that adjudicate civil, commercial, administrative and criminal cases. Although the Basic Law of Governance does not refer to Intellectual Property Rights explicitly, it ensures the protection of all forms of property (Article 17), and ensures the protection of cultural heritage (Article 29).

Available Texts Main text(s) Main text(s) Arabic النظام الأساسي للحكم (الصادر بالمرسوم الملكي رقم أ/90 في 27/08/1412هـ الموافق 1 مارس 1992م) PDF English Basic Law of Governance (promulgated by the Royal Decree No. A/90 dated 27/08/1412H (March 1, 1992)) PDF HTML
Legislation Is superseded by (2 text(s)) Is superseded by (2 text(s))
Basic Law of Governance (issued by the Royal Decree No. A/90 dated 27/08/1412H (March 1, 1992)) (SA098)
Basic Law of Governance (promulgated by the Royal Decree No. A/90 dated 27/08/1412H (March 1, 1992)) (SA097)

WIPO Lex No. SA016