PDF generated: 26 Aug 2021, 16:39 constituteproject.org Mexico's Constitution of 1917 with Amendments through 2015 Subsequently amended Translated for the Comparative Constitutions Project by M. Fernanda Gomez Aban This complete constitution has been generated from excerpts of texts from the repository of the Comparative Constitutions Project, and distributed on constituteproject.org. constituteproject.org PDF generated: 26 Aug 2021, 16:39 Table of contents TITLE ONE . 3 CHAPTER I: Human Rights and Guarantees . 3 CHAPTER II: Mexican Nationals . 41 CHAPTER III: The Foreigners . 43 CHAPTER IV: The Mexican citizens . 43 TITLE TWO . 46 CHAPTER I: National Sovereignty and form of State Governance . 46 CHAPTER II: Composition of the Federation and Mexican Territory . 56 TITLE THREE . 58 CHAPTER I: Division of Powers . 58 CHAPTER II: The Legislature . 58 Section I: Elections and Inauguration of the Congress . 58 Section II: Bills and Laws Enactment . 64 Section III: Powers of Congress . 66 Section IV: Permanent Committee . 78 Section V: The Federal Auditing Office . 79 CHAPTER III: The Federal Executive Branch . 82 CHAPTER IV: The Judicial Branch . 87 TITLE FOUR: Public Servants’ Accountability, Individuals related to Administrative Liabilities or Corruption Acts . 107 TITLE FIVE: Mexican States and the Federal District . 112 TITLE SIX: Labor and Social Security . 134 TITLE SEVEN: General Considerations . 144 TITLE EIGHT: Constitutional Reforms . 148 TITLE NINE: The Inviolability of the Constitution . 148 TRANSITORY ARTICLES . 148 Mexico 1917 (rev. 2015) Page 2 constituteproject.org PDF generated: 26 Aug 2021, 16:39 TITLE ONE CHAPTER I: Human Rights and Guarantees Article 1 • International law In the United Mexican States, all individuals shall be entitled to the human rights granted by this Constitution and the international treaties signed by the Mexican State, as well as to the guarantees for the protection of these rights. Such human rights shall not be restricted or suspended, except for the cases and under the conditions established by this Constitution itself. • International law The provisions relating to human rights shall be interpreted according to this Constitution and the international treaties on the subject, working in favor of the broader protection of people at all times. All authorities, in their areas of competence, are obliged to promote, respect, protect and guarantee Human Rights, in accordance with the principles of universality, interdependence, indivisibility and progressiveness. As a consequence, the State must prevent, investigate, penalize and rectify violations to Human Rights, according to the law. • Prohibition of slavery Slavery shall be forbidden in Mexico. Every individual who is considered as a slave at a foreign country shall be freed and protected under the law by just entering the country. • Human dignity • General guarantee of equality Any form of discrimination, based on ethnic or national origin, gender, age, • Equality regardless of gender disabilities, social status, medical conditions, religion, opinions, sexual orientation, • Equality regardless of creed or belief • Equality regardless of social status marital status, or any other form, which violates the human dignity or seeks to annul • Equality regardless of origin • Equality regardless of religion or diminish the rights and freedoms of the people, is prohibited. • Equality regardless of sexual orientation • Equality regardless of age • Equality for persons with disabilities Article 2 • Right to culture • Integration of ethnic communities The Mexican Nation is unique and indivisible. • Reference to country's history The nation is multicultural, based originally on its indigenous peoples, described as descendants of those inhabiting the country before colonization and that preserve their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions, or some of them. Consciousness of indigenous identity will be the fundamental criteria to determine to whom apply the provisions on indigenous people. • Indigenous right to self governance An indigenous community is defined as the community that constitutes a cultural, economic and social unit settled in a territory and that recognizes its own authorities, according to their customs. Indigenous people’s right to self-determination shall be subjected to the Constitution in order to guarantee national unity. States’ and Federal District’s constitutions and laws must recognize indigenous peoples and communities, taking into account the general principles established in the previous paragraphs, as well as ethnic-linguistic and land settlement criteria. • Right to self determination A. This Constitution recognizes and protects the indigenous peoples’ right to self-determination and, consequently, the right to autonomy, so that they can: I. Decide their internal forms of coexistence, as well their social, economic, political and cultural organization. Mexico 1917 (rev. 2015) Page 3 constituteproject.org PDF generated: 26 Aug 2021, 16:39 • Indigenous right to self governance II. Apply their own legal systems to regulate and solve their internal conflicts, subjected to the general principles of this Constitution, respecting the fundamental rights, the human rights and, above all, the dignity and safety of women. The law shall establish the way in which judges and courts will validate the aforementioned regulations. • Indigenous right to self governance III. Elect, in accordance with their traditional rules, procedures and customs, their authorities or representatives to exercise their own form of internal government, guaranteeing the right to vote and being voted of indigenous women and men under equitable condition; as well as to guarantee the access to public office or elected positions to those citizens that have been elected or designated within a framework that respects the federal pact and the sovereignty of the states. In no case the communitarian practices shall limit the electoral or political rights of the citizens in the election of their municipal authorities. • Protection of language use IV. Preserve and enrich their languages, knowledge and all the elements that constitute their culture and identity. V. Maintain and improve their environment and lands, according to this Constitution. • Ownership of natural resources VI. Attain with preferential use of the natural resources of the sites inhabited by their indigenous communities, except for the strategic resources defined by this Constitution. The foregoing rights shall be exercised respecting the forms of property ownership and land possession established in this Constitution and in the laws on the matter as well as respecting third parties’ rights. To achieve these goals, indigenous communities may form partnerships under the terms established by the Law. • Indigenous right to vote • Indigenous right to representation VII. Elect indigenous representatives for the town council in those municipalities with indigenous population. The constitutions and laws of the States shall recognize and regulate these rights in the municipalities, with the purpose of strengthening indigenous peoples’ participation and political representation, in accordance with their traditions and regulations. • Trial in native language of accused VIII. Have full access to State jurisdiction. In order to protect this right, in all trials and proceedings that involve natives, individually or collectively, their customs and cultural practices must be taken into account, respecting the provisions established in this Constitution. Indigenous people have, at all times, the right to be assisted by interpreters and counsels, who are familiar to their language and culture. The constitutions and laws of the States and the Federal District shall establish those elements of self-determination and autonomy that may best express the conditions and aspirations of indigenous peoples in each State, as well as the rules, according to which indigenous communities will be defined as public interest entities. Mexico 1917 (rev. 2015) Page 4 constituteproject.org PDF generated: 26 Aug 2021, 16:39 • Provisions for wealth redistribution B. In order to promote equal opportunities for indigenous people and to eliminate discriminatory practices, the Federation, the Federal District, the States and the local councils shall establish the necessary institutions and policies to guarantee indigenous people’s rights and comprehensive development of indigenous communities. Such institutions and policies shall be designed and operated together with them. In order to eliminate the scarcities and backwardness affecting indigenous towns and communities, authorities are obliged to: I. Stimulate regional development in indigenous areas with the purpose of strengthening local economies and improving the quality of life. To achieve this goal, the three levels of government and the indigenous communities must take part in a coordinated manner. Local governments shall equitably determine the budget that is to be directly managed by the indigenous communities for specific goals. II. Guarantee education and increase educational level of indigenous peoples, favoring bilingual and cross-cultural education, literacy, completion of the elementary and secondary education, technical training, high education and university education. Also, the authorities must establish a scholarship system for indigenous students at all grades, as well as define and carry out regional educational programs, according to indigenous