Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama of 1972

The Political Constitution of the Republic of Panama of 1972 is the Panamanian fundamental charter, currently in force. It is the fourth constitution in the country after the constitutions of 1904, 1941 and 1946. It was approved on October 11, 1972 by the National Assembly of Representatives of Corregimientos, during the military government of General Omar Torrijos.
Its original text has been amended by the Reform Acts of 1978, the Constitutional Act of 1983, Legislative Acts No. 1 of 1993 and No. 2 of 1994 and Legislative Act No. 1 of 2004, which adapted it to a multi-party democratic system and repealed provisions of the military structure.
The Constitution of 1972 is the fourth oldest in Latin America, preceded by those of Mexico (1917), Costa Rica (1949) and Uruguay (1967). It was enacted after the 1968 coup d’état, perpetrated by Panamanian military officers Boris Martínez and Omar Torrijos, who overthrew President Arnulfo Arias for the second time. This text includes the 1993 amendments.