Constitution of the Republic of the Congo

The Constitution of the Republic of the Congo is the basic law governing the Republic of the Congo. In it, it is stated that the Republic of the Congo is a pluralistic, multi-party democracy. A presidential system since 2009, the president's term was originally 7 years, which has now been reduced to five after a 2015 constitutional referendum that instituted a new Constitution, which also reinstated the position of Prime Minister and moved the country to a semi-presidential system. The Council of Ministers – the government – is appointed by the President.
The country's parliament is bicameral, made up of a National Assembly and a Senate.
The chief court is the Supreme Court. In addition, Congo has a Constitutional Court which rules on constitutional matters.
Congo is divided into 12 "départements" (counties or regions), each of which has its own local council.
The old and new constitutions both reference several important texts with reference to basic human rights:
Congo is a decentralised, secular and democratic republic.
The 2015 referendum.
A constitutional referendum was held on 25 October 2015 on a proposal to change the constitution. The new constitution included the following changes: