Chamber of Deputies

The original wording of the Constitution has undergone several amendments over the years, approved pursuant to the procedures prescribed by Article 138 of the Constitution. Laws to review the Constitution and other constitutional laws are adopted by each House of Parliament in two separate readings. Each House must hold the second reading of the bill with an interval of at least three months from the date of the first, and the law is approved with the vote of an absolute majority of the members of each House after the second reading.
The first reading is conducted following ordinary procedures and is concluded once both Houses have adopted a text with identical wording.
For the second reading, however, a special procedure is followed. Following the general discussion, a final vote is held forthwith, without any consideration of the articles. No amendments may be made, no preliminary or delaying questions may be submitted, no requests may be made to set aside sections of the law for separate consideration, nor may any motion be submitted.
Within three months of publication of the approved text in the Official Journal, one fifth of the members of the Chamber of Deputies, 500,000 electors or five Regional Councils may demand to put the text to a referendum, unless the law was approved by both Houses of Parliament at its second reading by a majority of two thirds of the members.

A list of the amendments to the Constitution since 1962, and of other constitutional laws, documents and materials relating to proposals for constitutional reform examined by Parliament over the years may be perused on a satellite website, a Teaching Platform on the Constitution.