Constitution of the United States of Central America | |
---|---|
Created | 27 August 1898 |
Date effective | 1 November 1898 |
Repealed | 29 November 1898 |
Supersedes | Treaty of Amapala |
The Constitution of the Greater Republic of Central America, officially the Constitution of the United States of Central America, was the supreme law of the United States of Central America in late 1898.
On 20 June 1895, the nations of El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua signed the Treaty of Amapala which established the Greater Republic of Central America, a political union between the three nations.[1][2] The treaty was not a constitution for the nation and the republic's existed relied solely on each member's willingness to remain in the union.[3]
On 27 August 1898, representatives met in Managua to draft and sign the constitution of the Greater Republic. The Constitution was ratified on 1 November 1898, officially changing the name of the country to the United States of Central America.[4] With the ratification of the constitution, the Executive Federal Council was established in Amapala. The council was full of provisional members who scheduled a general election for sometime in December 1898 to elect members to the Executive Federal Council and to elect the first President of Central America which were set to take office sometime in March 1899.[3]
The constitution was only effective for 29 days. On 13 November 1898, Salvadoran President Rafael Antonio Gutiérrez was overthrown by Tomás Regalado Sánchez which caused a crisis within the nation.[5] Military leaders of Honduras and Nicaragua took no action against the coup which lead to the Executive Federal Council declaring the dissolution of the nation on 29 November 1898.[3]
We, the Representatives of the people of the States of Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador, meeting in the General Assembly, decree and sanction the following: