Coconstitutionalism

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Coconstitutionalism is where two institutional cultures exist in a complex semi-automous relationship to each other. The model of asymetrical devolution that has emerged in democractic Spain has been called "coconstitutional" in that it is neither a federal nor unitary model of government: autonomous nation-regions exist alongside and within the Spanish nation-state in a relatively dynamic relationship.

Similarities to federalism are marked although a key difference lies in the legal status of a federal-state versus a notionally unitary coconstitutional one: in a federation it is the states who legally transfer powers to the federal government (i.e. bottom up) whereas in a unitary state power is devolved from the nation-state down to the regions (i.e. top down) and can in theory be revoked, although in the case of Spain any such move by a future Spanish government could rekindle the Spanish Civil War.

Since 1997 the UK government has pursued a similar coconstitutional model of devolution with regard to its nation-regions. As with Spain, although the UK government remains legally competant to revoke devolution, to do so would probably result in the violent destruction of the state.

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