The Debate Over the Land Reform Issue in the Constituent Process

Abstract

The issue of land reform was expected to be highly controversial in the constituent process due to the political animosity that the First National Land Reform Plan had originated. Disillusioned with the plan, the reformist forces within and outside Congress intended to incorporate into the new constitution a set of specific provisions which were ‘self-enforceable’. During the process, the dispute centred around one fundamental question: rural property rights. The drafting procedure was marked by a strong polarization between two opposing views on private property.