Some important and fundamental parts of the Constitution, such as the Enshrined Rights, need a special majority of not less than two-thirds of all the members of each House of Parliament, in order for these to be changed in any way. Other provisions in the constitution are equally difficult to change, requiring different special majorities. Because it is so difficult to change our Constitution, it means that governments have to follow its rules as well. These rules stay the same even if the government is changed. In that way the Constitution helps ensure our democratic way of life and the stability of our governmental institutions.
Democracy is one of the ways of governing a country.
It is based on the idea that everyone in a country should have a say about how the country is run. But, because it is not possible for everyone to be in Parliament, people choose other people to represent them in Parliament and to make decisions for them. These people are chosen during an election when people vote for whom they believe can best represent them. It is sometimes called the Republican Constitution because it transformed us from an Independent Nation with Queen Elizabeth II as our Head of State to a Republic, with a President as our Head of State. Between the time of Independence in 1962 to when the Republican Constitution was put into effect, we had another Constitution called the Independence Constitution, which was Trinidad and Tobago's first written Constitution.