Party constitutionalization in socialist regimes

Abstract This article explores the codification of the communist party in thirty-two constitutions of former and current socialist regimes. It identifies waves of constitutionalizing party socialism paralleling waves of constitutionalizing party democracy. It explores the constitutionalization of leadership, class nature, ideology, program, and activity of the communist party. The article reveals that the socialist constitutions perceive the communist party as a public entity to realize socialist values and principles. It argues that constitutionalizing party socialism is shaped by political elite’s interests: legitimatizing one-party rule, protecting regime security, coordinating party–state–society relations, expressing socialist and nationalist principles and values, and controlling party agencies. However, the contemporary reconstruction of party constitutionalization, as illustrated by the case of Vietnam, suggests that constitutionalizing party socialism is a contentious process involving both top-down control of political elites and bottom-up discursive contestation of citizens. This article has implications for the historical and continuing influence of the socialist constitutional tradition, the constitutional role of the communist party in current socialist regimes, and a dynamic conception of socialist constitutions.