Abstract

This article discusses the regulation of political parties by contemporary constitutional practices. It presents a framework for analysis that identifies the types of justifications and actors involved in the process of constitutional regulation of political parties. Empirically it focuses on the special case of Luxembourg, which provides a recent and rare case of amending a constitution for the sole reason of giving parties constitutional status. The analysis suggests that the changing nature of constitutionalism over time, along with the transformation of political parties and the involvement of external actors, have all contributed to the constitutional regulation of political parties.