The Saxon State Constitution is now also available in easy-to-read language

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So-called ‘plain language’ helps people with reading difficulties or limited knowledge of German to understand texts. In Saxony, there is now a document in plain language that could hardly be more important: the State Constitution. Saxony is the fourth federal state to offer this version of the text.

Alexander Dierks, President of the State Parliament, and Michael Welsch, the State Commissioner for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities, jointly presented the Saxon Constitution in plain language. The booklet was handed over during a press conference at the Saxon State Parliament and is now also available as an accessible PDF version.

Dierks commented: “The Constitution is the foundation of our democratic way of life. In plain language, it becomes understandable and accessible to even more people. This strengthens participation, self-determination and trust in our democracy.”

Welsch adds: “Our Constitution is not some aloof body of law, but rather describes how we want to be as a society. That is why everyone should have access to it. Anyone who understands the values underpinning our Free State can participate in it with greater confidence.”

The Saxon Constitution came into force on 6 June 1992 and was the first constitution of the new federal states. It has been amended only once to date, making it one of the least frequently amended state constitutions. The Constitution in plain language enables people with cognitive impairments, limited knowledge of German or other barriers to understanding, in particular, to gain better access to fundamental information about the state.

Saxony is the fourth federal state, after Baden-Württemberg, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia, to have published its constitution in plain language. The constitution in plain language has been published in a print run of 5,000 copies and can be ordered free of charge from the Free State’s publications database at https://publikationen.sachsen.de/bdb/.