平等权的宪法内涵及其实践路径

Constitutional Implications and Practical Application of the Right of Equality

平等权是一项十分重要的宪法权利,具有丰富的宪法内涵。在美国和欧陆,无论是从权力制衡出发,还是从自然权利出发,抑或是从人权保障出发,都指向一个共同的结论,立法应受平等权的拘束。从我国的宪法文本规范和立法主体权限这2个方面来看,全国人大原则上并不能制定违反平等原则的法律,如果全国人大确实制定了涉嫌违反平等原则的法律,尽管从目前违宪审查的角度没有救济的可能,但仍然要承担一定的政治风险和道德责任。但对于全国人大常委会制定的违反平等原则的法律,很显然,是存在被全国人大推翻的可能性。以选举权平等的路径为例,可以进一步分析,平等权的宪法内涵究竟是什么,在实践中又是如何展开的。

The right of equality,as an essential constitutional right,has profound constitutional implications.In the U.S.and European Continent,legislation shall be bound by the constitutional right of equality from the perspective of balance of power,natural rights and protection of human rights.In the context of Chinese constitution,the National People's Congress(NPC) basically shall not enact any laws in violation of the principle of equality.If so,the NPC shall take certain political risks and moral obligations although no remedies can be initiated from the judicial review.However,the laws promulgated by the Standing Committee of the NPC could apparently be overridden by the NPC if such laws contravene with the principle of equality.This paper focuses on the constitutional implications and practical application of the right of equality citing the example of how the equal right to vote in China is achieved.