| Why is this list so short?
In most cases national conferences are very large (1,500-3,000 people) and do not lend themselves to careful deliberation about the substantive terms of a new constitution. More often, national conferences play a role early in the process, in the development of immutable principles and the indirect election of a transitional legislature. A conference may also provide an additional sounding board to help assess public opinion after the preparation of an initial text but before the document goes to a constituent assembly or to a legislature. Several constitution drafting exercises have used national conferences in these capacities but have vested responsibility for deliberation and adoption in a legislature.
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