The current Constitution of the Argentine Republic dates back from 1853. The Argentine Constitution of 1853 was approved in 1853 by almost all of the provincial governments with the exception of Buenos Aires Province, which remained separate from the Argentine Confederation until 1859. After several modifications to the original constitution and the return of power to Buenos Aires' Unitarian Party, it was sanctioned on May 1, 1853, by the Constitutional Convention that had gathered in Santa Fe. The document was promulgated by the provisional director of the national executive government, Justo José de Urquiza, who was a member of the Federalist Party. Following the short-lived constitutions of 1819 and 1826, it was the third constitution in the history of the country.
Despite several reforms of varying importance, the 1853 constitution formed the basis of the current Argentine juridical system. It was closely inspired by the juridical and political doctrines of the United States Constitution. It established, for example, a Republican division of powers, a high level of independence for provinces, and a federal power controlled by a strong executive government that was limited by a bicameral national congress to balance the population's representation. It also drew from the previous constitutions, as well as the pioneering works of the jurist Juan Bautista Alberdi.
