Which of the following cannot be altered by a military coup d'etat? The

Analyze the question

A military coup d'etat is the sudden overthrow of a government by the armed forces. We need to find which of the four things a coup cannot change.

Explain the concept

A coup changes the government (the people and institutions that run the country). It does not change the state, which is the permanent entity made up of a defined territory, a population, sovereignty, and a government. The state continues to exist even when the government changes.

Examine each option

• A. Constitution: Military regimes usually suspend or amend it, as happened in Nigeria in 1966, 1983 and 1993. It can be altered.
• B. Legal system: Coup leaders issue decrees that override existing laws, so it can be altered.
• C. Legislature: It is almost always dissolved or suspended after a coup (the National Assembly was dissolved in Nigeria), so it can be altered.
• D. State: Its territory, population and sovereignty remain. Only the government changes, so the state is not altered.

Answer: The state is the one thing a coup cannot alter, so the answer is D.

Exam tip: Remember that a coup changes the government, not the state. If a question asks what survives a change of regime, think "state". Constitution, legislature and laws are all tools of government and can be suspended or replaced.