Strasbourg, 2 mars/March 2005 Diffusion
restreinte/Restricted
Bil.
COMMISSION EUROPEENNE POUR LA
DEMOCRATIE PAR LE DROIT
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EUROPEAN
COMMISSION FOR DEMOCRACY THROUGH LAW
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REPONSES AU
QUESTIONNAIRE SUR L’USAGE DU REFERENDUM
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TABLE DES MATIERES / TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Albanie/Albania......................................................................................................................... 3
Andorre/Andorra.................................................................................................................... 10
Arménie/Armenia.................................................................................................................... 14
Autriche/Austria..........................................................................................................................
Azerbaidjan/Azerbaijan...............................................................................................................
Belgique/Belgium.........................................................................................................................
Bosnie-Herzégovine/Bosnia
and Herzegovina...............................................................................
Bulgarie/Bulgaria.........................................................................................................................
Croatie/Croatia...........................................................................................................................
Chypre/Cyprus............................................................................................................................
République
Tchèque/Czech Republic...........................................................................................
Danemark/Denmark....................................................................................................................
Estonie/Estonia............................................................................................................................
Finlande/Finland..........................................................................................................................
France........................................................................................................................................
Géorgie/Georgia..........................................................................................................................
Allemagne/Germany....................................................................................................................
Grèce/Greece..............................................................................................................................
Hongrie/Hungary.........................................................................................................................
Islande/Iceland............................................................................................................................
Irlande/Ireland.............................................................................................................................
Italie/Italy....................................................................................................................................
Lettonie/Latvia............................................................................................................................
Liechtenstein...............................................................................................................................
Lituanie/Lithuania.........................................................................................................................
Luxembourg................................................................................................................................
Malte/Malta................................................................................................................................
Moldova.....................................................................................................................................
Pays-Bas/Netherlands.................................................................................................................
Norvège/Norway........................................................................................................................
Pologne/Poland...........................................................................................................................
Portugal......................................................................................................................................
Roumanie/Romania......................................................................................................................
Fédération de
Russie/Russian Federation.....................................................................................
Saint-Marin/San
Marino..............................................................................................................
Serbie-Monténégro/Serbia
and Montenegro................................................................................
Slovaquie/Slovakia......................................................................................................................
Slovénie/Slovenia........................................................................................................................
Espagne/Spain.............................................................................................................................
Suède/Sweden............................................................................................................................
Suisse/Switzerland.......................................................................................................................
“L’ex-République
yougoslave de Macédoine”/“The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”.....
Turquie/Turkey............................................................................................................................
Ukraine.......................................................................................................................................
Royaume-Uni/United
Kingdom....................................................................................................
ALBANIE / ALBANIA
I - Référendums nationaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Le
référendum est prévue par la constitution albanaise.
2. La
Constitution, dans l’Article 150 paragraphe 3, statue que les principes et les
procédures pour le déroulement du référendum ainsi que sa validité sont prévues
par la loi. Le Code Eléctoral comprend aussi des dispositions sur le référendum
national et local.
B - Quel est le
type du référendum? Qui décide?
1. Il
n’y a pas de référendum obligatoire.
Aucun texte n’est soumis automatiquement au
référendum, ni avant ni après son adoption par le Parlement.
2. a.
Le référendum peut être organise à
la demande d’une autorité.
b. L’organisation d’une
référendum peut être décidé seulement par le Parlement quand il s’agit d’un
problème ou d’un projet de loi d’une importance particulière, ou par le
Président de la République, quand le référendum pour un problème
particulièrement important est requis par 50.000 citoyens ayant droit de vote.
3. a. 50.000 électeurs enregistrés dans le
Registre National des Electeurs ont droit á un référendum général pour
l’abrogation d’une loi. Ils peuvent aussi demander au Président de la
République l’organisation d’un référendum pour une question particulièrement
importante.
La demande pour le commencement de la procédure
est présentée à la Commission Centrale Electorale (CCE) par un groupe initiateur
d’au moins 12 électeurs.
Les papiers standard avec les signatures requises
sont déposés prés de la CCE qui vérifie les signatures et la régularités des
documents d’identification des électeurs.
b. Les électeurs ont le droit
de présenter une demande de référendum abrogatif sur un texte déjà adopté par
le Parlement, mais il n’ont pas le droit de proposer un texte nouveau.
4.
La présentation d’un texte au vote
populaire doit être soumise á l’accord d’autres organes dans deux cas:
a. si au moins 50.000
électeurs demandent au Président de la République l’organisation du référendum
sur une question particulièrement importante. Dans ce cas c’est le Président
qui décide d’accepter ou de ne pas accepter la demande de la fraction du corp
électoral.
b. si le Conseil des Ministres
propose l’organisation d’un référendum sur une question ou un projet de loi
d’un intérêt particulier, la décision est du ressort du Parlement.
5. Aucune
des options mentionnées dans ce point n’est prévue par la Constitution ou par
la loi.
C - Contenu
Le référendum est prévu pour modifier la
Constitution dans deux cas:
a. si une majorité de deux
tiers de touts les députés décide que la modification de la Constitution soit
votée directement par référendum;
b. si un cinquième des députés
demandent que soit soumise au référendum une modification de la Constitution,
approuvée par les deux tiers des députés au Parlement.
En dehors du référendum constitutionnel, la
Constitution prévoit le référendum pour l’abrogation d’une loi ou pour une
question particulièrement importante, sans precisations ultérieures.
Sont exclues du référendum les questions
concernant l’intégrité territoriale de la République d’Albanie, la limitation
des droits et des libertés fondamentales de l’homme, le budget, les taxes et
les obligations financières de l’Etat, l’imposition on la révocation de l’état
d’émergence, la déclaration de guerre ou de la paix, l’amnistie.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
1. En ce qui concerne la forme possible du
texte soumis au référendum:
- la demande pour un référendum constitutionnel
doit inclure le texte du projet pour l’amendement ou les amendements de la
Constitution.
- pour l’abrogation d’une loi en vigueur la
demande pour un référendum doit inclure les raisons pour lesquelles doit être
abrogée la loi ou une partie de la loi. La demande pour l’abrogation d’une
partie de la loi peut être acceptée seulement si l’autre partie de la loi est
autosuffisante.
La demande pour le commencement des procédures du
référendum pour une question particulièrement importante doit poser clairement
cette question ainsi que la position des initiateurs sur cette question.
2. Ni
la Constitution ni la loi ne contiennent des dispositions particulières sur les
problèmes mentionnés dans ce point.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la
validité matérielle)
La réponse à cette question est inclue dans la
réponse à la question formulée au paragraphe C, point 2.
F - Campagne /
propagande / financement et votation
1. En
ce qui concerne la campagne et la propagande, la loi prévoit seulement que
pendant les campagnes pour un référendum général (national) la Radiotélévision Publique
met à la disposition des partis politiques qui soutiennent chaque alternative
un minutage égal jusqu’à un maximum de trois heures.
2. La
loi ne prévoit aucune disposition pour le financement des référendums.
3.
Votation
a. Les opérations électorales se déroulent
dans un seul jour.
b. Il n’y a pas de décalage horaire entre
les differents centres de vote.
c. La participation au référendum n’est pas
obligatoire.
d. Dans un référendum est
considérée gagnante l’alternative qui a recueilli la majorité des votes
valables, mais pas moins d’un tiers du nombre des électeurs enregistrés dans le
Registre National des électeurs. La loi ne prévoit pas une participation
minimale qui puisse conditionner la validité du référendum.
G - Les effets du
référendum
1. Le
référendum national est toujours décisionnel.
2. En
cas de succès du référendum abrogatif, le Parlement évidemment peut approuver
un nouveau texte de la loi abrogée, mais il n’est pas obligé de le faire, selon
les dispositions en vigueur.
3. Si
le référendum porte sur un texte déjà adopté par une autorité:
- il est suspensif si un amendement
constitutionnel approuvé par le Parlement doit être soumis au référendum selon
la requête d’au moins un cinquième des députés.
- il est abrogatif si le référendum porte sur une
loi en vigueur.
H - Parallélisme
des formes et normes prévoyant le référendum
1. Une
disposition acceptée/refusée par référendum ne peut pas être révisée/introduite
par une procédure excluant le référendum.
2. Une
norme constitutionnelle prévoyant la possibilité d’organiser un référendum peut
être révisée par une procédure excluant le référendum seulement si cette
procédure est approuvée par une majorité de deux tiers au Parlement, tandis que
dans le cas d’une norme législative la procédure excluant le référendum doit
être approuvée par une majorité des trois cinquièmes.
I - Règles
particulières relatives à l’initiative populaire
1. Il
n’y a aucun délais pour la récolte des signatures.
2. Les
12 membres du groupe initiateur du référendum (voire la réponse au point 3 du
paragraphe B) sont autorisés à organiser la récolte des signatures.
3. La
vérification des signatures est du ressort de la Commission Centrale
Electorale, mais la loi se fournit pas d’explication sur la manière de cette
vérification.
4. La
Commission Centrale Eléctorale statue seulement sur l’acceptation ou non de la
demande pour un référendum, en se basant uniquement sur la régularité des
documents présentés.
J - Contrôle
juridictionnel
1. En
ce qui concerne le référendum général (national) un contrôle d’office est
exercé a priori par la Cour Constitutionnelle.
2. La
Cour Constitutionnelle décide sur la constitutionnalité des questions posées
pour le référendum. Elle décide aussi si la requête pour l’abrogation d’une
partie de la loi peut être acceptée, en contrôlant si existe l’autosuffisance
de l’autre partie de la loi. Elle vérifie aussi si la demande pour le
référendum concernant une question particulièrement importante est formulée
d’une façon claire, complète et sans équivoques et d’une telle manière que les
électeurs puissent répondre “oui” on “non”.
3. Le
Code Eléctoral prévoit seulement le contrôle juridictionnel des résultat des
élections par Collège Electoral de la Cour d’Appel de Tirane, mais
paradoxalement il ignore la possibilité d’un contrôle pareil sur les résultats
du référendum.
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Depuis
l’approbation de la Constitution albanaise par le référendum national du 28
novembre 1998, aucun référendum n’a été organisé.
II - Référendums régionaux ou locaux
A - Quel
fondement jurique?
3. Les dispositions des entités ne
prévoient pas le référendum.
4. Le référendum est possible pour une
question d’administration locale.
A1 - Au niveau
1. de
région.
2. de
commune ou municipalité.
3. Pour
des questions d’administration locale dans les niveaux mentionnés ci-dessus.
B - Quel est le
type de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Le
référendum local est obligatoire dans le cas de modification des limites
territoriales. Dans ce cas, la décision finale est du ressort du Parlement qui
approuve la loi sur la division administrative de la République.
2. Dans
le cas mentionné ci-dessus le référendum est organisé par le Gouvernement.
3. 10
pour cent des électeurs dans la circonscription d’une commune ou d’une
municipalité ou 20.000 d’entre eux, quel que soit le nombre plus petit, ont
droit au référendum au niveau respectif. Un nombre de conseils municipales ou
communales, qui représentent au moins le tiers de la population d’une région,
ont droit aussi á demander un référendum pour une question d’administration
locale au niveau régional.
4. En
ce qui concerne l’intervention des autorités centrales ou locales, la loi se
limite à statuer que pour les référendums locaux sont appliqués, pour autant
que ça est possible ou nécessaire, les dispositions prévues pour le référendum
général.
C - Contenu
- Le référendum ne peut pas porter sur la
sécession.
- Le référendum peut porter sur une modification
des limites territoriales.
- Le référendum peut porter sur une question de
l’administration locale.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
La loi statue que la demande pour le commencement
des procédures du référendum pour une question particulièrement importante doit
expliquer clairement cette question ainsi que la position des initiateurs sur
cette question. Cette réquête de la loi concerne aussi le référendum local.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la
validité matérielle)
- Le référendum local peut porter seulement sur la
modification des limites territoriales ainsi que sur une question d’importance
particulière.
- On peut présumer que le référendum local est
exclu si le texte proposé est contraire à la Constitution, au normes du droit
international obligatoires pour la République d’Albanie et à la loi, bien les
dispositions sur le référendum local ne s’expriment pas sur ce problème.
1. La
loi ne prévoit aucune disposition sur la campagne et la propagande pour le
référendum local.
2. Les
opérations électorales se déroulent dans un seul jour.
3. Il
n’y a pas de décalage entre les différentes centres de vote.
4. La
participation au référendum n’est pas obligatoire.
5.
Dans le référendum est considérée
gagnante l’alternative qui a recueilli la majorité des votes valables mais pas
moins d’un tiers du nombre des électeurs de l’unité territoriale concernée. Il
n’y a pas de dispositions pour une participation minimale.
G - Les effets du
référendum.
1. Le
référendum local est décisionnel s’il porte sur une question particulière
importante.
2. Il
est consultatif s’il porte sur la modification des limites territoriales.
H - Parallélisme des formes normes prévoyant le
référendum
La loi ne prévoit aucune disposition sur ce
problème.
J - Règles
particulières relatives à l’initiative populaire
1. Il
n’y a aucun délais pour la récolte des signatures
2. Les
12 membres du groupe initiateur du référendum sont autorisés à organiser la
récolte des signatures.
3. La
vérification des signatures est du ressort de la Commission Centrale
Eléctorale, mais la loi ne fournit pas d’explication sur la manière de cette
vérification.
4. Aucune
autorité n’est autorisée à vérifier les vices résultant du contenu de la
question. La Commission Eléctorale Centrale statue sur l’acceptation ou non de
la demande pour le référendum, en se basant uniquement sur la régularité des
documents présentés.
J - Contrôle
juridictionnel
Le loi ne prévoit pas un contrôle juridictionnel
concernant le référendum local.
K - Les
expériences de référendum
Aucun référendum local n’a eu lieu en Albanie
III - Avenir du
référendum
Une réforme du référendum n’est pas prévue pour le
moment.
Partant des réponses données aux questions posées
on peut constater que dans le Code Electoral albanais (dans la partie
concernant les référendums nationaux et locaux) il y a beaucoup de lacunes qui
doivent être remplies le plus tôt possible.
ANDORRE / ANDORRA
I - Référendums
nationaux
A - Quel fondement
juridique?
1. Le référendum est prévu par la
Constitution (Articles 76 et 106).
2. Il est aussi prévu par la loi qualifiée
relative au régime électoral (Articles 76 à 82).
B - Quel est le type
de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Le référendum est obligatoire pour
réviser la Constitution après accord du Conseil général (le Parlement) à la
majorité des deux tiers sur le projet de révision.
2. a.
Le chef du gouvernement, avec
l'accord de la majorité du Conseil général peut demander l'organisation d'un
référendum sur une question d'ordre politique ;
b.
La décision d'organiser un
référendum et la convocation des électeurs sont prises par les co-princes (chef
de l'Etat) avec le contreseing du chef de Gouvernement ou le syndic général
(président du Conseil général) qui en prennent la responsabilité politique
(Article 45 de la Constitution). Ces décisions sont obligatoires s'il s'agit de
ratifier un projet de révision de la Constitution adopté par le Conseil général
à la majorité des deux tiers.
3. a. Non.
b. Non.
4. Oui.
La loi qualifiée
distingue le référendum portant sur une réforme constitutionnelle et le
référendum de consultation.
Le premier exige
l'accord du Conseil général à la majorité des deux tiers; les co-princes ne
peuvent s'y opposer.
Le second suppose
l'accord du Conseil général (à la majorité simple) du chef de Gouvernement et
des co-princes ; mais le chef de gouvernement en en prenant la responsabilité
politique, les co-princes ne peuvent s'y opposer.
5. Une fois que le Conseil général a donné
son accord il ne peut modifier le texte soumis au référendum ni en proposer un
autre.
C - Contenu
1. Le référendum est nécessaire pour
modifier la Constitution. Il n'est pas nécessaire
pour adhérer à une organisation internationale.
2. Il peut porter soit sur la révision de
la Constitution (référendum de réforme constitutionnelle) soit sur "toute
question d'ordre politique" (référendum de consultation).
D - La forme du texte
soumis au référendum (la validité formelle)
Le référendum de
réforme constitutionnelle ne peut porter que sur un texte. Sur toute autre
question ni la Constitution ni la loi qualifiée n'impose une forme quelconque;
celle-ci est donc librement choisie par les autorités qui décident le
référendum.
E - Limites
matérielles du référendum ( (la validité matérielle)
Le référendum de
réforme constitutionnelle n'est soumis à aucune limite.
Le référendum de
consultation sur une question d'ordre politique "ne peut porter sur une
proposition contraire à la Constitution et notamment contraire à des accords
internationaux (Article 3 de la Constitution).
F -
Campagne/propagande/financement et votation
1. Les textes ne précisent rien.
2. Idem.
3 a. Idem.
b. Non.
c. Non.
d. Pas de quorum.
G - Les effets du
référendum
1. Le référendum portant sur la réforme de
la Constitution porte sur une décision.Le référendum de consultation a les
effets que précisent ses organisateurs; les textes n'imposent rien.
2. Non s'il s'agit d'un référendum portant
sur la réforme de la Constitution. Pour les autres référendums les textes
n'imposent rien.
3. Idem.
H - Parallélisme des
formes et normes prévoyant le référendum
1. Non.
2. Oui s'il s'agit d'une norme constitutionnelle
qu'une autre norme constitutionnelle peut toujours modifier, non s'il s'agit
d'une autre norme puisque le référendum est prévu par la Constitution.
I - Règles
particulières relatives à l'initiative populaire
L'initiative populaire ne peut permettre le référendum. Les questions 1.,
2., 3., 4. sont donc sans objet.
J - Contrôle
juridictionnel
1. Oui comme pour toute autre décisio . le
contrôle ne peut avoir lieu d'office.
2. Les cas d'ouverture de recours sont les
mêmes que pour toute autre décision, notamment en cas de conflit entre organes
constitutionnels (Article 103 de la Constitution).
3. Oui.
4. Le recours d'"empora" est
ouvert aux personnes qui ont un intérêt légitime mis en cause par les
dispositions d'un acte du Conseil général n'ayant pas force de loi (Article 102
de la Constitution).
K - Les expériences
de référendum
1. Un seul référendum a été organisé; il
portait sur l'adoption de la Constitution.
2. Le Conseil général et les co-princes.
3. Aucun.
4. Un seul.
5. Aucun.
6. Non.
7. Non.
8. Sans objet.
II - Référendums
régionaux et locaux
Sans objet : le
référendum n'est prévu qu'à l'échelon national.
III - Avenir du
référendum
1. Non.
2. Sans objet.
3. Idem.
ARMENIE / ARMENIA
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is provision made for
referendums in the Constitution?
Article 2 of the Constitution of
the Republic of Armeniaenshrines, that the people exercise their power through ... referenda.
Article 111 of
the Constitution determines the order of adoption of the Constitution and its
amendments. According to this Article,
"The Constitution shall be adopted or amended by referendum which may be
initiated by the President of the Republic or the National Assembly. The
President of the Republic shall call a referendum upon the request or agreement
of the majority of the Deputies of the National Assembly".
Article 112 of the Constitution
provides for the opportunity to adopt laws through referendum. According to
this Article, " Laws may be submitted to a referendum upon the request of
the National Assembly or the Government in accordance with Article 111 of the
Constitution.
According to Article 113, "A proposed legislation submitted to
a referendum shall be considered to have been passed if it receives more than
fifty percent of the votes, but not less than one third of the number of
registered voters".
2. If not, does the law
provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
Is not applicable.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
According to Article
111 of the Constitution, the adoption of the Constitution or its amendments is
possible only through a referendum. Moreover, the President of the Republic is obliged to submit to a
referendum a draft Constitution or draft constitutional amendments reintroduced
by at least two thirds of the total number of Deputies of the National
Assembly.
Is the referendum required by the
Constitution in that it provides that certain texts are automatically submitted
to referendum before or after their adoption by Parliament?
No.
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
Yes.
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Parliament, local
and/or regional authorities?
A referendum on adoption of the
Constitution or amendments to it is called by the President of the Republic
through the initiative or consent of the National Assembly.
The President calls a referendum
on adoption of a law through the initiative of the National Assembly or the
Government, moreover, the suggestion of the Government must receive the
approval of the National Assembly.
3. Referendums held at the
request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
No.
b. Can a request for a referendum relate to a text already
adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward by popular initiative?
Is not applicable.
4. Procedures involving
more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
The initiative to call a
referendum on adoption of the Constitution or amendments to it may be carried
by the President or the National Assembly. If such an initiative is carried by
the National Assembly, then the latter, after expressing its consent to the Draft
Constitution or Draft amendments to it, submits the Draft to the President for
the latter to call a referendum.
The initiative to call a
referendum on adoption of a law may be carried by the National Assembly or the
Government. If such an initiative is carried by the National Assembly, then the
latter, after expressing its consent to the Draft law, submits the Draft to the
President for the latter to call a referendum. If such an initiative is carried
by the Government, then the President submits the Draft to the National
Assembly. The National Assembly adopts a decision expressing its consent to
call a referendum on the Draft law submitted by the President.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
According to the legislation of
the RA, in order to call a referendum it is always necessary to have either the
initiative or the consent of the National Assembly. When the President of the
Republic submits back to the National Assembly the Draft Constitution or Draft
amendments to it, with his/her objections and suggestions, requesting a re-examination,
the National Assembly reintroduces its draft by at least two thirds of the
total number of Deputies of the National Assembly to the President in order for
the latter to call a referendum. Moreover, the National Assembly determines a
period, during which the President must call a referendum.
Likewise, when the President of
the Republic submits back to the National Assembly the Draft law, with his/her
objections and suggestions, requesting a re-examination, the National Assembly
reintroduces its draft law by at least two thirds of the total number of
Deputies of the National Assembly to the President in order for the latter to
call a referendum. The National Assembly determines a period, during which the
President must call a referendum.
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
Only a single draft may be submitted
for a referendum. The legislation of the RA does not provide for an opportunity
to submit more than one draft at the same time.
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
The legislation of the RA does
not provide for the National Assembly to express an opinion as such on the
referendum. If the notion "opinion" within the context of the
questionnaire means the consent of the National Assembly expressed concerning
the Draft Constitution or amendments to it (when the initiative is carried by
the National Assembly) or the adoption of a decision expressing its consent to
call a referendum on the Draft submitted by the President, then may be interpreted,
that the National Assembly give its opinion on the suggestion.
In regard to a referendum on
adoption of a law, likewise, if the notion "opinion" within the
context of the questionnaire means the consent of the National Assembly
expressed concerning the Draft law, (when the initiative is carried by the
National Assembly) or the adoption of a decision expressing its consent to call
a referendum on the Draft submitted by the President (when the initiative is
carried by the Government), then may be interpreted, that the National Assembly
give its opinion on the suggestion.
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
Once again, if the notion
"opinion" within the context of the questionnaire means the consent
of the National Assembly expressed concerning the Draft Constitution or
amendments to it or the draft law or the adoption of a decision expressing its
consent to call a referendum on the Draft submitted by the President, then according
to the Article 54 paragraph 1 of the law on the "Rules of procedure of the
National Assembly" changes to the Constitution, the Draft Constitution or
the Amendments to it or the draft law shall be included in the agenda of the
regular series of sessions within a period of 40 days after having been
circulated. The Draft is considered to be in circulation if it is sent by the
Chairman of the National Assembly to the Government and to the National
Assembly staff and Standing Committees, appointing a Lead Committee (all Lead
Committees) from the Standing Committees.
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
The legislation of the RA does
not classify the questions submitted to a referendum into a principle proposal
or generally-worded proposal, since drafts submitted to a referendum are whole
texts, meaning they are specifically worded.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted
to referendum
Are referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
Is a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional
amendment?
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In
particular, is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European
Union or international organisations?
No. The referendum is called also
for an adoption of a new Constitution or a law.
According to Article 111 of the
Constitution of the RA, amendments to the Constitution are carried out only
through a referendum.
The above-mentioned are all those
issues, that involve a referendum (i.e., adoption of a new Constitution or
amendments to it and of laws). The question of membership to the European Union
or to other international organizations is solved through international
treaties.
Therefore, there is no need for a
referendum. Moreover, it is not possible, due to the existing legislation, to
conduct a referendum in regard to this issue.
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain
matters automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
The referendum is the only means
by which an adoption of the Constitution and amendments to it is possible. It
is not permitted to conduct a referendum concerning the same issue within one
year after the publication of the results of the referendum.
Article 4 of the law on
Referendum exhaustively determines the scope of the issues, which cannot be
submitted to a referendum. That is the following issues cannot be submitted to
a referendum:
a. amending Articles 1, 2 and 114 of the
Constitution,
b. extending or reducing the
term of powers of acting President and National Assembly, state and local
self-governing bodies,
c. concerning human and
citizen rights, freedoms and obligations, the abolition or restriction of the
constitutional guarantees of their implementation, as well as issues under
exclusive jurisdiction of state and local self-governing bodies.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
According to legislation of the
RA, the text of the Constitution or amendments to it is submitted for a
referendum, namely the specifically-worded draft.
2. Do questions submitted
to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a
specifically-worded draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal or a
question of principle must not be combined in the same question);
b. unity of content
(except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or another piece of
legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the various parts of
each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the
voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole provisions without an
intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the
question must not relate simultaneously to the Constitution and subordinate
legislation.
d. Does the vote have to be on a single
question or can it be on several different ones?
e. Does the question (or do the questions)
have to be clear and suggestion-free?
The issues submitted for a
referendum must conform to the requirements mentioned in points a-e. That is:
a. The unity of form of the
draft must be insured, namely the unified text of the draft is
submitted for a referendum. It cannot be combined with a generally-worded
proposal or a question of principle.
b. The unity of content
must be insured, namely the whole text of the law, the proposed or
amendments to the existing one is submitted for a referendum.
c. The unity of rank
must be insured. Each referendum may be conducted in regard to a single draft
of legal act. If the referendum is conducted concerning the draft of
Constitution or amendments to it, then simultaneously an issue of adoption of a
law cannot be submitted for the same referendum.
d. The referendum is conducted only in regard to
a single issue.
e. The question must be
simple, that is the electorate for or against the issue submitted for a
referendum.
E - Substantive limits on referendums
(substantive validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some of its rules;
- to other overriding legal rules.
It
is not possible to prevent the submission of such text for a referendum, as the
legislation of the RA does not provide for a preventive constitutional control
over draft laws submitted for a referendum, which should make an opportunity to
reveal its conformity or non-conformity with the existing Constitution, as well
as with the rules of International law. The legislation of the RA does not
provide also for conducting preventive control over the Draft Constitution or
amendments to it, in order to reveal its conformity or non-conformity with the
rules of International law.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
The draft submitting for a
referendum must be published in the mass media established by the state bodies,
as well as in the "Official Gazette of the Republic of Armenia", within 30 days
before the day of a referendum. There is no requirement to publish explanatory
documents.
b. If an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can
political parties take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory document have
to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and their
opponents’ views?
Is not applicable.
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
The
legislation does not require the public media to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text.
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters
and opponents?
The
legislation does not require the private media to give equal conditions to
supporters and opponents of the text, but the supporters and opponents have
equal rights and unjustified rejection of the private media to make
advertisements may be challenged in a judicial manner.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
Persons,
who are entitled to conduct a campaign, may establish an appropriate fund for
financing of the campaign ("fund of campaign"). The fund consists of
personal financial means, voluntary payments of citizens and legal entities.
The state and local self-government bodies, budgetary entities, foreign
citizens and legal entities, stateless persons, benevolent, religious,
international organizations and international non-governmental movements have
no right to make payments to the fund. The Central bank, where the fund means
are gathered in the special account, in three-day frequency gives an
information on the financial acts of the funds.
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
Is not applicable.
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
The voting take place in one day.
b. If there is a large time-lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
Such
a situation is not possible in the Republic of Armenia.
c. Is it
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
The participation in the
referendum is right and not an obligation. the electors are free to vote or not
to vote.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
In order for the adoption of the issue
submitted for a referendum the votes of more than half of the participants of
the voting for the text are required. Besides, this number of votes cannot be
less than 1/3 of the total number of citizens included in voters' lists. If the
mentioned number of votes is not insured, the issue submitted to the referendum
is considered not adopted.
G - Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
The voters vote for or against
the draft of legal act submitted for a referendum. The draft, which has
gathered votes in a number determined by law, in considered adopted and enters
into force from the moment of an official publication.
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
No.
3. Where a referendum deals with a text
that has already been adopted by an authority, is that referendum:
- suspensive: the text may not enter into force
unless it has been approved by the electors or unless a request to hold a
referendum has not been made within the time-limit established by the
Constitution or by law;
- resolutory: the text ceases to be in force
following a "no" vote or failure to secure a "yes" vote
within a certain time-limit after its adoption; or
- abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum
leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
The referendums provided for by the
legislation of the RA cannot be suspensive or resolutory referendums.
In regard to abrogative referenda, if a new
Constitution, amendments to it or a new law is adopted through a referendum,
then it leads to the lose of legal force of previous constitution, the law
regulating the same relations, and it must be mentioned about it in the final
provisions of the drafts of the Constitution, amendments to it or a law.
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
If the question concerns to the
constitutional norm, then it cannot be adopted by a procedure, other than the
referendum.
According to Article 36,
paragraph 2 of the law on "Referendum", the law adopted through a
referendum may be amended only through a referendum and in this case also it is
not possible to apply a procedure, other than the referendum.
In regard to a law, which has
been submitted for a referendum, but not adopted through it, may be adopted
also by the National Assembly.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
As it is mentioned in A-1 point, the Constitution of the RA provides for
provisions permitting a referendum in Articles 4, 111, 112 and 113.
Taking into consideration, that
the Constitution can be amended only through a referendum, these constitutional
norms permitting a referendum may be revised or amended only through a
referendum. In regard to norms of laws, concerning referenda, they can be
revised or amended by the body adopted them.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
Is not applicable.
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
Is not applicable.
3. How are signatures
checked?
Is not applicable.
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
Is not applicable.
J -
Judicial review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
The referendum is called by the
President of the Republic by the adoption of a decree. The decree of the
President on calling of a referendum (the law-implementing practice of the
Republic does not recognize the opportunity for the adoption by the President
of a decree not to call a referendum) may be challenged in the Constitutional
Court (the decree may be challenge by the President and at least 1/3 of the
Deputies of the National Assembly), if it contradicts to the Constitution.
In regard to popular initiatives,
see point I.
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
The Constitutional Court decides on the issue of
constitutionality of the President's decree on calling of a referendum, proceeding
from the following factors:
1. the
form of the legal act;
2. the time when the act was adopted, as
well as whether it was signed, made public and implemented in compliance with
established procedures;
3. the
content of the legal act;
4. the necessity of protection and free
exercise of human rights and freedoms enshrined in the Constitution, the
grounds and frames of their permissible restriction;
5.
the principle of separation of powers as enshrined in
the Constitution;
6.
the permissible limits of powers of state bodies and
public officials,
7. the
necessity of ensuring direct application of the Constitution.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
Yes, according to Article 100, paragraph 3 of
the Constitution and Article 35 paragraph 5 of the law on “ Referendum”, the
results of the referendum may be challenged in the Constitutional Court.
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
The results of a referendum may be challenged
in the Constitutional Court by the President of the Republic or
at least 1/3 pf the Deputies of the National Assembly.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held since the country has
had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums were held (see above
I.C)?
2. On whose initiative has
each referendum been held?
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
6. Can any of the results
be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the
issues at stake?
Since the adoption of the Constitution of the
RA in 1995, July 5, one referendum on the amendments of the Constitution has
been conducted, the initiative of which came from the President of the
Republic.
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the national Constitution for local referendums?
The Constitution does not provide for any
direct norm on the local referendum, but the constitutional norm, that “the
people exercise their power through … a referendum” permits to provide for a
local referendum by law.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
The law on “Local referendum” adopted by the
National Assembly of the RA regulates the relations concerning the conduct of
local referendum.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
Is not applicable.
4. On what matters is it
possible to call a referendum?
The local referendum may be called on issues, which
according to the Constitution or the law are under the jurisdiction of the
bodies of local self-government, excepting the following issues:
a. which according to the Constitution or
the laws, are under the exclusive jurisdiction of the bodies of local
self-government,
b. concerning human and citizens’ rights,
freedoms and their duties, as well as the abolition or restriction of
constitutional guarantees insuring their realization,
c. concerning the powers of the bodies of
local self-government delegated them by the state bodies,
d. concerning
the recruitment of the staff of the District Administrator,
e. concerning the adoption of the budget
of the District or changes to it, as well as the implementation of the District’s
financial obligations and changes to them,
f. concerning
the alienation of the District’s property,
g. concerning the implementation of
emergency and urgent measures insuring the health and security of the population,
h. causing damage to the monuments of
history, culture and nature (see, Article 5, part 2 of the law on “Local
referendum”).
A1 -
At what level?
1. Federate states?
Is not applicable (The
administrative territorial units of the Republic of Armenia are the provinces and districts. Provinces
shall include urban and rural districts.)
2. Provinces? Regions?
No.
3. Lower levels?
Districts?
Yes.
4. Municipalities?
Yes.
5. On what matters?
See II A-4.
6. May national or federal
authorities intervene, and in what conditions?
No (in exception of judicial bodies).
B -
What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
1. Mandatory referendums
The Constitution does not provide for a
mandatory local referendum.
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
Yes.
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Parliament, local
and/or regional authorities?
The local referendum is called by the Council
of Elders of the given District. If the District has not formed yet, the local
referendum is called by the decision of the Head of the Province, which
includes the given District.
3. Referendums held at the
request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
According to the law on “Local referendum”, the
persons, who are entitled to participate in a referendum, may initiate a local
referendum. In order to support the initiative for conduction of a local
referendum, the initiative group, registered in the manner described by law,
gathers the signatures of the persons, who are entitled to participate in the
referendum. The number of the signatures necessary for calling a referendum
must not be less, than 5 percent of the total number of persons, entitled to
participate in a local referendum.
The validity of the signatures is verified by
the elective verification of the not less, than 2 percent of the total number
of signatures, necessary of calling a referendum. The Province commission of
the referendum, within 7 days after receive of the official papers, verifies
their legality, as well as the validity of the signatures. In order to conduct
the mentioned verification, the Province commission of the referendum may
decide to establish working groups with participation of the employees of the
staff of the commission, specialists and experts involved in the work of the
commission, the opinion of which may be taken as a basis to declare the
signatures invalid (see, Article 9 of the law on “Local referendum”).
b. Can a request for a referendum relate to a text already
adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward by popular initiative?
No. The local referendum cannot concern the issues
already adopted by the National Assembly.
4. Procedures involving
more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
Yes. The local government always is called by the
Council of Elders of the District, in its initiative, or in initiative of the
District Administrator or initiative group (popular initiative).
5. Role of Parliament
The Parliament does not participate in the
process of initiation or calling of a local referendum.
C -
Content
Reply to the same questions as in I-C.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be held on a proposal to secede from the State?
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
- Are any other subjects permitted?
The local referendum cannot relate to issues on
secede from the State or geographical boundaries. The local referendum may be called only the
issues, which, according to the Constitution and laws are under the
jurisdiction of the local self-government bodies, in exception of issues,
determined by the law (see II A-4).
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-D.
1. According to
legislation of the RA, the draft text of the local self-government body act is
submitted for a referendum, namely the specifically-worded draft.
2. The issues submitted for a referendum must conform to the
requirements mentioned in points a-e. That is:
a. The unity of form the
draft must be insured, namely the unified text of the draft is
submitted for a referendum. It cannot be combined with a generally-worded
proposal or a question of principle.
b. The unity of content
must be insured, namely the whole text of the local self-government act
is submitted for a referendum.
c. The unity of rank must be insured.
d. Each referendum may
be conducted in regard to a single issue (adoption of a single act)
e. According to Article
5 of the law on " Local referendum" the question must be simple, in
order to make it possible for the electorate to give a concrete answer.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of
conformity with central-government rules).
According to Article 20 of the law on “Legal
acts”, the acts adopted through a local referendum must not contradict the
Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the laws of the RA, the decisions of
the Government having the force of a law, the decisions of the National
Assembly of the RA, the decrees and orders of the President of the RA, the
decisions of the Government of the RA, the decisions of the Head of the
Government, the decisions of the Council of the Central bank, the decisions of
the Central Electoral Commission, the orders of the Ministers of the RA, the
decisions of the Heads of the Provinces and the Mayor of Yerevan city,
international treaties of the RA.
F - Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as in I-F.
1. Campaigning
a. The decision to call a local
referendum, as well as the draft of the decision, normative act submitted for
the referendum must be officially published 45 days before the voting day. The
legislation does not provide for mandatory publication of explanatory
documents.
b. Is
not applicable.
d. The legislation does not require the public media to
allocate equal time to supporters and opponents of the text.
e. The legislation does
not require the private media to give equal conditions to supporters and
opponents of the text, but the supporters and opponents have equal rights and unjustified
rejection of the private media to make advertisements may be challenged in a
judicial manner.
a. According to Article 23 of the law on
“Local referendum”, the initiative group may open bank united account in order
to finance the campaign (hereafter – campaign account). The initiative group is
prohibited to make expenses from other sources for the campaign. The citizens
of the RA, as well as the legal entities registered in the RA (in exception of
organization, whose capital has more than 30 percent of international
participation) may make payments to the campaign account. The size of the
campaign account is not restricted by law. The campaign can be started from the
day of calling the referendum: the campaign finishes a day before the voting.
b. The financing from private sources for
gathering signatures is not provided by law, meanwhile such financing is not
prohibited, namely, it is permitted. The expenses on the gathering of
signatures are not compensated from the campaign account.
3. Voting
a. The voting take place on one day.
b. Such a situation is not possible in the
Republic of Armenia.
c. The participation in
the referendum is right and not an obligation. The electors are free to vote or
not to vote.
d. In order for
the adoption of the issue submitted for a referendum the votes of more than
half of the participants of the voting for the text are required. Besides, this
number of votes cannot be less than 1/3 of the total number of electors
registered in the given Destrict. If the mentioned number of votes is not
insured, the issue submitted to the referendum is considered not adopted.
G - Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-G.
1. The
electors are required to vote for or against the act of the local self-government
body. The draft, which has gathered votes in a number determined by law,
in considered adopted and enters into force from the moment of an official
publication.
2. No.
3. The referendums provided for by the legislation of the RA
cannot be suspensive
or resolutory referendums.
In regard to abrogative referendum, taking into
consideration the fact, that the existence of the decision of the head of the
community or ---- on the issue submitted to the referendum cannot prevent the
calling of a referendum on the same issue, the act adopted through a referendum
on that issue may lead to the lose of the legal force the mentioned decision.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-H.
1. The acts (decisions)
adopted through a local referendum are amended only through a referendum. The
decision not adopted in result of the referendum may be adopted by the
appropriate body of self-government, which has power to adopt such a decision.
2. The
constitutional norm permitting a referendum may be revised or amended
only through a referendum. The law on "Local referendum" and other
legal norms, concerning referenda, can be revised or amended by the body
adopted them.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply to the same questions as in I-I.
1. The maximum
period for gathering signatures is 30 days after receive of official papers for
that purpose.
2. The
right to gather signatures belongs to the initiative group for the conduct of
the referendum, registered by the Province commission of the referendum. The
initiative group may be formed by at least 5 citizens.
3. The
Province commission of the referendum, within 7 days after receive of the
official papers from the initiative group, verifies their legality, as well as
the validity of the signatures.
In order to conduct the mentioned verification, the
Province commission of the referendum may decide to establish working groups
with participation of the employees of the staff of the commission, specialists
and experts involved in the work of the commission, the opinion of which may be
taken as a basis to declare the signatures invalid. The validity of the
signatures is verified by the elective verification of the not less, than 2
percent of the total number of signatures, necessary of calling a referendum.
4. If
the draft decision proposed for submitting for a referendum does not in
conformity with the requirements of the law on “Local referendum”, then the
Province commission of the referendum, on the proposal or consent of the
initiative group, before the adoption of a decision on the registration of the
initiative group, may change the wording of that draft, remaining unchanged its
content.
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate
distinction between judicial review at central-government level and at federate
or regional level.
1. As
it has been mentioned, the local referendum is called by a decision of the
Council of Elders of the given District. If the District has not formed yet,
the local referendum is called by the decision of the Head of the Province,
which includes the given District. The decision to call a local referendum or
not to call may be challenged in the general courts.
2. According
to Article 18, paragraph 4 of the law on “Local referendum”, the disputes
concerning the results of local referendum are under the jurisdiction of
general courts.
3. The
law on “Local referendum” does not specify the scope of persons, who may
challenge the results of local referendum.
K - Experiences of
referendums
1. Have there been many
local referendums?
A local referendum has never been conducted.
2.
If so, at what level?
Federate level? Provinces or districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify what
type of referendums were held.
Is not applicable.
III -
The future of referendums
1. Is
the referendum system currently being reformed?
2. If
so, for what reason?
3. If
so, what is the general tendency of this reform?
Such changing is not conducted.
AUTRICHE / AUSTRIA
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is provision made for
referendums in the Constitution?
Yes. The Austrian “Federal
Constitutional Law” (“Bundes-Verfassungsgesetz”, hereinafter “FCL”) provides
two forms of national (federal) referendums: firstly, the binding referendum
(“Volksabstimmung”; Articles 45 and 46 FCL) and secondly, the consultative
referendum (“Volksbefragung”; Article 49.b FCL).
2. If not, does the law
provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or after
their adoption by Parliament?
Any total revision of the
Federal Constitution shall upon conclusion of the parliamentary procedure
but before its authentication by the Federal President be submitted to a
referendum by the entire nation (Article 44 paragraph 3 FCL;
“mandatory binding referendum”).
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
Yes.
b. If so, who may call
a referendum? The Head of State, the Government, Parliament, a given
number of members of Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
1.
“Facultative binding referendums”:
-
Any enactment
or bill of the National Council (“Gesetzesbeschluss”) shall be submitted to
a referendum if the National Council so resolves or if the majority of its
members so demands (Article 43 FCL)
-
Any partial
revision of the Federal Constitution shall be submitted to a referendum if
one third of the members of the National Council or of the Federal Council so
demands (Article 44 paragraph 3 FCL).
2.
“Recall referendum”: Before expiry of his six-year-term
of office the Federal President can be deposed by referendum on demand
of the “Federal Assembly” (National Council and Federal Council) by a
two-thirds-majority (Article 60 paragraph 6 FCL).
3.
“Consultative referendum”: A consultative referendum on
a matter of fundamental and overall national importance for whose settlement
the federal legislature is competent must take place if the National Council
votes it by reason of a motion from its members or from the Federal Government
(Article 49.b paragraph 1 FCL).
3. Referendums held at the
request of part of the electorate
a.
Can a
specified number of members of the electorate call for a referendum? If so,
what percentage of the electorate is required for the proposal to be valid? How
are voters’ signatures checked?
No.
b. Can a request for a referendum
relate to a text already adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward
by popular initiative?
Every motion by 100.000 voters or
by one sixth each of the voters in three Länder (“Volksbegehren”,
popular initiative) must be submitted by the Federal electoral board to the
National Council for action. This popular initiative must concern a matter to
be settled by Federal law and can be put forward in the form of a draft law
(Article 41 paragraph 2 FCL), but it cannot request the hold of a
referendum.
4. Procedures involving
more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to
popular vote have the approval of more than one body?
No.
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the overnment reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
No.
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
No.
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
No.
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
No.
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
No.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted
to referendum
Are referendums held only on
proposals for constitutional amendments?
No. See B-2.
Is a referendum mandatory in the
case of a constitutional amendment?
Only in case of a total
revision of the Federal Constitution the referendum is mandatory (see B‑1).
In others cases it is facultative (see B‑2).
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In
particular, is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European
Union or international organisations?
1.
Recall of the Federal President before expiry of his
six-year-term (see B-2).
2.
Referendums on the accession to international
organisations are only mandatory if the effects of the accession can be
considered as a total revision of the Federal Constitution (e.g. the
Constitutional Law of 1994 concerning the accession of Austria to the EU was
considered as a total revision of the Federal Constitution which made it necessary
to submit it to a mandatory referendum; see also B‑1). Facultative
referendums on this matter are possible in accordance with the above cited
constitutional provisions (see B‑2).
3.
Any matter of fundamental and overall national
importance for whose settlement the federal legislature ist competent (see
B-2).
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain
matters automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
See B-1 and B-2. Referendums for
other than the mentioned matters are not provided.
Elections and matters subject to
a decision by a court or an administrative authority cannot be topic of a
consultative referendum (Article 49.b paragraph 1 FCL).
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not presented in the form of a specific
provision and known as a “generally-worded proposal” (for example: “Are you in
favour of amending the Constitution in order to reduce the number of seats in
Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
1.
The “Binding Referendum Act” of 1972
(“Volksabstimmungsgesetz”, hereinafter “BRA”) provides in his paragraph 9
that the text of binding referendums must always be formulated by a concrete
question: either “Shall the bill of parliament concerning ... come into
legal force?” (concerning referendums according to Articles 43 and 44
paragraph 3 FCL) or “Shall the Federal President be deposed?” (concerning
referendums according to Article 60 paragraph 6 FCL). In both cases
the voters have to answer alternatively with “Yes” or “No”.
2.
A motion for a consultative referendum must include a
proposal for the formulation of the question to be basically put in the
consultative referendum. This must consist either of a question to be answered
with “Yes” or “No” or of two alternative solutions (Article 49.b
paragraph 2 FCL).
2. Do questions submitted
to referendum have to respect:
a.
unity of form
(a specifically-worded draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal or a
question of principle must not be combined in the same question);
See D-1.
b. unity
of content (except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or another
piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the various
parts of each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of
suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole
provisions without an intrinsic link);
See D-1.
c. unity of rank: the
question must not relate simultaneously to the Constitution and subordinate
legislation.
See D-1.
d. Does the vote have to be on a single
question or can it be on several different ones?
The BRA of 1972 and the
“Consultative Referendum Act” of 1989 (“Volksbefragungsgesetz”, hereinafter
CRA) provide respectively that two or more referendums on different
matters/questions can be hold on the same day.
e.
Does the
question (or do the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
See D-1.
E - Substantive limits on referendums
(substantive validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some of its rules;
- to other overriding legal rules.
No.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide
objective information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory
document to voters?
Neither the Federal Constitution
nor other legal provisions require explicitly that information to the voters
has to be provided by the State authorities. Although, the Order of the Federal
President (or its constitutional deputy) to hold a binding referendum has not
only to fix the referendum day but also to provide the full text of the bill
being submitted to referendum. This order has to be published in the “Federal
Law Gazette” (see paragraphs 1 and 2 of the BRA).
b. If an explanatory document is provided,
who draws it up? Can political parties take part in drafting it? Does the
explanatory document have to provide a balanced presentation of the
authorities’ views and their opponents’ views?
c. Is campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted
to political parties? If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national,
regional or local authorities allowed to campaign?
d. Are the public media required to
allocate equal time to supporters and opponents of the text?
According to the legal provisions
on public broadcasting (i.e. the “Federal Constitutional Law on the protection
of the independence of public broadcasting” of 1974 and the “Federal Act on the
Austria Broadcasting Corporation ORF” of 2001), the Austrian Broadcasting
Corporation “ORF” is obliged to ensure objective and impartial information to
the public and the diversity of opinion.
e.
What about
the private media? Are financial or other conditions for radio and
television advertising the same for supporters and opponents?
Private broadcasting or radio
corporations are also obliged to the principles of objectivity and diversity of
opinion (see the 2001 Acts on Private Radio and on Private Television).
According to the jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court (see above c.), the
State authorities have to protect and to ensure a fair and free decision-making
process in and by private media providing the voters with information on a
certain referendum.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for
or against a proposal submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it
prohibited in the period immediately preceding the vote?
There are no explicit legal
provisions on this particular matter. In accordance with the mentioned
jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court the government
and members of parliament may campaign for their own views even by the moderate
use of public funds as long as this does not constitute an excessive
non-objective information.
b. Is privately-funded collection of
signatures for popular initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
The voting takes place on one day
(see paragraph 2 BRA and paragraph 2 CRA).
b. If there is a large
time-lag between different voting centres, is it possible for the results
from some of them to be known before voting closes in other centres?
c. Is it
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
No.
d.
Quorum : For the result of the referendum to be
valid, is it necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered
voters? Or is a minimum turnout required?
No.
G - Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate
asked for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
Concerning binding referendums on
a bill of parliament or on the recall of the Federal President, the electorate
is always asked for a decision. If the electorate decides in favour of a bill
submitted to the referendum, the bill can finally be enacted as an Act of
Parliament approved by the people. Rejection by the referendum of the deposition
of the Federal President holds good as a re-election and entails automatically
the dissolution of the National Council (Article 60 paragraph 6 FCL).
Concerning consultative referendums the electorate ist asked for an opinion
which does not bind the Federal Parliament. For the referendum the absolute
majority of the validly cast votes is decisive (Article 45 paragaph 1 and
Article 49.b paragraph 3 FCL).
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
No.
3. Where a referendum deals with a text
that has already been adopted by an authority, is that referendum:
- suspensive: the text may not enter into force
unless it has been approved by the electors or unless a request to hold a
referendum has not been made within the time-limit established by the
Constitution or by law;
- resolutory: the text ceases to be in force
following a "no" vote or failure to secure a "yes" vote
within a certain time-limit after its adoption; or
- abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum
leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
See above G-1. If the electorate
decides against a bill submitted to the referendum, it cannot be enacted. In
this case the Federal Parliament could only approve a new bill on the same
matter, but which has to be submitted to a referendum as well.
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Only in case of facultative
binding and consultative referendums.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
The constitutional provisions on
referendums could be revised by a Federal Constitutional Law that requires a
two-thirds-majority in the National Council (Article 44 paragraph 1 FCL).
The abolition of the mandatory binding referendum in case of a total revision
of the Federal Constitution ruled by Article 44 paragraph 3 FCL might be
considered per se as a total revision affecting the democratic principle
of the Federal Constitution (Article 1 FCL) which would require to submit
the bill on this matter to a mandatory referendum.
I - Specific rules on popular
initiatives
There a no rules on this point on
federal level as there is no possibility for such initiatives. Some
provincial constitutions provide for popular initiatives (see below II.H.).
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
--
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
--
3.
How are
signatures checked?
--
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
J - Judicial review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
No.
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
No.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
Yes. It exists a right to appeal
to the Constitutional Court against the final results of a binding or
consultative referendum alleging a procedural failure in accordance with
paragraph 14 BRA and paragraph 16 CRA respectively.
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
A certain number of voters. The
concrete number of voters varies between 100 and 500, depending on the Land
where the appealing voters live.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held since the country has
had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums were held (see above
I.C)?
1.
November 5, 1978: facultative binding referendum
concerning the bill on the peaceful exploitation of nuclear energy
(nuclear power station of Zwentendorf) in accordance with Article 43 FCL: 50,5%
against the bill.
2.
June 12, 1994: mandatory binding referendum concerning
the Federal Constitutional Law on the accession of Austria to the
European Union in accordance with Article 44 paragraph 3 FCL (total
revision of the Federal Constitution): 66,6% in favour of the accession.
2. On whose initiative has
each referendum been held?
-
1978 referendum: majority of members of the National
Council (Article 43 FCL).
-
1994 referendum: majority of members of the National
Council (Article 44 paragraph 3 FCL).
3. Have any referendums been
invalid because of a low turnout?
No.
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
One.
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
One.
6. Can any of the results
be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent ? Or by a misunderstanding of
the issues at stake?
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the national Constitution for local referendums?
No.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
Yes.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
Yes. The constitutions of all
nine Länder provide for the possibility to hold regional or local
referendums.
4. On what matters is it possible to call a referendum?
A1 - At what level?
1. Federate states?
Yes (Länder).
2. Provinces? Regions?
3. Lower levels?
Districts?
4. Municipalities?
Yes (Gemeinden).
5. On what matters?
Generally, it is possible to call
a regional referendum on a bill adopted by the parliament of the Land (“Landtag”).
Local referendums are generally reserved for matters of fundamental local
interest or decisions of the Municipal Council.
6. May national or federal
authorities intervene, and in what conditions?
No.
B - What type of
referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
There exists a great variety of
provisions amongst the Länder because of their constitutional autonomy
guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. Generally, all Länder provide
facultative binding and consultative referendums at regional and local level.
In two Länder (Salzburg, Vorarlberg) mandatory binding referendums are
required in case of a total revision of the constitution of the Land.
Regional Referendums can either be called by the Landtag or a certain
number of its members, or at the request of a specified number of voters or
municipalities. Local Referendums can either be called by the Municipal Council
or at request of a specified number of voters.
C - Content
Reply to the same questions as in I-C.
Generally, any bill adopted by
the Landtag can be submitted to a regional binding referendum. Some Länder
(e.g. Burgenland, Vienna) provide regional consultative referendums. Local
(binding or consultative) referendums are generally reserved for matters of
fundamental local interest or decisions of the Municipal Council. In some Länder
(e.g. Salzburg, Tyrol) local referendums are provided to recall the
directly elected mayor of a municipality.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be held on a proposal to secede from the State?
No.
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
In some Länder only in case
of municipal boundaries.
- Are any other subjects
permitted?
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-D.
There is a great variety of
provisions amongst the nine Länder.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of
conformity with central-government rules).
The provisions of the Länder on
regional and local referendums must not be contrary to the Federal Constitution
(Article 99 FCL).
F - Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as in I-F.
There is a great variety of
provisions amongst the nine Länder. Generally there exist, however,
corresponding or similar rules at regional and local level. See above I-F: The
jurisdiction of the Austrian Constitutional Court on this matter must also be
taken into account by the legislation of the Länder.
G - Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-G.
There is a great variety of
provisions amongst the nine Länder.
H - Parallelism of procedures
and rules on referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-H.
There is a great variety of
provisions amongst the nine Länder.
I - Specific rules on popular
initiatives
Reply to the same questions as in I-I.
There is a great variety of
provisions amongst the nine Länder.
J - Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate
distinction between judicial review at central-government level and at federate
or regional level.
There is a great variety of
provisions amongst the nine Länder.
K - Experiences of
referendums
1. Have there been many
local referendums?
2.
If so, at what level?
Federate level? Provinces or districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify
what type of referendums were held.
III -
The future of referendums
1. Is
the referendum system currently being reformed?
Actually, the “Austrian Convention”
(“Österreich-Konvent”) is discussing a sweeping reform of the Federal
Constitution and, inter alia,
a future reform of the existing means of direct democratic participation at
national level.
2. If
so, for what reason?
3. If so, what is the general tendency of
this reform?
To
improve and to enlarge the means of direct democratic participation in matters
of federal legislation.
AZERBAIDJAN / AZERBAIJAN
I - National
referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is provision made for
referendums in the Constitution?
Yes. There is a specific provision in the
Constitution (Article 3) titled “Issues resolved by referendum”.
B -
What type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or after
their adoption by Parliament?
No.
2. Referendums called by an
authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
Yes.
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Parliament, local
and/or regional authorities?
A
referendum may be called either the President or by the Milli Mejlis (the
Parliament of Azerbaijan).
3. Referendums held at the
request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
No.
But at least 300.000 voters may apply to the President or the Parliament of
Azerbaijan with a view of making a proposal to call for a referendum.
b. Can a request for a referendum relate to a text already
adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward by popular initiative?
Yes.
4. Procedures involving more
than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
No.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
No.
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as the
first proposal?
No.
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
No.
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
No.
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
No.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted to
referendum
Are referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
No.
Is a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional amendment?
Yes.
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In particular,
is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European Union or
international organisations?
Any matter save for the ones specifically
referred to in Article 3 of the Constitution (see below) may be put on a
referendum.
Possible, but not necessary.
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain matters
automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
No.
Yes: the Constitution (Article 3) specifies
the issues, which: I - may be resolved only by a referendum: 1. constitutional
amendments and 2. alteration of the State borders; II - may not be put on a
referendum: 1. Taxation and state budget; 2. Amnesty and pardon; 3. Election,
appointment or approval of the officials, whose election, appointment or
approval falls within the competence of respectively the legislative and (or)
executive bodies”.
D -
Form of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1. What form may the text submitted to referendum take:
Any of the forms referred to
in this question (there is no specific provision about that).
2. Do questions submitted to
referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a specifically-worded draft amendment and a
generally-worded proposal or a question of principle must not be combined in
the same question);
There is no specific provision about that.
b. unity of content (except in the case of total revision of
the Constitution or another piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic
connection between the various parts of each question put to the vote in order
to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or
reject as a whole provisions without an intrinsic link);
There is no specific provision about that.
c. unity of rank: the question must not relate simultaneously
to the Constitution and subordinate legislation.
There is no specific provision about that.
d. Does
the vote have to be on a single question or can it be on several different
ones?
It can be on several
different questions.
e. Does
the question (or do the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
There is no specific provision about that.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive
validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules
There
is no explicit provision about that.
- to the Constitution or some of its rules
There is no explicit provision about that.
- to other overriding legal rules
There is no explicit provision about that.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
Yes, but only the text.
b. If an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can
political parties take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory document have
to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and their
opponents’ views?
It
is not provided.
c. Is campaigning for or against the
referendum text restricted to political parties? If not, who is entitled to
take part? Are national, regional or local authorities allowed to
campaign?
No.
Any citizens or groups of citizens.
No.
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
Yes.
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters
and opponents?
Yes.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
Yes.
Yes.
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
Yes.
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
On one day.
b. If there is a large time-lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
It is not the case in Azerbaijan.
c. Is it
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
No.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
Yes (absolute majority of the voters who
participated in the referendum.
Yes not less than 25% of the registered
voters).
G - Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
For a decision.
2. Does the referendum make
it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
Yes.
3. Where a referendum deals with a text
that has already been adopted by an authority, is that referendum:
Resolutory.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
No.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
No.
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
No popular initiatives are provided for in the
Azerbaijani legislation.
J - Judicial review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
No.
No. But, according to the Constitution, “the Constitutional
Court shall give its opinion with respect to
amendments to the Constitution that are proposed by the Milli Mejlis or the
President (Article 153).
No.
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
There is no specific provision about that.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
No.
4. Who may lodge an appeal?
See reply to J-1.
K -
Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held since the country has
had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums were held (see above
I.C)?
Only one (2002): on constitutional amendments.
2. On whose initiative has
each referendum been held?
On the initiative of the President of
Azerbaijan.
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
No.
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
In that referendum the electorate voted yes.
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
6. Can any of the results be
largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
Yes.
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
Yes.
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the
issues at stake?
Yes.
II -
Regional or local referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is there provision in the
national Constitution for local referendums?
No.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
No.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
No.
4. On what matters is it
possible to call a referendum?
No possibility.
III - The future of referendums
1. Is the referendum system currently being
reformed?
No.
2. If so, for what reason?
3. If so, what is the general tendency of
this reform?
BELGIQUE / BELGIUM
I - Référendums
nationaux
Aucune
disposition de la Constitution belge ne traite du référendum à l’échelon
fédéral qu’il s’agisse du référendum décisionnel ou du référendum consultatif.
En
ce qui concerne le référendum décisionnel, la doctrine s’accorde pour dire
qu’une révision de la Constitution est nécessaire si l’on souhaite introduire
un tel procédé en droit belge à quelque niveau que ce soit et quel que soit le
type d’acte. Cette position unanime de la doctrine ne se retrouve pas en
matière de référendum consultatif (ou consultation populaire). D’aucuns
estiment en effet que l’on peut, dès à présent, sans révision préalable de la
Constitution, y recourir pour autant que le législateur fédéral adopte une
disposition dans ce sens. Cette opinion est toutefois minoritaire.
En
pratique, un seul référendum, dont la constitutionnalité a par ailleurs été
vivement critiquée, s’est tenu en Belgique à l’échelle nationale : la
consultation populaire au sujet de la question royale du 12 mars 1950. Le
législateur avait en effet décidé de consulter les électeurs sur l’opportunité
de permettre au roi Léopold III de reprendre l’exercice de ses pouvoirs
constitutionnels. La participation à cette consultation populaire qui était
réservée aux seuls belges était obligatoire. Elle a donné lieu au résultat
suivant : 57,68% des électeurs se sont prononcés en faveur de la reprise
par le roi de l’exercice de ses pouvoirs. Toutefois, les résultats étaient fort
contrastés selon les régions. Le pourcentage de "oui" s'élevait à
72,2% en Flandre, à 48,16% à Bruxelles et à 42% en Wallonie. Cette expérience
n'a pu que conduire à une très grande prudence dans la suite quant à
l'éventualité de l'instauration de référendums ou de consultations populaires à
l'échelon national (fédéral).
De
même, le mécanisme de l'initiative populaire, procédé de démocratie directe
permettant à une fraction de la population de soumettre une proposition de
révision de la Constitution au parlement ou de déposer une proposition de texte
législatif ou réglementaire n'existe pas en droit belge, à l'exception des
règles particulières prévues pour les communes et les provinces (cf. infra). Ce
mécanisme est en effet inconciliable avec les textes qui régissent l'initiative
en matière de révision de la Constitution et l'initiative en matière
législative et, plus généralement, avec le caractère essentiellement
représentatif du régime prévu par la Constitution belge.
II - Référendums
régionaux ou locaux
A - Quel fondement
juridique?
Dans
un premier temps, c’est par le biais de dispositions législatives que la
consultation populaire a émergé en droit belge. Ce mécanisme a en effet été
instauré au niveau communal et provincial respectivement par la loi du 10 avril
1995 complétant la nouvelle loi communale par des dispositions relatives à la
consultation populaire communale et la loi du 25 juin 1997 modifiant la loi
provinciale.
Depuis
le 12 mars 1999, ce procédé de démocratie directe est consacré par l’Article 41
de la Constitution qui stipule ce qui suit :
« Les
matières d’intérêt communal ou provincial peuvent faire l’objet d’une
consultation populaire dans la commune ou la province concernée. La loi règle
les modalités et l’organisation de la consultation populaire ».
Au
niveau des Communautés et Régions, aucun texte ne traite du référendum
décisionnel ou consultatif. La situation juridique est donc similaire à celle
qui existe au niveau fédéral. Il convient toutefois de noter que la
Constitution est, depuis le mois d’avril 2003, ouverte à révision en vue de
l’insertion d’un nouvel Article permettant aux Régions d’instituer et
d’organiser une consultation populaire dans les matières qui relèvent de leurs
compétences.
B - Quel est le type de référendum?
1. Référendum obligatoire
Au
niveau communal, le texte de la loi ne prévoit pas de référendum obligatoire.
Il prévoit que la consultation populaire peut être organisée par le conseil
communal, soit d’initiative, soit à la demande d’une fraction de la population.
Toutefois, lorsque la demande de la population est soutenue par un nombre
suffisant de signatures, le conseil communal est en principe tenu d’organiser
la consultation populaire demandée.
Dans
la première hypothèse, l’initiative émane du conseil communal seul, sans que
l’accord d’une autre autorité soit requis. Ce n’est qu’au niveau de la mise en
œuvre de la consultation populaire que l’intervention d’un autre organe
communal, le collège des bourgmestre et échevins, est prévue.
Dans
la seconde hypothèse, la loi exige que l’initiative soit soutenue par un
certain pourcentage de la population qui varie en fonction de la taille de la
commune. Le taux fixé est dégressif. Le collège des bourgmestre et échevins est
donc astreint à vérifier la validité des différentes signatures afin de s’assurer
que le nombre de signatures valables, c’est-à-dire de signatures émises par des
personnes répondant aux différentes conditions posées par la loi, est atteint.
2. Référendum à la demande d’une autorité
Au
niveau provincial, le régime est mutatis mutandis identique à celui qui vient
d’être décrit.
C - Contenu
En
vertu de l’Article 41 de la Constitution, les consultations populaires ne
peuvent porter que sur des matières d’intérêt communal lorsqu’elles sont
organisées au niveau communal et sur des matières d’intérêt provincial
lorsqu’elles le sont au niveau provincial. Les textes de loi respectifs
précisent ce qu’il y a lieu d’entendre par matières d’intérêt communal et
provincial.
En
outre, tant la loi communale que la loi provinciale excluent de la consultation
populaire les questions de personnes ainsi que les questions relatives aux
comptes, budgets, taxes et rétributions.
Par
ailleurs, dans la mesure où cette compétence est dévolue à la loi par l’Article
7 de la Constitution, les consultations populaires ne peuvent porter sur une
modification des limites territoriales des provinces ou des communes.
D - Validité formelle
Que
ce soit au niveau communal ou provincial, sont soumises au référendum des
« questions de principe » selon la terminologie usitée dans le
présent questionnaire. Ces questions doivent être formulées de manière à ce
qu’il puisse y être répondu par oui ou non (voy. art. 327 de la loi du 10 avril
1995 complétant la nouvelle loi communale par des dispositions relatives à la
consultation populaire communale, M.B. 21/04/1995 et art. 140-10 de la loi du
25 juin 1997 modifiant la loi provinciale, M.B. 05/07/1997).
E - Validité matérielle
Dans
la mesure où sont seules soumises au référendum des questions de principe,
cette rubrique n’appelle pas directement de réponse.
Toutefois,
il est clair que la question posée sous forme de "question de
principe" doit rester dans le cadre que la loi communale ou la loi
provinciale lui assigne, notamment porter sur les questions d'intérêt communal
ou provincial. Si tel n'est pas le cas, l'autorité de tutelle peut intervenir
et/ou des recours juridictionnels sont ouverts (cf. infra).
F - Propagande et votation
Il
est prévu dans les textes de loi que les administrations communale et
provinciale mettent à la disposition des habitants une brochure présentant le
sujet de la consultation populaire de manière objective. C’est l’administration
qui est chargée de sa rédaction sous la coordination du collège échevinal.
Outre cette présentation objective, la brochure doit comporter, d’une part, la
ou les questions sur lesquelles les habitants vont être consultés et, d’autre
part, le cas échéant, la note motivée déposée par la population avec la demande
de consultation populaire.
Tous
les habitants de la commune, ressortissants belges ou étrangers, âgés de 16 ans
ou plus sont invités à participer. Leur participation n’est toutefois pas
obligatoire.
Ces
règles s'éloignent de celles qui régissent en général les élections, tant en ce
qui concerne l'âge requis (en principe 18 ans) que la nationalité (non exigée
pour les consultations) et la participation au scrutin (ici facultative alors
qu'elle est en règle obligatoire pour les élections).
Cependant,
il n’est procédé au dépouillement des résultats que si le quorum de
participation fixé par les lois respectives, à savoir, au niveau provincial,
10% des habitants de la province et, au niveau communal, entre 10 et 20% des
habitants de la commune, est atteint. Les opérations électorales se réalisent
en un seul jour, le dimanche entre 8 heures et 13 heures.
Afin
d'éviter des interférences entre scrutins différents, les consultations ne
peuvent être organisées au cours des seize mois qui précèdent les élections
communales ou provinciales. En outre, les consultations communales ou
provinciales ne peuvent être organisées au cours des quarante jours qui
précèdent l'élection directe de la Chambre des représentants, du Sénat, des
Conseils de Région ou de Communauté et du Parlement européen.
Les
habitants de la commune ou de la province ne peuvent être consultés qu'une
seule fois par semestre et six fois au plus par législature communale ou
provinciale. Au cours de la période qui s'étend d'un renouvellement des
conseils communaux ou provinciaux à l'autre, il ne peut être organisé qu'une
seule consultation sur le même sujet.
Notons
enfin que la problématique de la propagande n’est abordée ni dans les textes de
loi ni dans les travaux parlementaires y relatifs.
G - Les effets du référendum
Le
droit positif belge ne connaît à l’heure actuelle que le référendum
consultatif. Les habitants du Royaume sont donc uniquement invités à formuler
un avis sur une question donnée portant sur des intérêts communaux ou
provinciaux. Une fois cet avis recueilli, le pouvoir décisionnel du conseil
communal ou provincial reste intact. Ces derniers doivent toutefois prendre le
soin de motiver les décisions qu’ils prennent relativement à des questions qui
ont fait l’objet d’une consultation populaire.
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant le
référendum
Dans
la mesure où la Belgique ne connaît pas, dans l’état actuel du droit, le
référendum décisionnel, cette rubrique n’appelle pas de réponse.
I - Règles particulières relatives à l’initiative
populaire
L'initiative
populaire n'existe qu'au niveau des communes et des provinces. Si le nombre de
signatures requises est atteint, la consultation doit en principe être
organisée.
Le
contrôle de la validité des signatures repose sur l'organe exécutif (collège
des bourgmestre et échevins ou députation permanente). Dès le contrôle achevé,
le collège des bourgmestre et échevins ou la députation permanente doit
inscrire le point à l'ordre du jour soit du conseil communal soit du conseil
provincial, à moins que ces conseils ne soient manifestement pas compétents. En
cas de doute, c'est au conseil concerné de trancher.
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
La
décision des conseils communaux ou provinciaux d’organiser ou de ne pas
organiser une consultation populaire est soumise au contrôle juridictionnel ordinaire.
Toute
personne justifiant d’un intérêt peut dès lors introduire contre ces décisions
un recours en suspension et/ou en annulation devant le Conseil d’Etat pour
violation des formes substantielles ou prescrites à peine de nullité ainsi que
pour excès ou détournement de pouvoir.
Il
faut également noter que ces décisions sont en outre soumises au contrôle des
autorités de tutelle.
K - Les expériences de référendum
Des
référendums consultatifs ont été organisés uniquement à l'échelle communale. Ils
sont toutefois assez peu nombreux et portent le plus souvent sur des objets
très concrets, tels des problèmes de parking, d'implantation de bâtiment, etc.
III -
Avenir du référendum
Les
législations qui organisent le référendum dans les communes et les provinces ne
font pas actuellement l’objet d’une réforme. Toutefois, une révision de
l’Article 41 de la Constitution est actuellement à l’étude. Le constituant
envisage en effet de régionaliser cette matière qui jusqu'ici est réglée par
une loi fédérale.
En
outre, comme nous l’avons indiqué ci-avant, la Constitution est ouverte à
révision en vue de permettre aux Régions d’instituer et d’organiser une
consultation populaire dans les matières qui relèvent de leurs compétences. Par
ailleurs, plusieurs propositions de loi, décret et ordonnance visant à
instaurer le référendum au niveau fédéral et régional ont été déposées devant
les diverses assemblées parlementaires.
Ces
divers projets de réforme vont essentiellement dans le sens de la mise en place
de référendums consultatifs plutôt que décisionnels.
BULGARIE / BULGARIA
I - Référendums nationaux
A - Quel est le fondement juridique?
1. Oui. L’Article 42 de la Constitution
bulgare stipule que les citoyens ayant l’âge de 18 ans, à l’exception de ceux
qui sont mis sous la tutelle et ceux qui purgent une peine privative de
liberté, ont le droit de participer à des référendums dont l’organisation et
les modalités à suivre sont réglementées par la Loi sur les consultations
populaires (publiée dans le J.O. No 100/1996, amendée J.O. No 69/99).
2. L’Article
5 de la Loi sur la consultation populaire stipule que ne peuvent être réglées
par référendum les questions relatives à la modification de la Constitution,
aux pouvoirs de la Grande Assemblée nationale, au budget de l’Etat et aux
impôts, aux compétences des organes judiciaires, aux pouvoirs de la Cour
constitutionnelle et autres questions pour le règlement desquelles des
modalités spéciales sont prévues par la loi. Sur toutes les autres questions
d’importance nationale il est possible d’organiser des référendums. La
Constitution ne contient pas de restrictions à ce sujet.
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Référendum
obligatoire
Il n’y a pas de référendums obligatoires.
La Constitution bulgare ne contient pas de
dispositions imposant l’exigence de soumettre au référendum certains textes
avant ou après leur adoption par l’Assemblée nationale.
2. Référendum
à la demande d’une autorité
a.
Oui, Le référendum peut être
organisé à la demande d’une autorité. Dans l’Article 6 de la Loi sur la
consultation populaire sont énumérées les autorités qui le droit de soumettre
des propositions en ce sens. Ces autorités sont: au moins un quart des députés,
le Conseil des ministres et le Président de la République. En même temps
l’Article 7 de la même loi qui dispose notamment que toute proposition relative
à l’organisation d’un référendum doit être approuvée par le Parlement.
b.
Quant à l’autorité qui décide
de l’organisation d’un référendum, il faut dire que cette question est
réglementée par l’Article 84, p. 5 de la Constitution qui dispose que la
décision de l’organisation de référendum national est prise par l’Assemblée
nationale. Une fois la décision de l’Assemblée nationale prise, le Président de
la République fixe la date du référendum (Article 98, p.1 de la Constitution).
3. Référendum
à la demande d’une fraction du corps électoral
a. Les électeurs ne peuvent pas exiger
l’organisation d’un référendum.
b. Une demande de référendum
ne peut pas porter sur un texte déjà adopté par le Parlement.
4. Procédure
impliquant plusieurs autorités
Une telle procédure n’existe pas. Conformément à
l’Article 84, p. 5 de la Constitution bulgare l’Assemblée nationale se prononce
sur toute proposition de référendum faite auprès d’elle.
5. Rôle
du Parlement
Le rôle de l’Assemblée nationale en matière
d’organisation de référendum est défini dans l’Article 84, p. 5 de la
Constitution aux termes duquel l’Assemblée nationale décide de l’organisation
d’un référendum sur la base d’une proposition concrète faite auprès d’elle.
C - Contenu
1. Types
d’actes soumis au référendum
La Constitution ne peut être modifiée par voie de
référendum et donc le référendum à cette fin n’est ni prévu ni nécessaire.
2. Les
matières sur lesquelles peut porter le référendum sont
définies dans l’Article 5 de la Loi sur la consultation populaire. Conformément
à cette disposition ne peuvent être réglées par référendum les questions
relatives à la modification de la Constitution, aux pouvoirs de la Grande
Assemblée nationale, au budget de l’Etat et aux impôts, aux compétences des
organes judiciaires, aux pouvoirs de la Cour constitutionnelle et autres
questions pour le règlement desquelles des modalités spéciales sont prévues par
la loi. Sur toutes les autres questions d’importance nationale il est possible
d’organiser des référendums. La Constitution ne contient pas de restrictions à
ce sujet.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
1. Quelle
est la forme possible d’un texte soumis au référendum ?
Soumettre des questions auxquelles il faut
répondre par «oui» ou «non».
2. Oui.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la validité
matérielle)
Voir la réponse G-2.
Oui.
F - Campagne /propagande/ financement et votation
1. Campagne
et propagande
a. - b. Une fois posée la question
sur laquelle porte le référendum, les électeurs ne reçoivent de note
explicative.
c. La Loi sur la consultation
populaire ne contient pas de règles pour la participation à la campagne politique
relative à l’organisation du référendum. Il n’y a pas de limitations pour la
participation des partis politiques et des organisations non gouvernementales à
cette campagne.
d. Les médias publics sont
tenus de réserver une place égale aux partisans et aux adversaires du texte
proposé.
e. Cette exigence est valable
aussi pour les médias privés.
Conformément à l’Article 7, al. 3 de la Loi sur la
consultation populaire, la décision de l’Assemblée nationale sur l’organisation
d’un référendum définit aussi les modalités de son déroulement et de la
campagne qui le précède conformément au principe de l’égalité.
2. Financement
a. - b. Il n’y a pas qu’une seule
disposition législative en matière de financement qui stipule notamment stipule
que les frais d’organisation d’un référendum national sont assumées par le
budget de l’Etat.
3. Votation
a. Les opérations électorales
sont réalisées en un seul jour.
b. Il n’y a pas de décalage
horaire entre les différents centres de vote.
c. La participation de chaque
électeur n’est pas obligatoire.
d. La consultation est
considérée valable, en présence de deux conditions: avoir obtenu la
participation au référendum de plus de 50% des inscrits et avoir obtenu les
votes favorables de plus de la moitié des bulletins valides.
G - Les effets du référendum
Toutes les questions posées sous cette rubrique
sont réglementées par deux dispositions de la Loi sur la consultation
populaire, à savoir :
L’Article 3 qui stipule que les questions qui font
l’objet d’un référendum ne sont pas soumises à la suite à une approbation ou
confirmation sauf si la loi n’en prévoit autrement.
L’Article 18, al. 3 qui dispose que l’Assemblée
nationale adopte les actes qui sont nécessaires à l’exécution de la décision de
référendum national.
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant le
référendum
1. Une disposition acceptée/rejetée par
référendum ne peut pas être révisée/introduite par une procédure excluant le
référendum.
2. La révision d’une norme constitutionnelle
prévoyant la possibilité d’organiser un référendum est soumise aux règles
générales de la révision de la Constitution. La révision d’une norme
législative en la matière doit respecter de son côté les règles en vigueur pour
la révision des lois par l’Assemblée nationale.
I - Règles particulières relative à l’initiative
populaire
1. - 4. Les électeurs n’ont pas le droit à l’initiative
en matière d’organisation de référendum.
J - Contrôle
juridictionnel
1. - 4. La décision
de l’Assemblée nationale d’approuver ou de rejeter la tenue d’un référendum est
susceptible de contrôle de constitutionalité de la part de la Cour
constitutionnelle comme d’ailleurs tous les autres actes de l’Assemblée
nationale. Quant à la légalité des résultats du référendum elle peut être contestée
par les ayants droit de proposer la tenue de référendum. Le recours est alors
porté devant la Cour suprême administrative.
K - Les expériences
de référendum
1. - 8. Depuis l’entrée en vigueur de la nouvelle
Constitution en 1991, aucun référendum n’a été organisé dans le pays. Il n’y a
pas eu d’événements qui ait suscité un intérêt très vif au sein de
l’opinion publique.
II - Référendums régionaux ou locaux
A - Quel fondement
juridique?
1. L’Article 12 de la Constitution de la
République de Bulgarie accorde aux citoyens le droit de participer à des
référendums sans préciser s’il s’agit de référendums nationaux ou locaux.
2. Il y a en effet une loi, la loi sur la
consultation populaire, qui permet de recourir au référendum.
3. La République de Bulgarie est un Etat
unitaire. Un référendum local peut être organisé au niveau des communes, des
régions, des mairies ou d’une localité.
4. Le référendum local porte seulement sur
des questions d’importance locale relevant de la compétence des organes d’autogestion
locale et dont le règlement par voie de référendum est expressément prévu par
la loi.
A1 - A quel niveau?
1.
La République de Bulgarie est un Etat unitaire.
2.
Non.
3.
Non.
4.
Au niveau des communes, des mairies ou d’une
localité.
5.
Voir la réponse II-A-4 ci-dessus.
6.
Non.
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Il
n’y a pas de référendums obligatoires. Il n’y a pas de questions qui soient
obligatoirement soumises au référendum.
2. Quant
à la demande d’une autorité au niveau local on recourt à l’application de l’article
22 de la Loi sur la consultation populaire le droit d’initiative pour
l’organisation d’un référendum local au niveau de la municipalité ont:
1. au moins un quart des
inscrits,
2. au moins un quart des
conseillers municipaux,
3. le maire de la
municipalité,
4. le gouverneur de la région.
Le droit d’initiative
pour l’organisation d’un référendum local au niveau de l’arrondissement ont:
1. au moins un quart des
inscrits,
2. le maire de
l’arrondissement,
3. le maire de la municipalité.
Le droit d’initiative
pour l’organisation d’un référendum local au niveau de la mairie ou de la
localité ont:
1. au moins un quart des
inscrits de la mairie ou de la localité,
2. au moins un quart des
conseillers municipaux,
3. le maire de la mairie,
4. le maire de la
municipalité.
La demande d’organisation du référendum local est
soumise par écrit au président du conseil communal qui doit en informer les
conseillers communaux et fixer la date de la séance pour son examen.
Au cas où la demande d’organisation d’un
référendum local serait faite par plus de la moitié des inscrits, le conseil
communal ne peut pas refuser l’organisation du référendum.
C - Contenu
1. Sont
soumis aux référendums locaux aussi les décisions du conseil municipal portant
sur:
- des contrats d’emprunts avec les
banques ou autres institutions financières;
- des ventes, concessions,
baux ou contrats de rente de biens municipaux de valeur considérable ou
d’importance particulière pour la municipalité;
- la construction de
bâtiments, d’ouvrages d’infrastructure ou autres équipements pour les besoins
de la municipalité et les investissements pour lesquels ne peuvent être
procurés par les recettes ordinaires de la municipalité.
Le référendum local ne peut pas porter sur la
sécession, ni sur une modification des limites territoriales.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
Voir les réponses I-D.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la validité
matérielle)
Voir les réponses II-A–4 et II-C-1.
F - Propagande/propagande financement et votation
La décision par laquelle le conseil municipal se
prononce sur la proposition d’organisation de référendum contient quelques
éléments, à savoir: la date exacte de la votation, qui est fixée au plus tôt un
mois avant et au plus tard deux mois après la prise de la décision de son
organisation, la définition précise de la question que les électeurs doivent
accepter ou rejeter, la procédure et les modalités à suivre pendant la campagne
électorale qui doit se dérouler suivant le principe de l’égalité, ainsi que la
question relative au financement du référendum.
G - Les effets du référendum
La consultation est considérée valable à condition
que plus de 50% des inscrits ont participé. La proposition est acceptée à
condition que plus de la moitié des bulletins valides à été favorable.
La légalité du référendum peut être contestée par
les autorités ayant le droit d’initiative populaire. Le recours est porté dans
ce cas devant le tribunal départemental.
L’exécution de la décision du référendum revient
au maire de la mairie.
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant le
référendum
1. Une
disposition acceptée/rejetée par référendum ne peut pas être révisée/introduite
par une procédure excluant le référendum?
2. La
révision d’une norme constitutionnelle prévoyant la possibilité d’organiser un
référendum est soumise aux règles générales de la révision de la Constitution.
La révision d’une norme législative en la matière doit respecter de son côté
les règles en vigueur pour la révision des lois par l’Assemblée nationale.
I - Règles particulières relatives à l’initiative
populaire
Les électeurs n’ont pas droit d’initiative en
matière d’organisation de référendum.
J - Contrôle
La légalité des résultats des référendums locaux
peut être contestée par les ayants droits de soumettre des propositions en
matière d’organisation de référendums locaux. Le recours est porté devant le
tribunal départemental respectif
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Depuis
l’entrée en vigueur de la nouvelle Constitution pas mal de référendums locaux
ont été organisés.
2. A
tous les niveaux.
III - Avenir du référendum
A l’étape actuelle n’est pas prévu de réforme de
référendum.
CROATIE / CROATIA
I - National
referendums
A - Legal basis
1. The following Articles of the Constitution are directly
connected with referendums: Article 80 (line 9); Article 86 (paragraphs 1, 2,
3, 4, 5 and 6); Article 97 (line 2); Article 128 (line 9) and Article 141 (paragraphs
4 and 5).
2. On grounds of the constitutional provisions, which provide –
inter alia – that a law on referendums shall be passed, the Act on referendum
and other forms of personal participation in matters of state government and
local and regional self-government (published in “Narodne novine” 33/96, 92/01)
was passed (hereafter referred to as “the Act”). The Act has 68 Articles.
Article. 8 has subArticles from “a” to “h”.
(Matters that might be put on a
referendum are dealt with later).
While the Constitution deals with
national referendums only, which are binding, the Act also contains provisions
about referendums on local and regional levels which can be binding and
consultative (Article 57 of the Act).
(The Act uses the term “state
referendum” for “national” referendum. In Croatian the term “obligatory”
referendum sometimes is used in a sense of a binding referendum, and not a
referendum that must be called.)
B - What type of referendum may be used ? Who
decides?
1. Mandatory referendums : The provision
of Art. 141 paragraph 4 of the Constitution provides that “any decision
concerning the association of the Republic of Croatia shall be made on
a referendum by a majority vote of the total number of electors in the State”.
According to Article 86 paragraph 3 of the Constitution, the Parliament
(Hrvatski sabor) shall call a referendum on the issues set out in paragraphs 1
and 2 of that Article when requested to do so by ten percent of all voters in
the Republic of Croatia. (The issues
being : a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution, a bill or any other
issue within the competence of the Parliament, and a proposal for the amendment
of the Constitution or any other issue which the President of the Republic
considers to be important for the independence, unity and existence of the
Republic of Croatia.)
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Yes, referendums can be called by
authorities.
b. The Croatian
Parliament and the President of the Republic in case of national referendums.
Local and regional referendums are called by representative bodies of units of
local and regional self-government. The government of the Republic may call
consultative referendums at the local and regional level.
3. Referendums held at the request of part of the electorate
a. As in already mentioned Article 86 paragraph 3 of the
Constitution, ten percent of all voters in the Republic of Croatia may demand
that referendum be called. Article 8.f paragraph 2 of the Act prescribes that
an organisational committee (appointed by voters) checks the legality of the
referendum procedure, which means that it checks the lists of signatures and
ascertains the number of voters who expressed the need to have a referendum
(also Article 8.g of the Act).
(According to Article 8.e of the
Act, a voter writes in the first empty line of a list of voters his/her name,
family name, identification number and signs the list. Since Article 8.e of the
Act prescribes that a voter may sign the list only in one place, it can be
concluded that checking signatures might mean checking this fact too. The
matter of illiterate voters is solved in such a way that an illiterate voter
may come to the referendum with a literate person who will circle the solution
which the voter chooses.)
b. A request for a
referendum can be related to a text already adopted by Parliament and a new
text may be put forward by popular initiative.
4. Procedures involving
more than one authority
According to Article 86 paragraph
2 of the Constitution the President of the Republic may, at the proposal of the
Government and with the counter-signature of the Prime Minister, call a
referendum on a proposal for the amendment of the Constitution or any other
issue which he considers to be important for the independence, unity and
existence of the Republic of Croatia. The wording is: “may … call”, not “shall
… call”, therefore, without their consent, there is no call for a referendum.
But where a referendum is requested by ten percent of all voters, the
Parliament “shall call a referendum”. Parliament or its members do not have to
agree to that. As regards an alternative proposal to the one before Parliament,
yes.
5. Role of Parliament
Parliament cannot oppose the
holding of referendum, but it may later take a decision that is contrary to the
decision of a referendum. State bodies and local and regional self-government
bodies may not regulate a matter contrary to a decision reached on referendum
for one year from the day on which referendum was held (Article 8 paragraph 2 of
the Act). Moreover, for six months after a referendum has been held, another
referendum on the same issue may not be called (Article 8 paragraphs 2 and 3 of
the Act).
According to paragraph 4 of
Article 8, paragraph 2 does not apply in cases where a referendum is called on
the initiative of ten percent of all voters and where a state referendum is
called in connection with a decision concerning the association of Croatiainto alliances with other states. The Act does not expressly answer other
questions under the title “Role of Parliament”.
C - Content
1. Types of acts submitted
to referendum
No, not only on proposals for
constitutional amendments.
No, not mandatory in the case of
a constitutional amendment.
A referendum may be called on
“any issue” within the competence of the Croatian Parliament, and on “any
issue” which the President of the Republic considers to be important… Article
141 of the Constitution (under the title “Association and Secession”) states,
among other conditions, that any decision concerning the association of the
Republic of Croatia shall be made on a referendum by a majority vote of the
total number of electors in the State.
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
No, they are not reserved for
particular matters.
Matters of association and
secession are to be put to a referendum by force of the Constitution.
Article 141, paragraph 2 excludes
this situation : “It is prohibited to initiate any procedure for the
association of the Republic of Croatia into alliances with other states if such
association leads, or might lead, to renewal of a South Slav state community or
to any Balkan state form of any kind.”
D - Form of the text
submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1.-2. a.,
b., c. Texts submitted to a referendum may
take any form mentioned in the questionnaire.
According to
Article 8.b of the Act, the issue to be submitted to referendum has to be
“clearly formulated”; according to provisions of Article 33 of the Act, the
issue or proposal on the voting ballot must be formulated in such a way that
the voter can, without any doubt, decide whether he/she is “FOR” or “AGAINST”
the proposal (On the voting ballot, the voter circles word “FOR” or “AGAINST”
the proposal, and where there are more proposals, then the ordinal number of
the proposal is encircled).
d. Not only on a single question, the vote
can be on several questions.
e. Yes, the question (questions) have to
be clear and suggestion-free.
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
There is no express provision on
the prohibition of a referendum, but Article 141 paragraph 2 cited above
prohibits the initiation of “any procedure for the association of the Republic
of Croatia into alliances with other states if such association leads, or might
lead, to renewal of a South Slav state community or to any Balkan state form of
any kind”. The constitutional provision of Article 128 line 9 states that the
Constitutional Court shall “supervise the constitutionality and legality of …
national referendums …”. While doing so, the Court would certainly bear in mind
international, constitutional and other legal rules.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Yes, Article 9 of the
Act prescribes that a decision by which a referendum is called must state
reasons.
b. There are no direct
answers to the questions in the Act. It can be interpreted in a way that
whoever calls a referendum draws up the explanatory documents. In a case where
the voters demand the calling of a referendum, the decision about their
political wish is worded by the “organisational committee”. Participation of
political parties and authorities is not expressly stated. Public or private
media are not expressly required to allocate equal time to supporters and
opponents of the text.
2. Funding
a., b. Part VI of the Act
deals with costs of holding referendums but does not regulate the phase before
the referendum. For instance, it does expressly prohibit the use of budgetary
means in the period preceding the vote to support one of the solutions.
According to Article 47, the cost of national and consultative referendums are
covered by the state budget. Costs of regional and local referendums are
covered by the units of the territory for which the referendum is called. There
are no provisions which answer the other questions.
3. Voting
a. Voting takes place on
one day, between 7.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. (Article 36 of the Act).
b. There is no such
time-lag in the country. Local referendum bodies ascertain results of voting
and send their reports (no later than 48 hours after voting is finished) to the
State commission of the results of the referendum. That commission reports the
total results to the body which has called the referendum and to the media and
public in general.
c. No, it is not compulsory to cast a vote
(Article 7 of the Act).
d. A decision is passed
by the majority of voters who voted ; minimum turnout : the majority of the
total number of voters, unless otherwise stated by the Constitution (Article 6
of the Act). In the case of Article 141 paragraph 4, it is a “majority vote of
the total number of electors in the State”.
G - Effects of referendums
1. National referendums are binding ; local and regional
referendums are binding but may also be consultative.
2. A decision adopted on a referendum is not a regulation per
se, it is formulated in such a way that it asks for an answer either “for it”
(or “yes”) or “against it (or “no”). The competent body has to transform that
decision into a law passed by the Parliament or decision passed by local and
regional bodies. State bodies and local and regional self-government bodies may
not regulate a matter contrary to a decision reached on referendum for one year
from the day on which referendum was held. Moreover, for six months after a
referendum has been held another referendum on the same issue may not be called
(Article 8 paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Act). According to paragraph 4 of Article
8, paragraph 2 does not apply in cases where a referendum is called on the
initiative of ten percent of all voters and where a state referendum is called
in connection with a decision concerning the association of Croatia into
alliances with other states. The Act does expressly answer other questions
under the title “Role of Parliament” in item B.5.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
1.-2. Yes, but not before one
year has passed (Acticle 8 of the Act).
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. Time-limit for collecting signatures is 15 days (Article 8.b
paragraph 2, line 2).
2. Organisational committee founded by voters.
3. Checking of signatures is done by the organisational
committee (see B.3).
4. Article 8.h of the Act : Croatian
Parliament, upon receiving a demand to hold a referendum may apply within 30
days to the Constitutional Court to ascertain whether the referendum question
or the way in which voters expressed their need for referendum is in conformity
with the Constitution and the Act. Where the Court finds that either issue is
not in accordance with Constitution or law, a referendum shall not be called.
(It is interesting to note that very recently a case was submitted to the
Constitutional Court challenging the constitutionality of Article 8.h of the
Act.)
J - Judicial review
1. There is no automatic judicial review. The implementation of
the Act so far does not give material to answer the question.
2. As in H-4.
3. The constitutionality and legality of national and local and
regional referendums is reviewed by the State Commission for Referendums and
the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Croatia (Article 49 of the Act).
The State Commission is appointed by the Croatian Parliament, the members are
chosen from among judges of the Supreme Court and other distinguished lawyers.
4. Any voter may lodge an appeal with the State Commission
within 48 hours after the close of voting. Against the decision of the State
Commission, a voter has a right to appeal to the Constitutional Court, also
within 48 hours, and the Court must deliver its decision within 48 hours
(Articles 50, 52 and 56 of the Act).
K - Experiences of referendums
1-8. No national referendum took place after May 19, 1991. Not enough
data is available at the moment to reply to the questionnaire (Compared to a
number of local referendums which were held in former Yugoslavia, today’s
referendums are very rare). The documentation of the Constitutional Court has
registered several cases in which a consultative referendum about boundaries of
regions (županije) was held and voters acted under the impression that their
voting was binding for the legislator. There was also a case in which the
applicants claimed that a change of Parliament with two houses to a Parliament
with one house had to be put to a national referendum.
II - Regional or local
referendums
A - Legal basis
1. No, but the Constitution says that a law on referendums
shall be passed (Article 86 paragraph 6). The Act regulates regional and local
referendums.
2.-3. Yes.
4. Local referendums may be called on any matter within the competence
of local or regional government (Article 4 paragraph 2 of the Act).
A1 - At what level?
1.-5. The levels are : municipalities, towns and regions. All
provisions concerning the competence of the State Commission and Constitutional
Court apply to national and local referendums. The Government of the Republic
may call consultative referendums at the local and regional levels.
B - What type of referendum can be held? Who
decides?
1.-2. There is no mandatory referendum. Referendums are called by representative
bodies of local and regional units. Referendums at the request of part of the
electorate are not held at the local and regional levels.
C - Content
Regional and local referendums
can be called only on issues which fall within the competence of regional and
local authorities. Geographical boundaries of regions, towns or municipalities
may be a referendum issue in consultative referendums, but these boundaries are
determined by laws of the State Parliament, which is not obliged to follow opinion
of voters.
D - Form of the text
submitted to referendum (formal validity)
As regards the form of the text
submitted to referendum, the closest answer would be a concrete proposal, so
that the voter can decide whether he or she is “for it” or “against it”
(Article 33 of the Act). There are not enough elements in the legal provisions
for a more detailed answer, considering the cases in which they were applied.
The vote may concern not only a single question, but it can also be on several
issues.
E - Substantive limits on referendums
According to Article 8.h of the
Act, where the Constitutional Court finds that a question put on a referendum
is not in accordance with the Constitution and laws, a referendum shall not be
called.
F - Campaigning
(funding) and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Article 9
of the Act prescribes that the decision by which a referendum is called has to
state reasons for it.
b., e. The
organisational committee of a body that calls a referedum draws up an
explanatory document. There are no express provisions concerning other
questions about the role of political parties in campaigning. The Act does not
expressly require the allocation of equal time for supporters and opponents of
the text and does not mention the behaviour of any media in the matter.
As regards funding Part VI
of the Act deals with the costs of referendums. According to Article 47, the
cost of national and consultative referendums are covered by the state budget.
Costs of regional and local referendums are covered by units of the territory
for which the referendum is called. There are no provisions that answer the
other questions.
3. Voting
a. Voting takes place in one day.
b. No, it is
not possible to know the results of other voting centers until the total
results are made public.
c. No, it is not compulsory for all voters
to cast a vote.
d. Quorum is
regulated as in a national referendum : a majority of voters, where a majority
of the total number of voters vote.
G - Effects of referendums
1. Regional
and local referendums can be consultative or binding.
2.-3. The provisions of the Act and its
implementation do not form a basis for substantially answering these questions.
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1.-2. Yes, after a set time - one year - a
competent body may pass a legal act or decision whose contents are contrary to
a decision of a referendum.
I - Specific rules
on popular initiatives
A popular initiative is regulated only in connection with a
national referendum.
J - Judicial review
Constitutionality and
legality of national, local and regional referendums is reviewed by the State
Commission and the Constitutional Court.
K - Experiences of
referendums
The documentation of the
Constitutional Court has registered several cases in which a consultative
referendum about boundaries of regions (županija) was held, and voters acted
under the impression that their voting was binding for the legislator.
III - The future of
referendums
1.-3. No reform is expected. As already stated, very
recently a case challenging the constitutionality of Article 8.h was lodged
with the Constitutional Court.
CHYPRE / CYPRUS
I - National Rerefendums
A - Legal basis
1.
No.
2.
A
law, namely the Referendums Law of 1989 (206/1989) provides for the use of referendums.
The matters on which a referendum may be called are particularly important
matters of public interest.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
1.
No.
2.
a. Yes.
b. Referendums are called by a decision of
the House of Representatives (Parliament) which is taken following a relevant
proposal by the Council of Ministers.
a. No. As already indicated referendums are
called by a decision of Parliament. This means by a simple majority of
Parliament.
b. Yes. If a such a proposal is made by the
Council of Ministers and is adopted by Parliament (a simple majority). A new
text cannot be put forward by popular initiative.
3.
The
decision to submit a text to popular vote must have the approval of two bodies
namely the Council of Ministers and Parliament.
The Head of State or the Head of the Government has no power to
instigate a referendum.
However under s. 3(3) of the above Law the decision of Parliament is
forwarded to the President of the Republic (Head of State) for promulgation by
publication of the decision in the Official Gazette of the Republic, as
provided in Article 52 of the Constitution.
Therefore Article 52, which runs as follows, comes into play:
“The President and the Vice-President of the Republic shall, within
fifteen days of the transmission to their respective offices of any law or
decision of the House of Representatives, promulgate by publication in the
official Gazette of the Republic such law or decision unless in the meantime
they exercise, separately or conjointly, as the case may be, their right of
veto as in Article 50 provided or their right of return as in Article 51
provided or their right of reference to the Supreme Constitutional Court as in
Articles 140 and 141 provided or in the case of the Budget their right of
recourse to the Supreme Constitutional Court as in Article 138 provided.”
A referendum cannot be requested by part of the electorate.
A referendum cannot be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament.
4.
Role
of Parliament. Under s. 3(1) of the above quoted law “the referendum is called
by a decision of Parliament which is taken following a relevant proposal of the
Council of Ministers”. Under s. 3(2) the proposal of the Council of Ministers
for the calling of a referendum is submitted to Parliament following a decision
of the Council of Ministers which acts ex proprio motu on matters, which under
the Constitution, belong to the Executive Power, and upon a proposal of
Parliament, on matters which belong to the Legislative Power, so long as the
Council of Ministers agrees with such a proposal.
The role of Parliament is as delineated in the aforequoted provisions of
the law. Thereunder Parliament cannot oppose the holding of a referendum by
adopting a counter proposal on the same matter, nor can it submit a counter
proposal to popular vote. Parliament is only entitled to accept or reject the
proposal of the Council of Ministers. There is no time limit for Parliament to
give its opinion. Parliament is not required to adopt a (new) piece of
legislation.
C - Context
1.
Referendums
are not held only on proposals for constitutional amendments.
A referendum is not mandatory in the case of constitutional amendments.
As already indicated a referendum is called on particularly important
matters of public interest.
2.
Referendums
are reserved for particularly important matters of public interest.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1.
The
form of the text submitted to referendum depends exclusively on the wording of
the proposal of the Council of Ministers.
2.
There
is no provision in the above Law regarding the matters specified in question
D-2.
E - Substantive limits on referendums
(substantive validity)
There is no provision in the relevant law regarding the matters
specified in question E. However, under Article 169 of the Constitution
international treaties acceded to by the Republic have superior force to any
Municipal Law and under Article 179 of the Constitution, the Constitution is the
Supreme Law of the Land.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
The aforesaid Law does not make provision with regard to the matters
indicated in the question. The only provision is the one of section 4 which
runs as follows:
“In the decision of Parliament calling a
referendum there is specified the matter to which the referendum relates in the
form of a question, which can be answered positively or negatively, there is
fixed the date of the referendum and generally there is mentioned every other
detail necessary for the holding of the referendum.”
Regarding campaigning the freedom of expression is guaranteed by the
Constitution. Therefore campaigning cannot be restricted to political parties.
Every private individual or group of persons are entitled to take part.
The operation of public media as well as that of private media is
governed by Law. Thereunder public and private media are bound to allocate
equal time to supporters and opponents of the text. There are special
provisions regarding allocation of time to political parties and private
individuals.
2. Funding
There is no provision in the relevant Law for the matters specified in
the question.
3. Voting
a. Voting
takes place on one day.
b. No.
c. No.
d. A
simple majority is sufficient.
G - Effects of referendums
1.
The
electorate is simply asked to answer “Yes” or “No”.
There is no provision in the law regarding question G-2 and 3.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
1.
The
law does not make provision on the matters specified in the question. Whether
the provision can be revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a
referendum it depends exclusively on the nature and content of the provision.
If it is a matter which, under the Constitution, falls within the competence of
the executive it can be resolved by the executive. If it falls within the
competence of Parliament it can be resolved by Parliament.
2.
There
is no constitutional provision which allows referendums. The legislative, same
as all legislative provisions, can be revised by Parliament.
I - Specific Rules on popular initiatives
The relevant law does not contain provisions regarding the matters
specified in the question.
J - Judicial review
1. There is no provision in
the Law regarding the matters specified in the question. Under the existing
legal regime there is no right of direct appeal to the Court against a decision
to hold or not to hold a referendum. Nor is there automatic judicial review.
Judicial review can take place only at the instance of the President of the
Republic as provided in Article 52 of the Constitution (quoted at p. 2 ante).
2. As already indicated
judicial review is possible only at the intiative of the President of the
Republic on the ground that the decision to hold a referendum “is repugnant to
or inconsistent with any provision of the Constitution”.
3.
The
results of referendums are not subject to judicial review.
4.
---
K - Experience of referendums
1.
The
only referendum that has been held was the one held on April 24, 2004 for the
purpose of a decision by Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots whether they
accept or reject the recent plan of the General-Secretary of the United
Nations, dated March 31, 2004, as the solution of the Cyprus problem.
2.
The
above referendum was held at the initiative of the President of the Republic.
3.
No.
4.
The
Greek-Cypriot electorate voted “No”, the Turkish-Cypriot electorate voted
“Yes”.
5.
See
answer to question 4.
6.
In
the case of the Greek-Cypriot electorate the result was due to the provisions
of the
7.
Plan
of the General-Secretary.
8.
No.
9.
No.
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
There is no provision in the Constitution or in the relevant law for
local referendums.
A1 - At what level?
There is no provision in the Constitution or in the relevant Law on the
issues specified in the question.
The answer to B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K is the same as the one in
A-1 above.
III - The future of referendums
1.
No.
2.
---
3.
---
CZECH REPUBLIC / REPUBLIQUE TCHEQUE
Introduction
The Referendum in the
Czech Republic
Constitutional and
legal definition of the referendum in the Czech Republic
In the Czech Republic the
referendum is currently the only decisive form of direct democracy and
administration of matters in the public and self-government interests. There
are two ways in which a referendum can be held in the Czech Republic: a
referendum as a form of exercise of state power and a referendum as an exercise
of the right to self-government.
The referendum as a form of exercise of state power
The fundamental constitutional
provision in this area is Article 2(2) of the Constitution, according to which
a Constitutional Law can determine when the people exercise state power
directly. The Constitution of the Czech Republic, namely Act No 1/1993 Coll.,
abrogated in its Article 112(2) all Constitutional Laws amending the
Constitution of the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic or the Constitutional
Laws on the Czechoslovak Federation. This abrogated Constitutional Law No
327/1991 Coll. on the referendum. Procedural Act No 490/1991 Coll. on
referendums, which was passed in its entirety into the legislation of the Czech
Republic, in the sense of Article 1(1) of Constitutional Law No 4/1993 Coll.,
cannot be applied because its application presupposes the existence of a
Constitutional Law on the referendum, which the Czech Republic still lacks (see
below).
No Constitutional Law on the
referendum has been passed since the establishment of an independent Czech
Republic, despite several legislative attempts. Only the Constitutional Law on
the referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU (Act No
515/2002 Coll.) has been passed. This Constitutional Law was linked to an
ordinary Act which regulated the procedure a ‘European’ referendum, Act No 114/2003
Coll. on holding the referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the
EU.
This type of referendum has not
been used during the existence of the independent Czech state, save for a
special referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union
in 2003, which however was governed by special provisions (see above).
The referendum as an exercise of the right to self-government
The Constitution of the Czech
Republic neither envisages nor regulates the existence of the local referendum
as a form of the direct exercise of state power. The constitutional basis of
this type of exercise of the right to self-government, which gives communities
the right to participate in the administration of public affairs and the right
to freely elect their representatives, is Article 21(1) of the Charter of
Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, Act No 2/1993 Coll. The referendum as a type
of exercise of the right to self-government is regulated by a new Act, No
22/2004 Coll. on local referendums, amending certain laws. This Act is referred
to in Article 60 of Act No 128/2000 Coll. on municipalities. The Act on local
referendums has the legal force of an ordinary rather than a Constitutional
Law.
This type of referendum is used
as appropriate in the Czech Republic, in particular on such matters as
territorial planning, urban transport and nuclear waste disposal sites.
The
answers given in this questionnaire were based on the valid regulations
applicable to this institute in the legislation of the Czech Republic as of
31.12.2004.
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is provision made for
referendums in the Constitution?
The Constitution of the Czech
Republic provides for referendums in Article 2(2), Article 10a(2), Article
62(l) and Article 87(1)(l) and (m).
Article 2(2) provides that:
A Constitutional Law may define
instances when the people directly exercise state power.
Article 10a(2) provides that:
Ratification of the international
treaty mentioned in paragraph 1 requires the consent of Parliament, unless a
Constitutional Law states that ratification requires consent given in a referendum.
Article 62(l) provides that:
The President of the Republic
calls a referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the European
Union.
According to Article 87(1)(l) and m):
The Constitutional Court decides:
·
on a remedy against the decision of the
President of the Republic not to call a referendum on the accession of the
Czech Republic to the European Union,
·
whether the procedure followed in the referendum
on the accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union is in conformity
with the Constitutional Law on the referendum on the accession of the Czech
Republic to the European Union and the law promulgated to implement it.
The Charter of Fundamental Rights
and Freedoms regulates the referendum in Article 21(1) as follows:
Citizens have the right to
participate in the administration of public affairs either directly or through
the free election of their representatives.
2. If not, does the law
provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
It does not follow from the
Constitution what can be the object of an exercise of state power by the people
in the form of direct democracy. As a rule, these are in the first place
questions of legislative and executive power. The administration of justice by
the people is not possible as it would go against the spirit of the
Constitution.
B - What
type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or after
their adoption by Parliament?
The general regulation of this
type of referendum is absent. A mandatory referendum was held in the Czech Republic
on 13 and 14 June 2003 according to Constitutional Law No 515/2002 Coll. on the
referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, and only on the
specific matter of the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU.
Since Czech legislation lacks a
general regulation of referendums, the question cannot be answered (“not
regulated”).
2. Referendums called by an authority
a. Can referendums be called by an
authority?
Yes.
No general provision regulating referendums
has yet been passed.
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Parliament, local
and/or regional authorities?
According to Act No 515/2002
Coll. on the referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU,
amending Constitutional Law No 1/1993 Coll., the Constitution of the Czech
Republic, as amended by subsequent Constitutional Laws. According to Article 2
of this Act, the President of the Republic calls a referendum (by decision of
the President to call a referendum according to Article 4 of Act No 114/2003
Coll., as published in the Collection of Laws) within 30 days after the
signature of the Treaty on the Accession of the Czech Republic to the European
Union, so that it is held within a period starting on the thirtieth day and
ending on the sixtieth day after the announcement.
A repeated referendum is possible
according to Article 3 and Article 4 of Act No 515/2002 Coll. if the accession
of the Czech Republic to the EU is not approved according to Article 2. A
proposal to call a referendum on the matter can be made by the Government or
jointly by at least two fifths of deputies or jointly by at least two fifths of
senators. A proposal to call a repeated referendum is made by the President of
the Republic, who calls a repeated referendum within 30 days of the day the
proposal was made, so that it is held not later than 90 days after the day when
the proposal was made; otherwise he decides, within the same time limit, not to
call a referendum.
3. Referendums held at the request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
Not regulated.
b. Can a request for a referendum relate to a text already
adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward by popular initiative?
Not regulated.
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
Act No 515/2002 Coll. on the
accession of the Czech Republic to the EU does not treat this question.
Not regulated.
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament – or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
Not regulated.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
Not
regulated.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted to referendum
Are referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
Is a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional
amendment?
.Not regulated.
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In
particular, is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European
Union or international organisations?
A referendum on the accession of
the Czech Republic to the EU was held in the Czech Republic on 13 and 14 June
2003 on the basis of Act No 515/2002 Coll. Article 1 of this Act states that
the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU can be only decided by a referendum.
2. Matters to which referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain
matters automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
Not regulated.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the Constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
In connection with the accession
the Czech Republic to the EU this question was submitted to a referendum: “Do
you agree to the Czech Republic becoming a Member State of the European Union
according to the Treaty on the Accession of the Czech Republic to the European
Union?” Here it is “a question of principle”.
Not regulated.
2. Do questions submitted
to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a specifically-worded draft amendment and a
generally-worded proposal or a question of principle must not be combined in
the same question);
b. unity of content (except in the case of total revision of
the Constitution or another piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic
connection between the various parts of each question put to the vote in order
to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or
reject as a whole provisions without an intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the question must not relate simultaneously
to the Constitution and subordinate legislation.
d. Does
the vote have to be on a single question or can it be on several different
ones?
e. Does
the question (or do the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
Not regulated.
E -
Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Is a
referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law
or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution
or some of its rules;
- to other overriding
legal rules.
Not
regulated.
Limits may be placed on
fundamental rights only by law - i.e. a fundamental right cannot be limited by
a decision taken in a referendum. Likewise, duties may be imposed only by law
(Article 2(4) of the Constitution, Article 4(1) and (2) of the Charter of
Fundamental Rights and Freedoms).
F -
Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
In the referendum on the
accession of the Czech Republic to the EU according to Article 1 of Act No
114/2003 on referendums, the Treaty on the Accession of the Czech Republic to
the EU must be made accessible to everyone for viewing at municipal council
offices, which are registry offices, at least 21 days before a referendum is
held. According to Article 21 of the same Act, the council leader must
publicize in the usual manner, at least 15 days before a referendum is held, a
notice of the time and place of the referendum.
b. If an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can
political parties take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory document have
to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and their opponents’
views?
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
d. Are the public
media required to allocate equal time to supporters and opponents of the
text?
e. What about the
private media? Are financial or other conditions for radio and television
advertising the same for supporters and opponents?
Not regulated.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so, on what conditions?
Not regulated.
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
The referendum on the accession
of the Czech Republic do EU took place over two days.
b. If there is a large time lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
No, it is not possible. Act No
114/2003 Coll. on referendum regulates in particular checks and vote counts by
a constituency commission, the State Election Commission, a district council,
or a designated office. The Act further regulates the procedure followed to
count the votes, designates persons who may be present when the record is made
and delivered to the Czech Statistical Office, and finally, the record made by
the State Election Commission of the result of the vote in the referendum.
c. Is it compulsory
for all voters to cast a vote?
Not
regulated.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
For the referendum on the
accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, Act No 515/2002 Coll. did not
require any minimum turnout of registered voters for the result of the
referendum to be valid. It was concluded that the accession of the Czech
Republic to the EU would be approved in the referendum if the question for the
referendum was answered affirmatively by a majority of the voters.
G -
Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
The referendum on the accession
of the Czech Republic to the EU was a “binding referendum” and the electorate
was asked for a decision, not an opinion.
Act No 515/2002 Coll. on the
referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU provides that the
announced result of the referendum which approved the accession of the Czech
Republic to the EU supplanted the consent of Parliament for the ratification of
the Treaty on the Accession of the Czech Republic to the EU.
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
3. Where
a referendum deals with a text that has already been adopted by an authority,
is that referendum:
-
suspensive: the text may not enter into force unless it has been approved by
the electors or unless a request to hold a referendum has not been made within
the time-limit established by the Constitution or by law;
-
resolutory: the text ceases to be in force following a "no" vote or
failure to secure a "yes" vote within a certain time-limit after its
adoption; or
- abrogative: the acceptance of the
referendum leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
Not regulated.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a
provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be revised or adopted by a
procedure which does not allow a referendum?
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows referendums
be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Not regulated.
I - Specific rules on popular
initiatives
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
3. How are signatures checked?
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
Not regulated.
J - Judicial review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
Act No 182/1993 Coll. on the
Constitutional Court provides in Article 11(2)(f) and (g) as follows:
The Constitutional Court decides
in plenary session:
·
On a remedy against a decision of the President
of the Republic not to call a referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic
to the European Union according to Article 87(1)(l);
·
Whether the procedure followed in the referendum
on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU conforms to the Constitutional
Law on the referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU and the
law passed to implement it according to Article 87(1)(m) of the Constitution.
·
The same text is in Article 87(1)(l) and (m) of
the Constitution.
Act No 114/2003 Coll. provides in
Article 35, which regulates judicial reviews:
The scope and conditions for a
judicial review of a decision of the President of the Republic not to call a
referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, and a judicial
review of the legality and constitutionality of the procedure followed in the
referendum, as well as further rules of procedure in these matters are laid
down in a special provision, namely Act No 182/1993 Coll. on the Constitutional
Court. Article 125a and subsequent regulates the procedure followed if a
referendum is not called. The Constitutional Court either upholds the proposal
and then rules that the President is obliged to call a referendum, or confirms
the decision of the President of the Republic and dismisses the proposal. It
further regulates the procedure if an illegal procedure is followed in the referendum – here a petition may be lodged by
every citizen entitled to vote in the referendum, no later than 10 days after
the day on which voting ends in the referendum. The Constitutional Court rules
whether the procedure was or was not in conformity with the Act on referendum
on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU and the Act for its
implementation and whether an ascertained divergence could have affected the
result. If it was not in conformity, it will not announce the result of the
referendum and the President must call a referendum again. If it was in
conformity, it turns down the petition.
Around 30 constitutional
complaints have been filed with the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic
concerning the judicial review of the legality and constitutionality of the
procedure followed in the referendum on the accession of the Czech Republic to
the EU. Most constitutional complaints were dismissed as groundless or for lack
of jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court of the Czech Republic. The other
constitutional complaints have been dropped.
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
In the event that a referendum is
not called or the procedure followed in a referendum is illegal.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
Not regulated.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held since the country has
had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums were held (see above
I.C)?
Only one referendum was held at
national level since the promulgation of Act No 1/1993 Coll., and that on the
accession of the Czech Republic to the EU, in 2003.
2. On whose initiative has
each referendum been held?
Not regulated.
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
Not regulated.
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
In only one referendum, and that
on the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU.
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
In none.
6. Can any of the results
be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
Not regulated.
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
Not regulated.
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the
issues at stake?
Not regulated.
II - Regional or
local referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the national Constitution for local referendums?
The Constitution of the Czech
Republic has no provision for local referendums, but the local referendum is an
expression of the application of Article 100(1), which gives citizens the right
to self-government.
The constitutional basis of this
form is laid down in Article 21(1) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and
Freedoms, which is part of the constitutional order of the Czech Republic. This
article gives citizens the right to participate directly in public
administration. Local referendums are only regulated at the level in the Act.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
Local referendums are envisaged
in the Act on Municipalities No 128/2000 Coll. in Article 19(4) and Article
21(1) in connection with mergers of municipalities, annexation of a municipality,
or separation of part of a municipality. Local referendums are generally
regulated by Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
The holding of local referendums
is only regulated by Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums, and Act No
128/2000 Coll. on municipalities, which mentions the possibility of holding a
local referendum in some of its provisions.
4. On what matters is it
possible to call a referendum?
Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local
referendums states in Article 6 that people decide in a local referendum about
matters under the sovereign competence of a municipality or statutory town.
What can be regarded as a matter under sovereign competence is defined in Act
No 128/2000 Coll. on municipalities in Article 35. These are matters in the
interests of the municipality and inhabitants of the municipality, unless the
law entrusts them to districts or unless the transferred competence of bodies
of a municipality is concerned or competence entrusted by a special provision
to administrative authorities as the exercise of state administration, and
matters entrusted to the sovereign competence of a municipality by the Act.
Nevertheless, it does not cover all areas of self-government.
This involves the creation of
conditions for the development of social care, satisfying the needs of its
citizens such as housing, protection and the promotion of health, transport and
communications, information needs, upbringing and education, overall cultural
development, and maintenance of public order.
Local referendums have been held
in the Czech Republic on such matters as the relocation of the main railway
station, the construction of wind-powered power plants, the location of a
storage facility for spent nuclear fuel, the protection of territorial
environmental limits against efforts to expand coal mining, the construction of
roads and the construction of a shopping centre.
A1 -
At what level?
1. Federate states?
A local referendum cannot be held
at this level.
2. Provinces?
Regions?
A local referendum cannot be held
at this level – the exception is the capital Prague, which is a municipality
and district, and Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums, which expressly
mentions Prague. Act No 129/2000 Coll. on municipalities does not provide for
holding local referendums at district level.
3. Lower levels?
Districts?
A local referendum cannot be held
at this level.
4. Municipalities?
Yes, it is only possible to hold
a local referendum at this level. Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums
regulates in Article 1 local referendums held only at local level, that is at
the level of municipalities, urban districts or districts of statutory towns,
and the capital Prague and its districts.
5. On what matters?
See A- 4.
6. May national or federal
authorities intervene, and in what conditions?
If a local referendum is held,
national authorities cannot intervene because it is not a question of state
administration but self-government.
B - What time of
referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or after
their adoption by Parliament?
Not regulated.
A mandatory local referendum must be held according to Act No
128/2000 Coll. on municipalities in the event of the separation of part of a
municipality, when the separation must be approved in a local referendum by
citizens living in the territory of that part of the municipality that wishes
to separate and, according to Act No 131/2000 Coll. on the capital Prague, if
an urban district is to be separated from Prague.
A facultative local referendum may be held according to Act No
128/2000 Coll. on municipalities, which provides in Article 19 that an agreement
on the merger of municipalities or the annexation of a municipality can be
concluded on the basis of a decision of the councils of the municipalities
concerned, unless a proposal is made within 30 days of the publication of this
decision to hold a local referendum on this matter. If a proposal is made to
conclude such an agreement it requires an affirmative decision by a local
referendum held in the community in which the proposal to hold it was made. The
procedure is similar under Act No 131/2000 Coll. on the capital Prague if urban
districts are to be merged or a district is to be annexed.
Furthermore, we can differentiate
local referendums as ratification -
a referendum in which a certain question under the sovereign competence of a
municipality is decided with final effect. According to the Act, this may be
for example a decision whether a municipality is to construct a nursing home.
Another type is a consultative referendum, whose outcome is the standpoint of a municipality on a certain
question. These are questions on which a municipality has the right to comment
within its sovereign competence but not make a decision on, such as the
standpoint of a municipality on the construction of a nuclear waste storage
facility.
2. Referendums called by an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
Yes, they can.
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Parliament, local
and/or regional authorities?
Article 8(1)(a) of Act No 22/2004
on local referendums provides that a local referendum is held if a municipal
council or a statutory town council so resolves.
3. Referendums held at the request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
Yes, a local referendum is held
if a preparatory committee - at least 3 authorized persons (who have the right
to elect the council members) - proposes that a local referendum be held and
the municipal council or statutory town decides to call it.
Such a proposal can be made if
supported by a certain number of signatures of authorized voters in the
municipality, its part or in a statutory town, e.g. up to 3,000 inhabitants -
30% of authorized persons. (Article 8(1)(b) of the Act on Local Referendums)
The signatures are checked
together with the proposal to hold a local referendum submitted to the
municipal council or urban district.
Every signature sheet must
contain a notice for authorized persons who wish to support the proposal with
their signatures that signing several times, misrepresentation or having the
proposal signed by an unauthorized person will be treated as an infraction for
which they can be fined up to 3,000 Czech crowns.
b. Can
a request for a referendum relate to a text already adopted by
Parliament?
Can a new text be put
forward by popular initiative?
A local
referendum can only decide on matters under the sovereign competence of a
municipality or statutory town.
Czech legislation does not
provide for popular initiatives.
4. Procedures involving more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
If a proposal to call a local
referendum is made by a preparatory committee, the requisites of the proposal are
examined by the municipal council, urban district council, the Prague City
Council, or the council of a statutory town, and it decides whether to call it.
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does Parliament -
or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Parliament has no authority to
intervene in a local referendum as it lies solely within the municipality’s
competence within the framework of self-government.
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
Czech legislation does not
provide for popular initiatives.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
- Can it submit and counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded, what are the consequences?
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
Parliament
cannot intervene in the self-governing competence of a municipality.
A local referendum only concerns
matters of self-government.
C -
Content
Reply to the same questions as in I-C.
1. Types of act submitted to referendum
Are referendums held only on
proposals for constitutional amendments?
Not regulated.
Is a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional
amendment?
Not regulated.
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In
particular, is a referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European
Union or international organisations?
A local referendum can only be
held on the sovereign competence of a municipality (see A-4 and C-1).
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain matters
automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
Yes, local referendums are
reserved for matters of self-government (see A-4).
Yes, under the Act on local
referendums No 22/2004 Coll. a local referendum is mandatory in the event of
separation of part of a municipality or urban district.
The Act on local referendums No
22/2004 Coll. states in Article 7 which matters are excluded from referendums.
Local referendums cannot be held on the budget of a municipality or local charges;
if a question put to it is contrary to law; if a decision in a local referendum
could be contrary to law; on the approval, change or cancellation of a
municipality by-law; on the election or dismissal of a council leader or mayor;
on the setting up and dissolving of bodies of a municipality or statutory town;
and others.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be held on a proposal to secede from the State?
A
local referendum can be held on a merger or annexation of a municipality or
separation of part of a municipality. A local referendum cannot be held on the
matter of separation from the State.
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
No, a local referendum cannot
relate to geographical boundaries.
- Are any other subjects
permitted?
Yes, see A-4.
D - Form
of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-D.
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
According to Article 8(3) of Act
No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums, a text submitted to a local referendum
must be clearly formulated so that it can be answered with the word “yes” or
the word “no”. The form can be “a question of principle”, but also “a
concrete proposal”.
2. Do questions submitted to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a specifically-worded draft amendment and a
generally-worded proposal or a question of principle must not be combined in
the same question);
b. unity of content (except in the case of total revision of
the Constitution or another piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic
connection between the various parts of each question put to the vote in order
to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or
reject as a whole provisions without an intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the question must not relate simultaneously
to the Constitution and subordinate legislation.
Not regulated.
d. Does the vote have to be on a single
question or can it be on several different ones?
The Act provides for several different questions being
put to referendum (Article 33(1)(e) of Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local
referendums).
e. Does
the question (or do the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
Yes, the question (questions)
must be clear so that it or they can be answered with the word “yes” or “no”.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of
conformity with central-government rules).
Is a referendum prohibited
if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law
or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution
or some of its rules;
- to other overriding
legal rules.
Yes, a referendum cannot be held
if a question put to a local referendum is contrary to law or if the decision
could be contrary to law (Article 7(d) of Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local
referendums).
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
Reply to the same questions as in I-F.
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
Yes, the council leader of a
municipality is obliged to publish a notice of the time and place of the local
referendum together with the addresses of the voting centres, the questions to
be decided and further information, in the manner usual at the location in
question (e.g. on an official notice board), (Article 31 of Act No 22/2004
Coll. on local referendums).
b. If an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can
political parties take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory document have
to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and their
opponents’ views?
Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local
referendums does not regulate these questions.
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
Campaigning is
regulated by Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums in Article 32, but it
does not restrict the campaigning of political parties. A mayor can reserve a
billboard to present the question or questions at least 10 days before the
referendum is held. Campaigning is prohibited on the day of a local referendum
in the voting centre.
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
Not regulated.
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters
and opponents?
Not regulated.
2. Funding
a. Is the use of public funds to campaign for or against a
proposal submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in
the period immediately preceding the vote?
Yes, the costs of local
referendums and the costs of furnishing voting centres are paid by the
municipality or statutory town from its budget. If a local referendum is held
at the proposal of a preparatory committee the costs of the activities of the
preparatory committee, those for obtaining signatures of authorized persons and
the costs of campaigning are excluded. (Article 51 of Act No 22/2004 Coll. on
local referendums)
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so, on what conditions?
Czech legislation does not
regulate popular initiatives.
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over and number of days?
In general, voting in a local
referendum takes place on one day. If it takes place at the same time as
elections (to a municipal council, district council, one of the chambers of
Parliament), it takes place at the time of the election, that is over two days.
b. If there is a large time-lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
It is not possible since Act No
22/2004 Coll. on local referendums in Article 26 prohibits the disclosure of
information. The members of the commission and persons authorized to be present
in the room where the commission counts the votes must not disclose any
information about the results of the vote until the record of the vote is drawn
up and signed by all the members of the commission present.
c. Is it compulsory
for all voters to cast a vote?
Not regulated.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
According to Act No 22/2004 Coll.
on local referendums, the participation of at least one half of registered
voters is necessary for the result of the referendum to be valid.
A decision in a local referendum
is binding if it has obtained the votes of at least one half of the registered
voters taking part in the local referendum.
Concerning the separation of part
of a municipality, the merger of municipalities or the annexation of a
municipality to another municipality, the Act requires the agreement of at
least one half of all registered voters.
G - Effects of referendum
Reply
to the same questions as in I-G.
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
In local referendums the electorate
is always asked for a decision by answering the question with a “yes” or a
“no”. A decision in a local referendum is binding upon the municipal and
statutory town councils and the bodies of the municipality and statutory town
(Article 49 of Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums). A decision taken in
a local local referendum can be changed only by a new referendum, which
can be called after 24 months.
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
The formal aspect of the proposal
to call a local referendum is reviewed, i.e. whether it has the statutory
requisites. It must contain an estimate of the costs of the local referendum
and those of putting into effect the decision taken in such a local referendum
and a method for their payment from the budget of the municipality or statutory
town. The proposal to call a local referendum, together with the signature
sheet attached to it, is reviewed by the municipal council or the council of
the statutory town. A correct proposal is submitted to the municipal council or
the council of the statutory town for discussion. The council resolves whether
or not to call a local referendum and displays the decision on the notice
board. The council may decide on a matter proposed for a local referendum
without calling a local referendum if the preparatory committee agrees to it;
otherwise it calls the local referendum.
3. Where
a referendum deals with a text that has already been adopted by an authority,
is that referendum:
-
suspensive: the text may not enter into force unless it has been approved by
the electors or unless a request to hold a referendum has not been made within
the time-limit established by the Constitution or by law;
-
resolutory: the text ceases to be in force following a "no" vote or
failure to secure a "yes" vote within a certain time-limit after its
adoption; or
-abrogative:
the acceptance of the referendum leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
Not regulated.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
Reply to the same
questions as in I-H.
1. Can
a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be revised or adopted by a
procedure which does not allow a referendum?
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
The Act on local referendums
provides for calling a local referendum on matters of local self-government.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply to the same
questions as in I-I.
1. What is the time limit
for collecting signatures?
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
3. How are signatures
checked?
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
Not
regulated.
Czech legislation does not
regulate popular initiatives.
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate
distinction between judicial review at central-government level and at federate
or regional level.
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
Yes, it possible to appeal to a
court against a decision to hold or not to hold a local referendum. There is no
provision for automatic judicial review. Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local
referendums allows the preparatory committee according to Article 57(1)(b) to
appeal to a court if the council has not decided on a proposal of the
preparatory committee to call a local referendum or decided not to call a
referendum because a local referendum cannot be called on a proposed text.
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
An example is a referendum is on
a matter on which a local referendum may not be held; the preparatory committee does not agree
to the appeal of a municipal council or town hall to remedy defects in the
proposal to call a referendum (Article 57 of Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local
referendums)
About 10 constitutional
complaints have been filed with the Constitutional Court concerning local
referendums, and most have been dismissed for being groundless or outside the
jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
Yes, this is regulated in Article
58 Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums.
A petition to have the voting or
the outcome of a local referendum declared invalid can be lodged with a court
by any authorized person or by the preparatory committee if they believe that a
provision of this Act has been breached as to affect its outcome, a local
referendum has been held on a matter that is not under the sovereign competence
of a municipality or statutory town, or a local referendum has been held on a
matter on which a local referendum may not be held (Code of Administrative
Procedure).
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
An appeal may be lodged by any
registered voter or by the preparatory committee.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. Have there been many
local referendums?
The local referendum has been
used to a reasonable extent in the Czech Republic.
2.
If so, at what level?
Federate level? Provinces or districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify
what type of referendums were held.
A local
referendum is held at local (municipal) level.
III - Future of referendums
1. Is
the referendum system currently being reformed?
There
is a draft Act on the Referendum (National), but this has not yet been approved
since the establishment of the Czech Republic in 1993.
A new
Act on Local Referendums No 22/2004 Coll. was passed by Parliament in 2003 and
supplanted the provisions of Act No 298/1992 Coll. on local referendums.
2. If
so, for what reason?
The new
legal regulation of local referendums has brought changes as far as the
decision-making procedure for calling a local referendum at municipal bodies is
concerned. It also extends the questions on which a local referendum cannot be
called, regulates in more detail the conditions for the binding effect of a
decision taken in a local referendum for the municipal council, and alters the
regulation of court protection if the municipal council to which a proposal to
call local referendums or within whose competence it is to decide to call a
local referendum fails to accept the proposal or fails to call a local
referendum even though all the legal conditions are satisfied.
3. If
so, what is the general tendency of this reform?
De lege ferenda, Act No 22/2004 Coll. on local referendums but also the
Act on Districts No 129/2000 Coll., should embody the right of the citizens of
a district to vote in a district referendum, because the district, as a higher
self-governing unit, is based on the same constitutional principle as a
municipality, has important competences and also exercises self-government. An
exception, when the Act allows a local referendum at district level, is the
capital Prague.
At the present time, (after the Constitutional Law on the referendum on
the accession of the Czech Republic to the EU) a Constitutional Law on a
referendum on the Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe is being
prepared, but this Constitutional Law will again concern only one referendum on
a special problem.
De lege ferenda it will be also be necessary to consider the
relationship between the institute of local referendum and European law. This
is not regulated by the established practice of the European Court of Justice
or by the European Communities. For the moment it is up to the national laws of
EU Member States to decide which model and form of regulation of local
referendums they have chosen or will choose.
DANEMARK / DENMARK
I - National referenda
A - Legal basis
The referendum system is not
currently under reform.
ESTONIE / ESTONIA
I - National
referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is provision made for
referendums in the Constitution?
The following two Articles of the
constitution are the most relevant:
"§ 105. The Riigikogu has
the right to submit a bill or other national issue to a referendum. The
decision of the people shall be made by a majority of the participants in the
voting. A law which is passed by a referendum shall promptly be proclaimed by
the President of the Republic. The decision of the referendum shall be binding
on all state institutions. If a bill which is submitted to a referendum does
not receive a majority of votes in favour, the President of the Republic shall
declare extraordinary elections to the Riigikogu.
§ 106. Issues regarding the
budget, taxation, financial obligations of the state, ratification and
denunciation of international treaties, the declaration or termination of a
state of emergency, or national defence shall not be submitted to a referendum.
The procedure for holding a referendum shall be provided by the Referendum
Act."
In addition, a few other Articles
mention the referendum in other contexts (see later).
2. If not, does the law
provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
B - What
type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or after
their adoption by Parliament?
There is one instance of the
mandatory referendum. Article 162 of the constitution provides:
"Chapter I "General
Provisions" and Chapter XV "Amendment of the Constitution" of
the
Constitution may be amended only
by a referendum."
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
Yes. The parliament (Riigikogu)
may call a referendum.
b. If
so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Parliament, local
and/or regional authorities?
The parliament (Riigikogu) may
call a referendum. A simple majority vote (more members voting for than
against) is normally required. For a few laws explicitly mentioned in the
Article 104 of the constitution (e.g. electoral laws, citizenship act), more
than half of the members of the parliament have to vote for a referendum (i.e.
at least 51 members out of 101 total).
3. Referendums held at the
request of part of the electorate
a. Can
a specified number of members of the electorate call for a referendum? If so,
what percentage of the electorate is required for the proposal to be valid? How
are voters’ signatures checked?
No. The electorate may not call
for a referendum.
b. Can
a request for a referendum relate to a text already adopted by Parliament?
Can a new text be put forward by popular initiative?
4. Procedures involving
more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
5. Role
of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted
to referendum
Are referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
No. Ordinary bills and other questions may also be submitted.
Is a referendum mandatory in the
case of a constitutional amendment?
Three parts of the constitution
can be changed only via referendum:
·
Chapter 15 (Amendment procedure to the
constitution) and
·
The Act Supplementing the Constitution (this was
adopted in a referendum in 2003 authorising the accession to the EU).
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In
particular, is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European
Union or international organisations?
All laws and all other national
issues may be submitted, except (Article 106 of the constitution): "Issues
regarding the budget, taxation, financial obligations of the state,
ratification and denunciation of international treaties, the declaration or
termination of a state of emergency, or national defence".
It is not clear whether
referendum was strictly necessary to join the EU. As Article 1 of the
constitution provides for the inalienable sovereignty of Estonia, and this
provision can only be amended via a constitution, it was argued that a
referendum was necessary.
In any case, a referendum was
organized. Although Article 106 does not allow for referenda on ratification of
international treaties, it may still take place when accession to EU or other
international organizations is considered if the question put to a referendum
is worded as a "national issue" or as a constitutional amendment.
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain
matters automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
See previous question.
D - Form
of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1. What form may the text submitted to
referendum take:
- a
specifically-worded draft of a constitutional amendment, legislative enactment
or other measure?
-
repeal of an existing provision?
- a
question of principle (for example: “are you in favour of amending the
constitution to introduce a presidential system of government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not presented in the form of a specific provision
and known as a “generally-worded proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of
amending the Constitution in order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament
from 300 to 200?”)?
The Referendum Act provides that
when a bill or a specific provision of the bill is put to a referendum
(including a bill for constitutional amendment), the whole text of a bill (or a
specific provision of the bill) is submitted. This may also take a form of a
repeal of an existing provision (the question put to the referendum may then be
worded something like "Article 34 of the … Act is repealed."
The constitution also allows for
the submission of "national issues" to a referendum. In this case, a
concrete question has to be worded which allows for answering "yes"
or "no". No more specific provisions regarding the form of the
question have been adopted.
2. Do questions submitted
to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a specifically-worded draft amendment and a
generally-worded proposal or a question of principle must not be combined in
the same question);
b. unity of content (except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or
another piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the
various parts of each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of
suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole
provisions without an intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the question must not relate simultaneously
to the Constitution and subordinate legislation.
d. Does
the vote have to be on a single question or can it be on several different
ones?
e. Does
the question (or do the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
No statutory guidelines in this
respect have been adopted. There is no provision prohibiting voting on
different issues at the same referendum.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive
validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some of its rules;
- to other overriding legal rules.
The referendum is prohibited, if
the bill submitted to a referendum is unconstitutional. This most probably
includes international law and other overriding legal rules (although there has
been no clear decision on the issue). The referendum is also prohibited if the
procedures for submitting questions to a referendum had been seriously
violated.
In order to stop the referendum
from going forward, the Supreme Court has to find a violation of the
constitution or procedures mentioned in the previous paragraph. There are two
ways of issues reaching the supreme court:
·
The decision of the parliament to call a
referendum violates someone's
rights: this person may go to the court;
·
The
Legal Chancellor (an
independent official, also fulfilling ombudsman functions) may initiate
proceedings in the Supreme Court on its own initiative.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
b. If an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can
political parties take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory document have
to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and their
opponents’ views?
c. Is campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted
to political parties? If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national,
regional or local authorities allowed to campaign?
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters
and opponents?
The text of the question/draft bill has to be published in the Official
Gazette. No other questions have been regulated. The regulations on media do
not provide for allocation of equal time.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
The
public funding of campaigns is not expressly prohibited or prescribed. During
the referendum on EU accession, public funds were in fact allocated both to the
pro- and anti-EU groups. The government may provide objective information, but
nothing explicitly stops it from advocating a certain position. The parties do
not receive specific funding for campaigning on a referendum, but only general
contributions for carrying on its activities.
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
There is one designated
"main" voting day. However, a vote may be cast during pre-voting time
4-13 days prior to the main voting day (all voting stations are open 4-6 days
prior to voting day, designated voting stations 9-13 days prior to the main
voting day; one cannot vote on the previous weekend). In addition, e-voting
starting from 2005 is allowed 4-6 days prior to the voting day. Absentee
ballots abroad are cast during even a longer time period.
b. If
there is a large time-lag between different voting centres, is it possible
for the results from some of them to be known before voting closes in other
centres?
No
results may be published before all stations have closed.
c. Is it
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
No.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
There is no quorum required. A
decision is made by a majority of the participants in the voting.
G - Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
The decisions are strictly
binding.
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
If the referendum is on a
"national issue", the parliament may be required to adopt legislation
to implement it.
3. Where a referendum deals with a text
that has already been adopted by an authority, is that referendum:
-suspensive: the text may not enter into force
unless it has been approved by the electors or unless a request to hold a
referendum has not been made within the time-limit established by the
Constitution or by law;
-resolutory: the text ceases to be in force following
a "no" vote or failure to secure a "yes" vote within a
certain time-limit after its adoption; or
-abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum
leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
This has not been explicitly
regulated. According to the constitution, the laws passed by a referendum do
not possess higher force than ordinary laws and thus may be revised by ordinary
legislation.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Only
the constitutional provision requiring referendums when amending certain
sections of the constitution may be amended only via a referendum. All other
provisions of the constitution regulating referendums may be revised by the
parliament under ordinary constitutional amendment procedure.
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
3. How are signatures
checked?
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
No
popular initiatives on the national level in Estonia.
J - Judicial review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial
review?
Appeals may be lodged if voting
procedures have been breached. If the breach may have significantly influenced
the voting result, the vote may be declared invalid. It is also possible to
declare vote invalid in certain parts of the country, and hold a new referendum
only in those parts of the country (in the rest of the country, votes cast in
the main referendum will be valid). The final result will then be declared only
after the new referendum has been held.
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
Anyone whose rights have been
breached. The Electoral Commission may declare the vote invalid also on its own
initiative.
K -
Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held since the country has
had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums were held (see above
I.C)?
One referendum has been held, on
amending the constitution (regarding the accession to the EU).
A note: it was actually a
referendum where a question whether Estonia should join EU was submitted
alongside with the constitutional amendment. There was a speculation that such
a question should be inadmissible.
2. On
whose initiative has each referendum been held?
The Riigikogu.
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
No.
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
One.
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
None.
6. Can any of the results
be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
No.
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
No.
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the
issues at stake?
N/A.
II -
Regional or local referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the national Constitution for local referendums?
No.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
Yes. Local Governments Act allows
for both local popular initiatives as well as non-binding local referenda.
However, the details of the local
referenda are wholly unregulated. There are no provisions regarding electoral
councils, voting procedures, appeals etc. Each local government wishing to hold
a local referendum has to work out its own procedures and allocate staff for
holding referenda.
Therefore, most questions below
cannot be answered at all (there are not central provisions, there is not even
information on how many local governments have adopted specific procedures for
local referenda). Below, only some specific issues are addressed.
It must also be borne in mind
that the local referenda are non-binding.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
N/A.
4. On what matters is it
possible to call a referendum?
On any "local issue." The local
government may not hold referenda, even non-binding, on national issues.
A1 - At what level?
1. Federate states?
2. Provinces? Regions?
3. Lower levels?
Districts?
4. Municipalities?
Yes.
5. On what matters?
Local issues.
6. May national or federal
authorities intervene, and in what conditions?
In the beginning of the 1990s,
the legal chancellor applied for and the Supreme Court invalidated local
non-binding referenda in North-Eastern Estonia where the question whether the
region should be granted autonomy. The County Governor (an administrative unit
supervising local governments) may appeal the decision to hold a local
referendum in court before the referendum takes place.
B - What type of referendum can be held? Who
decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
The question has not been
regulated in the law. Usually, the local council decides on the issue. County
governor can then intervene if the decision is illegal (i.e., violates
procedural rules or is of national issue).
The referenda are non-binding.
C - Content
Reply to the same questions as in I-C.
Only local issues may be put to
the referendum
In particular:
- Can a referendum be held on a proposal to secede from the State?
No.
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
It can relate to the merger or
separation of the local governments. In fact, this has been the most frequent
reason for local referenda so far.
- Are any other subjects permitted?
D - Form
of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-D.
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of
conformity with central-government rules).
F - Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as in I-F.
G - Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-G.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-H.
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
Signatures from at least one per
cent of the population of the local government (but no less than five
signatures - some local authorities have less than 500 inhabitants) have to be
collected in order to present a draft legal act to the local council or local
government.
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
Anyone.
3. How are signatures
checked?
No procedures are foreseen.
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
As the popular initiative forces
only the local council (or city government) to discuss the issue, the
respective body may adopt any changes to the question or draft act presented.
J - Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate
distinction between judicial review at central-government level and at federate
or regional level.
K - Experiences of
referendums
1. Have there been many
local referendums?
There is no official registry of
local referendums. In fact, one cannot be sure what can be counted as a local
referendum I.e., Tallinn, the capital, organized a questioning of its residents
regarding planning in a historic district of the central Tallinn, with just a
few "voting stations" in a couple of supermarkets and a
"turnout" of less than 3%. Sometimes, the opinion of the voters is
asked even with open-ended questions yet the procedure is called a
"rahvaküsitlus" (the same as if it were a local referendum). Most of
the referendums have concerned the merging of local governments. There must be
at least tens of local referenda.
2. If so, at what level? Federate level? Provinces or
districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify what type of referendums were held.
All at the municipal level.
III -
The future of referendums
1.
Is the referendum system currently
being reformed?
No. Currently no such plans are
discussed. Occasionally, there are calls for more referendums and popular
initiatives, but at the moment, no serious discussions take place.
2.
If so, for what reason?
3.
If so, what is the general
tendency of this reform?
FINLANDE /
FINLAND
I -
National referendums
A - Legal basis
(1) The decision to organise a consultative referendum
is made by an Act, which shall contain provisions on the time of the referendum
and on the choices to be presented to the voters.
(2) Provisions
concerning the conduct of a referendum are laid down by an Act.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. The Constitution does not recognise any mandatory
referendums.
2. The decision on organising a referendum is made through a
Parliamentary Act (Article 53.1 of the Constitution). Legislative initiative
belongs to, first, the government, and, secondly, to Members of Parliament in
their individual capacity (Article 70 of the Constitution).
3. There are no provisions on referendums held at the request
of the electorate.
4. If the Act on holding a referendum is
issued on the initiative of the government, all the principal constitutional
bodies - the Parliament, the Council of the State and the President - are
involved. In normal cases, the President decides on the submittal of a
governmental bill to the Parliament (Article 58 of the Constitution); she is,
however, ultimately bound by the proposal of the Council of the State. An Act
approved by the Parliament must be confirmed by the President. If, however, she
refuses to confirm the Act, it enters into force without confirmation, if the Parliament
re-approves it. (Article 77 of the Constitution). If the Act is passed on the
initiative of a Member of Parliament, the President has a similar position in
the procedure of confirmation.
5. See the answer to the preceding question.
C - Content
1.-2. The Constitution recognises no mandatory referendums nor does it
lay down any criteria for the issues on which a referendum can be held.
D - Form of the text submitted
to referendum
1.-2. There are no general provisions on the form of the text to be
submitted to a referendum or on the formulation of the questions posed to the
electorate. According to Article 53 of the Constitution, the law through which
the decision on organising a referendum is made must include provisions on the
alternatives presented to the voters.
E - Substantive limits on the
referendum
There are no provisions on such
limitations.
There are no
general provisions on campaigning; the issue is left to be regulated by the Act
through which the decision on the referendum is made. According to Article 8 of
the Act on the referendum concerning Finland’s accession to the European union
(1994), the Council of State approved the contents of an information sheet
which explained the contents of the Treaty of Accession and what the referendum
was about. The Act also included a provision stating that the information sheet
was to be sent to all the voters and also otherwise distributed. There was no
explicit requirement of the neutrality of the information, although this, in
practice, was the starting-point. Campaigning was not restricted to political
parties.
The role of
authorities was supposed to be only that of providing information. The state
broadcasting company was expected to respect neutrality during the campaign,
although the Act did not include any explicit provisions on the matter. The
requirement of neutrality is based on the internal regulations of the company.
2. Funding
Again, there are
no general provisions. Article 8 of the Act on the referendum concerning
Finland’s accession to the European Union laid down that the state budget
should include funds which were to be distributed to support equally the
spreading of information about the two alternatives and their consequences.
3. Voting
According to the
Act on the procedure to be observed in consultative referendums (1987),
referendums are held either in connection with national elections or
separately. This is decided through the Act on the referendum in question. If
the former alternative is chosen, voting will take place on two days. There is
no obligation to vote, nor any quorum provisions.
G - Effects of referendums
Article 53 of the Constitution
recognises only consultative referendums.
H - Parallelism of procedures
and rules on referendums
1. Yes,
because all referendums are of a consultative character.
2. Yes, because there is no requirement of
mandatory constitutional referendums.
I - Specific rules on popular
initiatives
Popular initiatives are not provided
for by the Constitution (or other legislation).
FRANCE
I - Référendums nationaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Le référendum est-il prévu par la
Constitution?
Oui, deux dispositions le prévoient :
Article 11 : « Le Président de la République,
sur proposition du Gouvernement pendant la durée des sessions ou sur
proposition conjointe des deux assemblées, publiées au Journal Officiel, peut
soumettre au référendum tout projet de loi portant sur l'organisation des
pouvoirs publics, sur des réformes relatives à la politique économique ou
sociale de la nation et aux services publics qui y concourent, ou tendant à
autoriser la ratification d'un traité qui, sans être contraire à la
Constitution, aurait des incidences sur le fonctionnement des institutions.
Lorsque le référendum est organisé sur proposition
du Gouvernement, celui-ci fait, devant chaque assemblée, une déclaration qui
est suivie d'un débat.
Lorsque le référendum a conclu à l'adoption du
projet de loi, le Président de la République promulgue la loi dans les quinze
jours qui suivent la proclamation des résultats de la consultation. »
Article 89 : « L'initiative de la révision de la
Constitution appartient concurremment au Président de la République sur
proposition du Premier Ministre et aux membres du Parlement.
Le projet ou la proposition de révision doit être
voté par les deux assemblées en termes identiques. La révision est définitive
après avoir été approuvée par référendum.
Toutefois, le projet de révision n'est pas
présenté au référendum lorsque le Président de la République décide de le
soumettre au Parlement convoqué en Congrès ; dans ce cas, le projet de révision
n'est approuvé que s'il réunit la majorité des trois cinquièmes des suffrages
exprimés. Le bureau du Congrès est celui de l'Assemblée Nationale. »
2. A défaut de dispositions
constitutionnelles la loi permet-elle de recourir au référendum? En quelles
matières?
Les référendums
nationaux ne peuvent être organisés sans base constitutionnelle.
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Référendum obligatoire
Le référendum est-il exigé par la Constitution, qui dispose que certains
textes sont soumis automatiquement au référendum avant ou après leur adoption
par le Parlement?
Il n’y a pas d’obligation pour les référendums de l’Article 11.
Pour une révision de la Constitution, le Président de la République, s’il
choisit la voie du Congrès, n’est pas tenu d’organiser un référendum. Depuis
les débuts de la Ve République, deux seulement des 17 révisions
constitutionnelles ont fait l’objet d’un référendum.
Le référendum n’est obligatoire que dans
l’hypothèse d’une révision constitutionnelle d’initiative parlementaire.
2. Référendum à la demande d’une autorité
a. Le référendum peut-il être organisé à
la demande d’une autorité?
Oui (Article 11), à la demande du Gouvernement ou des deux assemblées.
b. Si oui, qui peut décider
l’organisation d’un référendum? Le chef de l’Etat, le Gouvernement, le
Parlement, une fraction du Parlement, des entités territoriales?
Dans le cas de l’Article 11, c’est le Président de la République sur
proposition du Gouvernement ou proposition conjointe des deux Assemblées. La
décision du Président de la république est prise sans contreseing ministériel
(Article 19).
Dans le cas de l’Article 89, c’est soit le Président de la République, sur
proposition du Premier ministre, soit le Parlement.
3. Référendum à la demande d’une fraction du corps électoral
Non, aucune
disposition constitutionnelle ne le permet.
a. Un certain nombre d’électeurs peut-il
exiger l’organisation d’un référendum?
Dans ce cas, quel est le pourcentage des électeurs
exigé pour valider la proposition ? Comment sont vérifiées les signatures
des électeurs ?
b. Une demande de référendum
peut-elle porter sur un texte déjà adopté par le Parlement? Une initiative
populaire peut-elle proposer un texte nouveau?
4. Procédure impliquant plusieurs autorités
Est-il prévu que la
présentation d’un texte au vote populaire est soumise à l’accord de plusieurs
organes ?
Dans le cas de l’Article 11, c’est une décision du Président de la
République sur proposition du Gouvernement ou des deux Assemblées.
Dans le cas de la révision constitutionnelle (Article 89), l’initiative de
celle-ci appartient soit au Président de la République, sur proposition du
Premier ministre (projet de révision), soit aux membres du Parlement
(proposition de révision). Elle doit être approuvée par les deux chambres, puis
selon les cas, par référendum ou par le Congrès.
Par exemple :
Si le référendum est proposé
par le chef de l’Etat, faut-il une proposition du Gouvernement ou de l’une ou
des deux chambres du Parlement ? Le chef de l’Etat ou le chef du
Gouvernement peuvent-il refuser la proposition?
Aucune divergence ne s’est produite jusqu’à maintenant entre le Président
de la République et le Gouvernement sur l’opportunité d’un référendum. La
proposition a donc un caractère formel. Il est même arrivé que le Président
annonce un référendum, avant la proposition du Gouvernement
Dans le cas de la révision (Article 89), le cas s’est produit (en 1973)
d’un projet de révision, portant sur la réduction du mandat présidentiel de
sept à cinq ans, approuvé par les deux chambres en termes identiques mais
n’ayant pas abouti.
Si le référendum est demandé
par une fraction du corps électoral, faut-il l’accord du Parlement/d’une
fraction du Parlement?
Sans objet.
Le référendum peut-il être
fondé sur une initiative populaire présentant une proposition alternative à un
projet retenu par le Parlement ?
Sans objet.
5. Rôle du Parlement
- Peut-il s’opposer à
l’organisation d’un référendum en adoptant un contre-projet portant sur le même
objet? Dans quel délai ? Une majorité spéciale est-elle requise?
- Peut-il soumettre un
contre-projet au peuple simultanément au premier texte proposé?
- Peut-il donner uniquement
donner son avis?
- Un délai est-il fixé pour
que le Parlement prenne position et, si celui-ci n’est pas respecté, quelles en
sont les conséquences?
- En cas de référendum
portant sur une question de principe/une proposition non formulée/abrogatif
(voir paragraphe suivant), doit-il adopter un (nouveau) texte juridique?
Deux hypothèses :
Dans le cas de la révision constitutionnelle, l’approbation parlementaire
est nécessaire : si la loi constitutionnelle n’est pas approuvée dans les
mêmes termes par les deux assemblées, le référendum ne peut pas être organisé.
Dans le cas de l’Article 11, la seule obligation de l’Exécutif est de tenir
un débat devant chaque assemblée.
C - Contenu
1. Types d’actes soumis au référendum
Le référendum est-il prévu
seulement pour modifier la Constitution?
Non, d’autres
cas sont prévus par l’Article 11 (cf. texte supra).
Un référendum est-il
nécessaire pour modifier la Constitution?
Non, il n’est pas nécessaire si le Président de la République décide de
soumettre au Congrès la loi de révision votée dans les mêmes termes par les
deux assemblées.
Sur quels autres types
d’actes le référendum peut-il intervenir ? En particulier, le référendum
est-il nécessaire ou possible pour l’adhésion à l’Union européenne ou à une
organisation internationale?
L’Article 11 prévoit trois domaines :
- l’organisation des pouvoirs publics ;
- les réformes relatives à la politique économique
et sociale et aux services publics qui y concourent ;
- la ratification d’ un traité non contraire à la Constitution mais
susceptible d’influencer le fonctionnement des institutions.
Les Traités communautaires sont, le plus souvent, susceptibles d’être
soumis à référendum.
Pour l’adhésion initiale à la CEE, la question ne s’est pas posée, la
France ayant adhéré dès le début aux structures européennes, avant l’actuelle
Constitution.
2. Matières sur lesquelles peut porter le référendum
Le
référendum est-il réservé à certaines matières? Certaines matières sont-elles
soumises obligatoirement au référendum ou, au contraire, exclues du référendum?
L’Article 89
permet (initiative présidentielle) ou impose (initiative parlementaire) de
soumettre au référendum toute révision constitutionnelle.
L’Article 11 prévoit trois domaines :
- l’organisation des
pouvoirs publics ;
-
les réformes relatives à la politique économique et sociale et aux services
publics qui y concourent ;
- la ratification d’ un
traité non contraire à la Constitution mais susceptible d’influencer le
fonctionnement des institutions.
Au total, le domaine possible du référendum est
vaste.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
1. Quelle
est la forme possible du texte soumis au référendum?
- un projet rédigé de texte
constitutionnel, légal ou autre
- l’abrogation d’un texte en vigueur
- une question
de principe (par exemple : « êtes-vous en faveur d’un amendement
de la Constitution visant à introduire un système
présidentiel ? ») ou
- une proposition concrète qui n’est pas présentée sous la forme de
dispositions spécifiques, dite "proposition non-formulée" (par
exemple : «êtes-vous en faveur d’un amendement de la Constitution
réduisant le nombre de sièges du Parlement de 300 à 200 ? »).
C’est un texte de loi, soit un projet de loi
constitutionnelle, soit un projet de loi ordinaire (lequel peut consister à
autoriser la ratification d’un traité) ; en aucun cas, ce ne peut être une
question de principe.
2. Les questions soumises au référendum doivent-elle
respecter :
a. l’unité de la forme (une
même question ne doit pas combiner un projet rédigé et une proposition non
formulée ou une question de principe) ;
b. l’unité de la matière (sous
réserve du cas de révision totale d’un texte, il doit exister un rapport
intrinsèque entre les différentes parties de chaque question soumise au vote,
afin de garantir la liberté de vote de l’électeur, qui ne doit pas être appelé
à accepter ou rejeter en bloc des dispositions sans lien entre elles) ;
c. l’unité de rang : une même
question ne doit pas porter simultanément sur la Constitution et un acte
normatif inférieur.
d. Le vote doit-il porter sur
une seule question ou peut-elle porter sur plusieurs ?
e. La
ou les questions doivent-elles être claires et non suggestives ?
Il n’existe pas d’encadrement tel que celui que suggèrent ces questions.
La jurisprudence du Conseil constitutionnel sur la loyauté des
consultations va cependant dans le sens d’une question unique et claire. La
question posée « doit satisfaire à la double exigence de loyauté et de
clarté de la consultation » et « ne doit comporter d'équivoque »
ni sur le sens de la question posée, ni la portée de la consultation (décision
n° 87‑226 DC du 26 juin 1987, cons. 7 et 9, statut de la
Nouvelle-Calédonie ; n° 2000-428 DC du 4 mai 2000, consultation de la
population de Mayotte sur son avenir statutaire).
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la validité
matérielle)
Le référendum est-il exclu
si le texte proposé est contraire :
- au droit international ou
à certaines de ses normes
- à la Constitution ou à
certaines de ses normes
- à d’autres normes de droit
supérieur
Les
conditions de fond et de forme fixées par chacun des Articles 11 et 89, comme
les domaines respectifs des ces deux Articles doivent être respectées. Bien que
cette question ait longtemps donné lieu à des réponses incertaines, on peut maintenant
invoquer trois séries de considérations, correspondant à autant de
jurisprudences complémentaires successives.
Pour ce qui
concerne la période précédant le référendum, le Conseil constitutionnel s’est
récemment reconnu compétent pour statuer sur un décret de convocation des
électeurs (décision Hauchemaille du 25 juillet 2000).
Pour la période postérieure au référendum, le peuple s’étant prononcé,
toute contestation devient impossible. Cette jurisprudence a été dégagée très
tôt, dès 1962 à propos du projet prévoyant l’élection du Président de la
République au suffrage universel (cf. décision 62-20 DC du 6 novembre 1962) et
confirmée en 1992 (cf. décision n° 92-313 DC du 23
septembre 1992 relative à la loi autorisant la ratification du traité sur
l'Union européenne).
Enfin
le Conseil d’Etat a eu l’occasion de compléter cette jurisprudence (Assemblée, M. Sarran, M. Levacher et
autres, 30 oct. 1998) en se prononçant sur la
notion de référendum au sens de l’Article 60 de la Constitution, qui dispose que
le Conseil constitutionnel veille à la régularité des opérations de référendum,
et de l’Article 46 de l’ordonnance du 7 novembre 1958 portant loi organique,
qui prévoit la consultation du Conseil constitutionnel sur l’organisation des
opérations de référendum.
Le
Conseil d’Etat a ainsi jugé qu’il résultait de ces Articles, rapprochés avec
l’Article 3 de la Constitution, que « seuls les référendums par lesquels
le peuple français exerce sa souveraineté, soit en matière législative dans les
cas prévus par l’Article 11 de la Constitution, soit en matière
constitutionnelle comme le prévoit l’Article 89, sont soumis au contrôle du
Conseil constitutionnel. »
On peut noter qu’à cette
occasion, l’Assemblée du contentieux a confirmé la position prise par les formations
administratives du Conseil d’Etat selon laquelle l’Article 11 ne peut être
utilisé pour modifier la Constitution.
F - Campagne/propagande/financement et votation
1. Campagne et propagande
a. Les autorités sont-elles
tenues de fournir une information objective, notamment par la remise du texte
et d’une notice explicative aux électeurs?
Ce n’est pas une obligation explicite, mais l’usage
suivi depuis 1958 conduit, de fait, à une réponse positive.
b. Si une notice explicative
est prévue, qui la rédige ? Les formations politiques peuvent-elles
participer à la rédaction de cette notice ? La notice explicative
doit-elle présenter le point de vue des autorités et celui des personnes ayant
un point de vue opposé, de manière équilibrée?
Jusqu’à présent, c’est le Gouvernement qui rédige
la notice explicative. Rien n’oblige à la compléter, mais rien ne l’interdit
non plus.
Le Conseil constitutionnel examine le projet de notice, comme tous les
actes préparatoires au référendum.
a. La
propagande pour ou contre le texte proposé est-elle réservée aux partis
politiques? Dans le cas contraire, qui peut participer à cette propagande? Les
autorités (nationales, régionales, locales) peuvent-elles faire campagne?
Normalement,
seuls peuvent s’exprimer à la radio et à la télévision les partis politiques,
avec deux catégories : ceux représentés au Parlement et ceux dont, compte
tenu de la nature de la question posée, la participation paraît justifiée. Par
exemple, pour le référendum sur la Nouvelle-Calédonie en 1988, a été prévue une
représentation particulière des partis de Nouvelle-Calédonie.
b. Les médias publics sont-ils
tenus de réserver une place égale aux partisans et aux adversaires du texte
proposé?
La formule usitée est « une place
équitable » de façon à éviter des situations concrètes insolubles que le
mot égalité suggère mathématiquement.
c. Qu’en est-il des médias
privés? Les conditions financières ou autres de la publicité radio-télévisée
sont-elles égales pour les partisans et les adversaires du projet?
Les médias sont tenus de rendre compte
équitablement, qu’ils soient publics ou privés.Les conditions d’égalité ne
portent que sur les émissions prises en charge intégralement par l’Etat. La
campagne officielle ne coûte donc rien aux partis ; en revanche, le reste
(réunions, tracts, etc.) est à leur charge exclusive.
2. Financement
a. L’utilisation de fonds
publics en faveur ou en défaveur d’un projet soumis au référendum est-elle
autorisée? Dans quelle mesure? Est-elle exclue pendant la période précédant le
vote?
Il n’existe pas d’encadrement du financement d’une campagne référendaire.
La question pourrait cependant être soulevée dans un proche avenir par
certaines formations politiques soucieuses d’accéder aux fonds publics pour
financer une campagne.
b. La rémunération de
la collecte des signatures pour les initiatives populaires par des fonds privés
est-elle autorisée, et à quelles conditions?
Sans objet.
3. Votation
a. Les opérations électorales sont-elles
réalisées en un seul jour ou sur plusieurs?
En un seul.
b. S’il y a un décalage
horaire important entre les différents centres de vote, les résultats de
certains d’entre eux peuvent-ils être connus avant la clôture des opérations
des autres centres?
En droit, non.
Dans la pratique, il est bien difficile de l’empêcher. La question est
cependant à l’étude.
c. La participation de chaque
électeur est-elle obligatoire?
Non.
d. Quorum : Pour que la
consultation soit valable, doit-elle avoir recueilli un certain pourcentage de
votants par rapport au nombre des inscrits? Ou faut-il une participation
minimale?
Non, rien de tel n’est prévu.
G - Les effets du référendum
1. Quels sont les effets du
référendum? Est-il demandé aux électeurs un simple avis (référendum
consultatif)? Ou une décision (référendum décisionnel)?
Le référendum national a toujours une portée décisionnelle.
2. Le référendum oblige-t-il à
prendre d’autres décisions (voir point B.5) ?
Généralement, oui. Une réponse positive au
référendum se conclut par la promulgation de la loi constitutionnelle ou
ordinaire correspondant au projet ou par la ratification d’un traité.
Cette transformation du droit positif emporte le plus souvent toute une
chaîne de conséquences. Par exemple, le référendum sur le statut de la
Nouvelle-Calédonie de 1988 a entraîné une refonte complète du droit local.
3. Si le référendum porte sur un texte déjà
adopté par une autorité, est-il :
- suspensif :
le texte ne peut entrer en vigueur tant qu’il n’a pas été approuvé par les
électeurs ou qu’une demande de référendum n’a pas eu lieu dans le délai prévu
par la Constitution ou par la loi ;
Est en effet « suspendue » une révision
constitutionnelle adoptée par les deux chambres, mais non ratifiée par la voie
référendaire ou par celle du Congrès.
- résolutoire :
le texte cesse d’être en vigueur suite à un vote négatif/en l’absence de vote
positif intervenant dans un certain délai après son adoption;
Non, pas de cas entrant dans cette hypothèse.
- abrogatif :
l’acceptation du référendum conduit à l’abrogation d’une disposition en
vigueur.
Dans le cas où
le texte soumis à référendum abroge des dispositions existantes du droit
positif.
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant
le référendum
1. Une disposition
acceptée/refusée par référendum peut-elle être révisée/introduite par une
procédure excluant le référendum
Oui. Par exemple, le statut de 1988 de la
Nouvelle-Calédonie, approuvé par référendum national, a été substantiellement
modifié en 1999 par une loi organique.
2. Une norme constitutionnelle
ou législative prévoyant la possibilité d’organiser un référendum peut-elle
être révisée par une procédure excluant le référendum?
Oui. On peut en
théorie concevoir que l’Article 89 (qui mentionne le référendum comme procédé
de révision constitutionnelle) soit modifié par le Congrès.
I - Règles particulières relatives à l’initiative populaire
Sans objet.
1. Quels sont les délais pour la récolte des signatures?
2. Qui est autorisé à récolter les signatures?
3. Comment la vérification des signatures s’effectue-t-elle?
4. Une autorité est-elle
autorisée à rectifier les vices résultant du contenu de la question?
(Exemples : en matière de validité formelle, de caractère obscur, trompeur
ou suggestif de la question)
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
1. La décision d’organiser ou
de ne pas organiser un référendum peut-elle faire l’objet d’un recours devant
une juridiction? Ou un contrôle judiciaire est-il exercé d’office? Ce contrôle
concerne-t-il en particulier l’aboutissement des initiatives populaires?
En principe oui, mais le contrôle porte sur la procédure quand il s’agit
d’un référendum national. Toutefois, la jurisprudence Hauchemaille (25 juillet
2000) permettrait, au travers du décret de convocation des électeurs, lequel
comprend en annexe le texte de la question posée, un contrôle au fond sur la
constitutionnalité de la procédure.
Le juge judiciaire n’est compétent que pour
l’inscription sur les listes électorales et le juge administratif pour les
actes administratifs préparatoires (décisions du Conseil Supérieur de
l’Audiovisuel sur la campagne audiovisuelle etc.).
2. Dans
l’affirmative, quels sont les cas où le juge peut s’opposer à la tenue d’un
référendum (violation de l’unité de la forme, de l’unité de la matière, absence
de clarté de la question, etc.)?
Jusqu’ici, le
cas ne s’est pas produit en France.
1. Les résultats du référendum peuvent-ils faire
l’objet d’un contrôle juridictionnel?
Oui, mais dans
des conditions très différentes du droit commun électoral : le Conseil
constitutionnel examine en effet les réclamations (inscrites aux procès-verbaux
des bureaux de vote) dans le cadre même des opérations de recensement national
des votes dont il est chargé.
2. Qui a qualité pour recourir?
Ordinairement en droit, le représentant de l’Etat dans chaque département
ou collectivité équivalente. Dans des conditions très particulières
(inscription au procès-verbal du bureau de vote), chaque électeur.
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Depuis que le pays est doté d’une
Constitution combien de référendums ont-ils été organisés? Précisez quels types
de référendum ont été organisés (voir supra I.C).
Référendums nationaux : 9 depuis 1958, 2 en
1945, 3 sous le Second Empire.
2. Qui a pris l’initiative
d’organiser chacun d’eux?
Le pouvoir
exécutif depuis 1958.
3. Certains référendums
ont-ils échoué faute d’une participation suffisante?
Sans objet,
faute de quorum légal.
Cependant, à
trois reprises, les taux de participation ont été jugés décevants :
1. A combien de référendums
les électeurs ont-ils donné une réponse affirmative?
Depuis 1945, les référendums nationaux se sont tous conclus favorablement,
sauf à deux reprises, en 1945 et en 1969 (soit 10 sur 12).
En 1969, à la suite de l’échec d’un référendum constitutionnel portant sur
le Sénat et la décentralisation, le Président de la République, Charles de
Gaulle, a mis fin à son mandat.
2. A combien de référendums
les électeurs ont-ils donné une réponse négative?
Deux (un en 1945, un en 1969).
3. La réponse
s’explique-t-elle en grande partie pour des raisons étrangères à la question
posée?
La plupart des commentateurs se sont accordés pour
expliquer l’échec du référendum en 1969 comme exprimant surtout une lassitude à
l’égard du général de Gaulle.
4. Une réponse affirmative
s’explique-t-elle par la popularité de celui qui a posé la question?
On l’a dit des premiers référendums organisés sous
la Ve république par le général de Gaulle.
5. Une réponse négative
s’explique-t-elle par l’impopularité des gouvernants? Ou par un mécontentement
général ? Ou encore par une inexacte compréhension des enjeux en cause?
Ces explications ont été avancées. D’autres raisons
ont toutefois pesé dans la balance.
II - Référendums
régionaux ou locaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Le référendum régional ou local est-il prévu
par la Constitution nationale
Oui (cf. Articles 53, 72-1, 72-4, 73 et 76),
surtout depuis la révision du 28 mars 2003 sur la décentralisation. Il y a lieu
de distinguer le référendum institutionnel, intéressant un territoire
particulier et portant sur son statut de collectivité, et le référendum local,
organisé par une collectivité dans un domaine relevant de sa compétence.
2. A défaut de dispositions
constitutionnelles la loi nationale permet-elle de recourir au référendum?
La loi du 6
février 1992 avait en effet autorisé l’organisation d’un référendum consultatif
sans base constitutionnelle. Celle-ci a été introduite en 2003 en conférant à
la réponse une portée décisionnelle (cf. loi organique n° 2003-705 du 1er août
2003).
3. Des dispositions des
entités (fédérées, régionales, autonomes, etc.) prévoient-elles le référendum?
Sans objet.
4. En quelles matières le
référendum est-il possible?
Le référendum institutionnel porte sur deux domaines précis :
- la cession de territoire ou l’accession à
l’indépendance d’un territoire d’outre-mer ;
- l’évolution institutionnelle (par exemple,
outre-mer et Corse).
Le référendum local porte exclusivement sur une question relevant de la
compétence de la collectivité qui l’organise.
A1 - A quel niveau?
1. Au niveau des Etats fédérés?
Sans objet.
2. Au niveau des provinces? Des régions?
Le référendum
institutionnel concerne les collectivités particulières (outre-mer, Corse). Le
référendum local est possible aux trois niveaux de l’organisation décentralisée
de la République.
3. Au niveau de circonscriptions plus réduites?
Des départements?
Pour le
référendum local, c’est possible pour les départements.
4. Au niveau des communes?
C’est le cas le plus fréquent de référendum local.
5. En quelles matières?
La règle est que « L'assemblée délibérante d'une collectivité
territoriale peut soumettre à référendum local tout projet de délibération
tendant à régler une affaire de la compétence de cette collectivité » (cf.
Article L.O. 1112-1 du code général des collectivités locales, résultant de la
loi organique du 1er août 2003 précitée).
6. Les autorités nationales ou fédérales
peuvent-elles intervenir, et dans quelles conditions?
Le représentant de l’Etat intervient pour le contrôle de légalité, soit
avant l’organisation du référendum, soit après.
Dans le premier cas, les modalités du contrôle sont prévues par l’Article
L.O. 1112-3 du code précité :
« L'exécutif de la collectivité territoriale
transmet au représentant de l'Etat dans un délai maximum de huit jours la
délibération prise en application de l'alinéa précédent.
Le représentant de l'Etat dispose d'un délai de dix jours à compter de la
réception de la délibération pour la déférer au tribunal administratif s'il
l'estime illégale. Il peut assortir son recours d'une demande de suspension.
Le président du tribunal administratif ou le magistrat délégué par lui
statue dans un délai d'un mois, en premier et dernier ressort, sur la demande
de suspension. Il est fait droit à cette demande si l'un des moyens invoqués
paraît, en l'état de l'instruction, propre à créer un doute sérieux quant à la
légalité de l'acte attaqué ou du projet de délibération ou d'acte soumis à
référendum.
Lorsque la délibération organisant le référendum local ou le projet de
délibération ou d'acte soumis à référendum est de nature à compromettre
l'exercice d'une liberté publique ou individuelle, le président du tribunal
administratif ou le magistrat délégué par lui en prononce la suspension dans
les quarante-huit heures. »
Dans le second cas,
« Le texte adopté par voie de référendum est soumis aux règles de
publicité et de contrôle applicables à une délibération de l'assemblée
délibérante de la collectivité ou à un acte de son exécutif » (Article
L.O. 1112-7 du même code).
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-B, mutatis mutandis (en indiquant notamment quelles autorités
fédérées/régionales/locales peuvent intervenir).
La règle est que c’est l’assemblée délibérante de la collectivité qui
décide.
Si la collectivité est saisie par des intervenants par voie de pétition, sa
seule obligation est de prévoir un débat par son assemblée.
Le contrôle de légalité s’effectue à l’initiative soit du représentant de
l’Etat, soit d’électeurs.
C - Contenu
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-C.
En particulier :
Le référendum peut-il porter
sur la sécession? Une modification des limites territoriales? Tout autre objet?
Le référendum local porte exclusivement sur un domaine de la compétence de
la collectivité qui l’organise (cf. texte supra).
La « sécession » relève du dernier alinéa de l’Article 53 de la
Constitution, ainsi libellé :
« Nulle cession, nul échange, nulle
adjonction de territoire n'est valable sans le consentement des populations
intéressées ».
Il s’agit alors d’un référendum institutionnel (cf. dans les années 1970,
les Comores et Djibouti).
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-D.
La loi prévoit que : « L'assemblée délibérante d'une collectivité
territoriale peut soumettre à référendum local tout projet de délibération
tendant à régler une affaire de la compétence de cette collectivité »
(Article L.O. 1112-1 du code précité).
Mutatis mutandis, on peut invoquer les règles de
jurisprudence qui prévalent pour un référendum national (obligation de clarté
et de loyauté de la consultation, question posée dépourvue d’équivoque).
Il en résulte logiquement que la question posée à propos d’un projet de
texte doit amener une réponse par oui ou par non.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la validité
matérielle)
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-E (et en particulier à la question de la conformité aux normes de l’Etat
central).
La procédure est soumise de bout en bout au contrôle de légalité, à peine
de nullité. Ce contrôle peut porter sur la décision de recourir au référendum,
dans les conditions rappelées supra, sur l’organisation du référendum lui-même
ou sur la légalité de l’acte ainsi adopté en définitive.
Elle doit donc se conformer à la loi nationale. En particulier, les règles
d’organisation du scrutin local renvoient aux règles de droit commun définies
par le code électoral pour l’ensemble des élections au suffrage universel
direct.
F - Propagande et votation
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-F.
Normalement, les règles sont sensiblement les mêmes que celles du
référendum national, à ceci près qu’il n’est pas interdit de prévoir des formes
complémentaires de participation (par exemple, prise en charge de frais de
propagande de partis locaux).
Les partis appelés à s’exprimer lors de la campagne sont des partis locaux,
c’est-à-dire ceux qui sont représentés à l’assemblée à l’origine du référendum.
Aucune propagande sur des chaînes de télévision ou des stations de radio
n’est prévue sauf dans le cas des référendums institutionnels, et alors
seulement sur les chaînes et stations publiques locales.
Les seules restrictions réelles portent sur le calendrier du scrutin qui ne
peut intervenir en même temps qu’une élection au suffrage universel ou un
référendum national (cf. Article L.O. 1112-6 du code précité).
G - Les effets du référendum
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-G.
La loi dispose que :
« Le projet soumis à référendum local est adopté si la moitié au moins
des électeurs inscrits a pris part au scrutin et s'il réunit la majorité des
suffrages exprimés» (Article L.O. 1112-7 du code précité).
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant le référendum
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-H.
Réponse
positive des les mêmes cas de figure que ceux évoqués en I-H.
I - Règles particulières relatives à l’initiative populaire
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-I.
La loi en dispose ainsi :
« Dans une commune, un cinquième des électeurs inscrits sur les listes
électorales et, dans les autres collectivités territoriales, un dixième des
électeurs, peuvent demander à ce que soit inscrite à l'ordre du jour de
l'assemblée délibérante de la collectivité l'organisation d'une consultation
sur toute affaire relevant de la décision de cette assemblée. La décision
d'organiser la consultation appartient à l'assemblée délibérante de la
collectivité territoriale »
et
« L'assemblée délibérante de la collectivité territoriale arrête le
principe et les modalités d'organisation de la consultation. Sa délibération
indique expressément que cette consultation n'est qu'une demande d'avis »
(cf. Articles L. 1112-16 et L. 1112-17, dont la date d’entrée en vigueur est le
1er janvier 2005).
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
Répondre
aux mêmes questions que I-J, en distinguant le cas échéant le contrôle judiciaire
au niveau de l’Etat central et des entités fédérées/des régions.
Le contrôle
juridictionnel est exercé à divers stades par le juge administratif (a priori,
le tribunal administratif) avant l’organisation du référendum local dans les
conditions rappelées ci-dessus (cf. Article L.O. 1112-3 précité), puis dans le
cadre du contrôle de légalité.
Le tribunal
administratif intervient également en tant que juge de l’élection compétent
pour connaître de l’organisation du référendum local.
Dans le cas
d’un référendum institutionnel, bien qu’aucune disposition de nature
constitutionnelle ne le précise, le juge, tant de l’excès de pouvoir avant
l’organisation du référendum, que de l’élection pour l’organisation de ce même
référendum, est habituellement le Conseil d’Etat, statuant en premier et
dernier ressort.
En principe, les juridictions judiciaires
n’interviennent qu’exceptionnellement, par exemple en cas de commission d’un
délit (fraude électorale).
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Les référendums locaux ont-ils été nombreux?
2. A quel niveau? Etat fédéré? Province ou
département? Communes? Autres circonscriptions? Précisez quels types de
référendums ont été organisés.
On doit distinguer
plusieurs contextes.
Les référendums
institutionnels sont rarement intervenus, mais se sont récemment développés.,
Ils concernent pour l’essentiel l’outre-mer mais aussi la Corse. On en compte 9
depuis 1958, dont 5 en 2003. Dans cette dernière catégorie, on doit
mentionner la proportion inhabituelle de consultations conclues négativement (3
sur les 5 et les 3 concernant les populations les plus nombreuses).
Les référendums
consultatifs organisés dans le cadre de la loi du 6 février 1992 n’ont pas fait
l’objet d’un recensement systématique. Toutefois, les données statistiques
fournies au Parlement en 2003 font état d’une cinquantaine de consultations
organisées après les élections municipales de juin 1995 jusqu’à la fin 1999,
soit une moyenne de l’ordre de 2 par mois. Deux communes en ont organisé plus
d’un et deux opérations ont concerné plus d’une commune.
Les référendums
décisionnels prévus par la loi organique du 1er août 2003 sont
encore peu nombreux. Aucune statistique n’est disponible à cet effet, les
textes d’application venant d’être publiés récemment.
III -
Avenir du référendum
Une réforme du référendum est-elle en cours?
Le champ d’intervention
possible de la procédure de référendum national a été étendu en 1995 et le
référendum local généralisé en 2003.
Pour l’instant, personne
ne revendique d’extension supplémentaire et il est prématuré de répondre aux
questions qui suivent.
A noter qu’à l’issue du
référendum constitutionnel national de 2000 sur le quinquennat, le Conseil
constitutionnel a, dans son rapport, émis le vœu que les règles relatives à la
campagne et aux opération de vote, au lieu d’être fixées au coup par coup par
voie réglementaire, fassent désormais l’objet d’un cadre législatif pérenne.
Cette réforme pourrait voir prochainement le jour.
Voir aussi sur le site du Conseil constitutionnel :
Le
référendum sous la Vème République (1998)
http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/dossier/quarante/q20.htm
Le
référendum de 2000 sur le quinquennat
http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/dossier/referendum/index.htm
La
loi organique du 1er août 2003 sur le référendum local
http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2003/2003482/index.htm
La
consultation de la population de Mayotte (2000)
http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2000/2000428/index.htm
Les
référendums locaux consultatifs de la loi de 1992 (2000)
http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/decision/2000/2000428/consul.htm
Liste
des référendums nationaux organisés sous la Ve République
http://www.conseil-constitutionnel.fr/dossier/referendum/tableau.htm
GEORGIE / GEORGIA
I - National referendums
A.1. The Constitution of Georgia provides for
the right of citizens to participate in the referendum. In particular,
Under Article 5 para. 2 of the Constitution of Georgia:
“2. The people shall exercise their authority through referendum, other
forms of direct democracy and their representatives.”
Under Article 28 of the Constitution of Georgia:
“1. Every citizen of Georgia who has attained the age of 18 shall have
the right to participate in referendum or elections of state and
self-government bodies. Free expression of the will of electors shall be
guaranteed.
2. A citizen, who is recognised as legally incapable by a court or who
is detained in a penitentiary institution following a conviction by a court,
shall have no right to participate in elections and referendum.”
Under Article 74 of the Constitution of Georgia:
“1. At the request of the Parliament of Georgia, of not less than
200,000 electors or on his/her own initiative the President of Georgia shall
schedule a referendum concerning the issues determined by the Constitution and
the Organic Law within 30 days after receiving such a request.
2. The referendum shall not be held with the view of adopting or
repealing law, in terms of amnesty or pardon, ratification or denunciation of
international treaties and agreements, as well as the issues restricting the
basic constitutional rights and freedoms of individuals.
3. Issues related to the scheduling and holding referendum shall be
determined by the Organic Law.”
Under Article 89 para. 1. subparagraph d)
“The Constitutional Court of Georgia … shall
consider dispute on constitutionality of referenda and elections”…
A.2. In addition to the Constitutional
provisions. the issues related to a referendum are determined in detail by the
Organic Law of Georgia “On Referendum”. In particular, the matters to be solved
by means of a referendum are determined by Article 3 of the Organic Law, which
reads as follows:
1. A referendum may be held on issues having particular state importance,
including the issues and principles provided for in laws of Georgia,
international treaties and agreements.
2. It shall be inadmissible to hold a referendum:
a. with
the view of adopting or repealing a law;
b. on
the issues of amnesty and pardon;
c. on
ratification and denunciation of the international treaties and agreements;
d. on issues restricting fundamental constitutional rights and
freedoms of citizens.”
A referendum shall be a public opinion poll held by means of voting
related to the final resolution of issues having particular state importance. A
referendum shall be one of the forms of exercise of the people’s authority. A
referendum shall be held on the entire territory of Georgia. Referendum shall
be held on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.
Citizen shall participate in a referendum directly and personally. Each
participant of a referendum shall only have one vote. Participation in a
referendum shall be free, control over the expression of will by the citizens
shall be inadmissible. A referendum shall be prepared and held openly and
publicly.
B.1. There is no mandatory referendum
provision either in the Constitution or in the Organic Law.
B.2.a. The authorities can call a
referendum.
B.2.b. The President of Georgia is
entitled to call a referendum.
B.3.a. In accordance with paragraph 1 of
Article 74 of the Constitution and Article 4 para. 1 of the Organic Law,
“1. At the request… of not less than 200 000 electors … the President
of Georgia shall schedule a referendum concerning the issues determined by the
Constitution and the Organic Law within 30 days after receiving such a
request.”
Signatures shall be collected on the standard sheet established by the
central referendum commission with the agreement of the initiative group. No
more than 50 citizens shall sign sheet, who himself/herself shall write name,
surname, year of birth, number of an identity card, address and date of
signature. Each sheet with the above mentioned data shall be signed by a
responsible person of the collection of signatures indicating his/her address
and his/her signature shall be confirmed at the notary or the body of the local
self-government.
B.3.b.
The Constitution of Georgia determines the issues in terms of which a
referendum may not be held. In particular, under Article 3 para 2, a referendum
shall not be held with the view of adopting or repealing a law, in terms of
amnesty or pardon, ratification or denunciation of international treaties and
agreements, as well as the issues restricting the basic constitutional rights
and freedoms of individuals.
B.4.
A referendum shall be called by the President of Georgia. The decision
taken by the President does not need any approval. “1. At the request of the Parliament
of Georgia, not less than 200 000 electors or on his/her own initiative, the
President of Georgia shall schedule a referendum concerning the issues
determined by the Constitution and the Organic Law within 30 days after
receiving such a request.”
C.1 - Content
Article 3 of the Organic Law of Georgia on Referendum determines the
types of acts, which may be submitted for referendum, or not.
Referendum issues
1. A referendum may be held on issues having particular state
importance, including the issues and principles provided for in the Georgian
laws, international treaties and agreements.
2. It shall be inadmissible to hold a referendum:
a. with
the view of adopting or repealing a law;
b. on
the issues of amnesty and pardon;
c. on
ratification and denunciation of the international treaties and agreements;
d. on
issues restricting fundamental constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens.
C.2. There are no
special matters determined in express terms either by the Constitution or by
the Organic Law which would necessitate holding of a referendum automatically.
About the issues automatically excluded from referendums see above, inter alia,
C.1.
F.1 - Campaigning
In accordance with Article 7 of the Organic law on Referendum.
(Propaganda)
1. Citizens, political
parties, social communities of the citizens,
initiatory groups shall have the right to propagate without hindrance about
referendum and about the matter that was carried out at the referendum.
2. Members of the committee of the referendum shall have no
right to propagate about referendum and about the matter that was carried out
at the referendum.
3. Propagation
at the day when the referendum is to be held shall be prohibited.
F.2 - Funding
Article 6 of the Organic law (Material support of the referendum)
1. The material support of a referendum shall be carried out on
the expense of the state budget.
2. Local governmental bodies shall ensure preparation of the
buildings and materials necessary for the preparation and holding of a
referendum.
F.3 - Voting
a. Article 23 of the Organic Law
1. Voting shall be held
from 7 a.m. until 20 p.m. on the day of the referendum.
b. Under Article 8 of the Organic Law, it shall be impermissible
to enquire on people’s opinion on the day of the referendum until the end of
the ballot.
c. The Constitution of Georgia and the
Organic law determine the circle of participants of a referendum who shall have
the right and not the obligation to participate in the referendum regardless of
race, colour, language, sex, religion, political and other opinions, national,
ethnic and social belonging, origin, property and title, place of residence.
d. Article 27 of the Organic law states that
“The issue of referendum shall be deemed adopted if it is voted
positively by more than half of the total number of the participants of the
voting”.
G - Effects of referendum
Paragraph 2 of Article 28 of the Organic Law states that “A decision
adopted as a result of referendum shall come into force from the moment of its
promulgation and have a legal force. It shall be final. Results of referendum
shall have a direct effect”.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
Under Article 28 para. 3 of
the Organic Law, the legislature and the executive are obliged to bring the
legislation and other acts into compliance in the view of the results of the
referendum. Under para. 4 of the same Article 28 the decision adopted as a
result of the may only altered or repealed only by means of a referendum. The
results of the referendum may be declared to be null and void by the
Constitutional Court of Georgia in the proceedings established by law.
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
Article 10 of the Organic law
of Georgia on Referendum
(Initiative Group of Holding a
Referendum)
1. In case electorate is the initiator of holding a referendum, an
initiative group shall be created. The name and place of residence of each
member shall be defined in the list of the initiative group. Initiative group shall
definitely determine the issue of referendum.
2. The initiative group shall apply the central referendum commission
with a request to register the issue of referendum proposed by the initiative
group, definition of the issue shall be determined with the agreement of the
initiative group.
3. Central referendum commission shall register the issue of referendum
and the composition of the initiative group and promulgate the information
about this and address of the initiative group in the official gazette.
4. The issue proposed for referendum shall be included in the sheets of
signatures of electorate.
5. Certificate of registration shall be submitted to the initiative
group within a month from the request of registration. Registration shall be
rejected in case the requirements of this law are violated.
6. The initiative group shall be entitled to appeal to the Supreme
Court of Georgia within five days after the rejection of registration. This
latter shall consider the claim within five days and adopt a final judgment.
Article
11 of the Organic law
(Procedure
and Terms of the Collection of Signatures)
1. The initiative group shall begin the collection of signatures from
the day of obtaining the certificate of registration.
2. Signatures shall be collected on the standard sheet established by
the central referendum commission with the agreement of the initiative group.
No more than 50 citizens shall sign each sheet, who himself/herself shall write
name, surname, year of birth, number of an identity card, address and date of
signature. Each sheet with the above mentioned data shall be signed by a
responsible person of the collection of signatures indicating his/her address
and his/her signature shall be confirmed at the notary or the body of local self-government.
J - Judicial review
In accordance with Article 28 of the Organic law
“Decision adopted as a result of referendum shall be revised or
annulled only by referendum.
The Constitutional Court of Georgia shall be authorised to invalidate
the results of referendum in accordance with a procedure established by law”.
The issue of constitutionality of a
referendum shall be considered by the Plenum of the Constitutional Court. The
time-limit for the consideration of a constitutional claim concerning
constitutionality of scheduling a referendum shall not exceed fifteen days from
lodging the claim with the Constitutional Court. Upholding a constitutional claim concerning the issue shall result in prohibition
to hold the referendum on the issue submitted for referendum, cancellation of
the scheduled referendum, or obliging to hold a referendum.
The following shall
have the right to lodge a constitutional claim to the Constitutional Court
concerning constitutionality of holding a referendum:
a. not
less than one fifth of the members of the Parliament of Georgia, if the
President of Georgia on his/her own initiative or at the request of
constituents has called or notwithstanding the request of Parliament of Georgia
has not called a referendum;
b. the
Public Defender of Georgia, if notwithstanding the electors' request a
referendum is not called;
c. not
less than one fifth of the members of the Parliament of Georgia, the Public
Defender of Georgia, if they believe that the holding a referendum contradicts
the requirements of Article 74.2 of the Constitution of Georgia.
d. at least one fifth of the members of the
Parliament of Georgia, the President of Georgia, the Public Defender of
Georgia, if they believe that the referendum is held in violation of the
requirements laid down in the third paragraph of Article 74 of the Constitution
of Georgia.
To the cases, provided for in “a-c”
paragraphs the President of Georgia shall be the respondent, whereas in the
cases, provided for by paragraph “d” the Central Electoral Commission of
Georgia shall be the respondent.
In the cases, provided for by paragraphs
“a”-“c” the time-limit allowed for lodging a constitutional claim, shall not
exceed fifteen days from the expiry of the term established by the first paragraph
of Article 74 of the Constitution of Georgia (30 days), or from the date, on
which the referendum is scheduled, whereas in the cases, provided for by the
paragraph “d” the time-limit shall not exceed seven days from the promulgation
of the referendum results by the Central Electoral Commission.
II - Regional or local referendums
A referendum may only be held on the whole territory of Georgia.
HUNGARY / HONGRIE
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is provision made for referendums in the Constitution?
Articles 28/B-28/E Constitution provide for the national referendum and
the national
popular initiative as follows:
Article 28/B
1. The subject of national referenda or
popular initiatives may fall under the jurisdiction of the Parliament.
2. A majority of two-thirds of the votes of
the Members of Parliament present shall be required for the Parliament to pass
the law on national referenda and popular initiatives.
Article 28/C
1. A national referendum may be held for
reaching a decision or for an expression of opinion. Carrying out a national
referendum may be mandatory or may be the result of the consideration of a
matter.
2. A national referendum shall be held if
so initiated by at least 200,000 voting citizens.
3. If a national referendum is mandatory,
the result of the successfully held national referendum shall be binding for
the Parliament.
4. Based on its consideration, the
Parliament may order a national referendum upon the initiative by the President
of the Republic, the Government, by one-third of Members of the Parliament or
by 100,000 voting citizens.
5. National referendum may not be held on
the following subjects:
a. on
laws on the central budget, the execution of the central budget, taxes to the
central government and duties, customs tariffs, and on the central government
conditions for local taxes,
b. obligations
set forth in valid international treaties and on the contents of laws
prescribing such obligations,
c. the
provisions of the Constitution on national referenda and popular initiatives,
d. personnel
and restructuring (reorganization, termination) matters falling under
Parliamentary jurisdiction,
e. dissolution of the Parliament,
f. the Government's program,
g. declaration of a state of war, a state
of emergency or a state of national crisis,
h. use of the Armed Forces abroad or
within the country,
i. dissolution of the representative body
of local governments,
j. amnesty.
6. A national ratification referendum
shall be considered successful if more than half of the votes of the citizens
voting are valid, but at least more than one-quarter of all eligible voters
have given the same answer in the referendum.
Article 28/D
At least 50,000 voting
citizens are required for a national popular initiative. A national popular
initiative may be for the purpose of forcing the Parliament to place a subject
under its jurisdiction on the agenda. The Parliament shall debate the subject
defined by the national popular initiative.
Article 28/E
In order to call a
national referendum, signatures may be collected for a period of four months in
the case of a civic initiative, and for a period of two months in the case of a
national popular initiative.
According to
Article 26(6)(6) The President of the
Republic shall ratify the law subject to national referendum if such law is
confirmed by the national referendum.
Article
30/A(1)(d) provides that The
President of the Republic shall announce general parliamentary or local
government elections, and the date of the national referendum.
Article 70
declares that
1. All adult Hungarian citizens residing
in the territory of the Republic of Hungary have the right to be elected and
the right to vote in Parliamentary elections, local government elections or
minority self-government elections, provided that they are present in the
country on the day of the election or referendum, and furthermore to
participate in national or local referenda or popular initiatives.
2. Persons residing in the territory of
the Republic of Hungary as immigrants who do not have Hungarian citizenship
also have the right to vote in local government elections of representatives
and the Mayor, as well as the right to participate in local referenda and
popular initiatives, in accordance with the regulations of a separate law,
provided that they are present in the country on the day of the election or
referendum.
The basis of all provisions on the referendum is Article 2(2): In the
Republic of Hungary all power is vested in the people, who exercise their
sovereignty through elected representatives and directly.
2. If not, does the law provide for the use of referendums? On
what matters?
The substantial norms on national referendum are included into Act
III/1998 on national referendum and popular initiative; the procedure is
regulated in Act C/1997 on the electoral procedure.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by
the Constitution in that it provides that certain texts are automatically
submitted to referendum before or after their adoption by Parliament?
There is no mandatory subject for referendum in Hungarian law.
2. Referendums called by an authority
a. Can referendums be called by an
authority?
Yes, see b.
b. If so, who may
call a referendum? The Head of State, the Government, Parliament, a given
number of members of Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
The President of the
Republic, the Government, one-third of the Members of Parliament may call for a
facultative (= depending on the consideration of the Parliament) referendum.
3. Referendums held at the request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified
number of members of the electorate call for a referendum? If so, what
percentage of the electorate is required for the proposal to be valid? How are
voters’ signatures checked?
100.000 voting citizen
may call for a facultative referendum. On the initiative of at least 200.000
voting citizen the referendum must be held.
The signatures are checked by the National Board for Elections.
Statistical and mathematical methods are used, on the basis of the central data
bank of personal data and addresses. A representative of the initiator for the
referendum may be present.
b. Can a request
for a referendum relate to a text already adopted by Parliament? Can a new
text be put forward by popular initiative?
Both are possible.
A law already adopted by Parliament but not yet signed by the President
of the Republic can be submitted to a referendum. The President shall only sign
the law if it was confirmed by the referendum. An amendment to the Constitution
adopted by the Parliament can be confirmed by referendum. Such referenda are
always decision-making ones, that is binding on the authorities.
Any new text can be submitted to a referendum.
4. Procedures involving more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a
text to popular vote have the approval of more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is
instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of the Government or of one or
both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of State or the head of the
Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested
by part of the electorate, does Parliament - or do a number of members of
Parliament - have to agree?
If the referendum is initiated by the President of the Republic, the
Government, one-third of the MPs, or more than 100.000, but less than 200.000
voting citizens, the Parliament decides freely whether the referendum will be
held or not.
If the referendum is initiated by more than 200.000 voting citizens,
the Parliament shall order that the referendum be held.
Note: The right of the Parliament to approve (or reject) the referendum
applies only to questions, the text of which had previously been examined and
approved (in the wording of the law “verified”) by the National Board for
Elections.
Can a referendum be based on a
popular initiative putting forward an alternative proposal to the one before
Parliament?
Such a concurrence between initiatives is only permissible until the
point in time, when the National Board for Elections - in the case of an
initiative from the electorate - verifies the sheet for collecting signatures
that includes also the question to be answered, or - in case of calling for a
referendum by the President of the Republic, the Government or one-third of the
MPs - verifies the question. No new initiative is possible on the same subject
until the referendum was held, or the Parliament refuses the initiative, or the
period of time open for submitting the signatures has been passed.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose
the holding of a referendum by adopting a counterproposal on the same matter?
If so, what is the time limit for doing so? If so, is a special majority required?
- Can it submit a
counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as the first proposal?
See the answer to the previous question.
- Is it entitled only to give
its opinion?
There is no such possibility.
- Is there a time limit for
Parliament to give its opinion, and if the time limit is exceeded what are the
consequences?---
- If the referendum is on a
question of principle/a generally-worded proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see
following paragraph), is Parliament required to adopt a (new) piece of
legislation?
Yes, it is required to do so.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted to referendum
Are referendums held only on
proposals for constitutional amendments?
According to the standard jurisdiction of the Constitutional Court no
referendum can be initiated on and held for the amendment of the Constitution.
Even a “hidden amendment” is not permissible (when the question submitted to
referendum is not directed to amend the text of the Constitution but would
result in the amendment of the content of a constitutional provision). Only an
amendment to the Constitution already adopted by the Parliament may be endorsed
by referendum.
Is a referendum mandatory
in the case of a constitutional amendment?
On what other types of measure
can a referendum be called? In particular, is referendum necessary or possible
for accession to the European Union or international organisations?
Any question falling within the competence of the Parliament may be the
subject of a national referendum. There are no obligatory or “recommended”
matters. The referenda on the accession to the NATO and the European Union were
held on the discretion of the Parliament.
2. Matters to which referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved
for particular matters? Are certain matters automatically put to a
referendum or excluded from referendums?
See previous answer.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
The Law on Referendum requires only that the “concrete question
submitted to the referendum” shall be worded in that manner that an unambiguous
answer can be given to it. In the praxis all the questions has been formulated
as a yes or no question. (“Are you in favour…”)
Even yes or not questions may include the exact wording of a proposed
legislation. Question of principle or - as in most cases - a generally-worded
proposal is also possible. The Constitutional Court ruled that the use of exact
legal terms in the question was not required.
However, the Constitutional Court requires that the question be
formulated in a way that on the ground of the result of the referendum the
Parliament can decide whether it has the duty to pass a law, and with which
content.
2. Do questions submitted to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a
specifically-worded draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal or a
question of principle must not be combined in the same question);
Although there is no
special rule on this question, from the other rules it follows that the unity
of form is required.
b. unity of content
(except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or another piece of
legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the various parts of
each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the
voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole provisions without an
intrinsic link);
According to the
Constitutional Court it is not contrary to the unambigousity requirement, if
the question is composed of more subclauses. But if the subclauses are
contradictory, if their relationship is not clear or one of them does not
follow from the other, or if they are not connected by the same content, the
question violates the right to vote.
c. unity of rank: the
question must not relate simultaneously to the Constitution and subordinate
legislation.
There is no such express
requirement but considering the very limited possibility to vote on the
Constitution (see C.1. above) for practical reasons the unity of rank will
prevail.
d. Does the vote have to be on a single
question or can it be on several different ones?
It is permitted to put to
the vote more than one question on the same occasion/sheet provided that each
question can be answered separately.
e. Does the question (or do the questions)
have to be clear and suggestion-free?
For clarity see above. There is no special rule on being
suggestion-free, but on from the other rules this follows.
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
Is a
referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some
of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some
of its rules;
- to other overriding legal
rules?
Article 28/C(5) Constitution - that was incorporated into the
Constitution 1997 - lists the subjects on which no referendum may be held (see
above). The Constitution gives no authorisation to the legislator to add
further subjects to this list. The exclusiveness of prohibited subjects in Art
28/C(5) Constitution was reinforced also by the Constitutional Court.
Nevertheless the Constitutional Court upheld its former jurisdiction also after
1997, that the Constitution may not be amended by the way of a referendum
initiated by voters.
Article 28/C(5)(b) provides that no referendum may be held on the
obligations arising from international treaties in force and on the content of
the laws containing these obligations. The Constitutional Court interpreted the
notion of “obligations” extensively.
On the other hand the Court held that if the question submitted to
referendum is related to a prohibited subject only remotely and indirectly, the
referendum may be held.
F - Campaigning, funding
and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the
authorities required to provide objective information, for example by sending
the text and an explanatory document to voters?
There is no such
obligation.
b. If an explanatory
document is provided, who draws it up? Can political parties take part in
drafting it? Does the explanatory document have to provide a balanced
presentation of the authorities’ views and their opponents’ views?
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
There is no provision on this subject.
Only the Law on Electoral Procedure contains some rules, which keep the
buildings of State and local authorities outside the campaign. The campaign
rules applies both for elections and referenda, although they are fashioned for
the elections. Any restriction on campaigning would contradict to the rule that
the Head of State, the Parliament, the Government are entitled to initiate a
referendum. For instance The Government campaigned intensively in favour of the
accession to the NATO and the EU. The respective referenda were initiated by
them.
d. Are the public
media required to allocate equal time to supporters and opponents of the
text?
The Law on Electoral
Procedure provides that all electoral candidates and their nominating
organisations shall given equal opportunity to publish political
advertisements. This shall apply to the referenda as well.
e. What about the
private media? Are financial or other conditions for radio and television
advertising the same for supporters and opponents?
2. Funding
a. Is use of public
funds to campaign for or against a proposal submitted to referendum allowed? To
what extent? Is it prohibited in the period immediately preceding the vote?
b. Is
privately-funded collection of signatures for popular initiatives allowed, and
if so on what conditions?
The Law on Electoral
procedure contains detailed rules on funding elections, but these rules are -
differently from the rules of campaigning - not common provisions. So there are
no rules on funding the campaign for referenda.
3. Voting
a. Does voting take place on one day or
over a number of days?
The voting is held on one day. This day may not be a national holiday,
a public holiday and the days before and following them.
b. If there is a
large time-lag between different voting centres, is it possible for the
results from some of them to be known before voting closes in other centres?
--
c. Is it compulsory for all voters to
cast a vote?
Not.
d. Quorum: For the
result of the referendum to be valid, is it necessary for it to have won a
given percentage of registered voters? Or is a minimum turnout required?
Concerning the
decision-making obligatory referendum there is no separate validity quorum.
Article 28/C(6) Constitution provides only for the criteria of success of the
referendum. The referendum is successful if more than half on the voters voting
validly and at least more than the one quarter of all persons having the right
to vote have given the same answer to the question put.
G - Effects of
referendums
1. What are the
effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked for an
opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding referendum)?
The referendum may be either consultative or binding, according to the
decision of the Parliament. The referendum on a law already adopted by the
Parliament but not yet signed by the President of the Republic shall be
binding. The referendum on the initiative of at least 200.000 voting citizens
is always binding.
2. Does the referendum make it necessary to take other
decisions (see item B.5) ?
See there.
3. Where
a referendum deals with a text that has already been adopted by an authority,
is that referendum:
-
suspensive: the text may not enter into force unless it has been approved by
the electors or unless a request to hold a referendum has not been made within
the time-limit established by the Constitution or by law;
-
resolutory: the text ceases to be in force following a "no" vote or
failure to secure a "yes" vote within a certain time-limit after its
adoption; or
-
abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum leads to the repeal of a provision
in force?
The effect is abrogative.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
1. Can a provision
agreed to or rejected in a referendum be revised or adopted by a procedure
which does not allow a referendum?
A previous regulation, according to which within two years no
referendum was possible on the same question, and the law approved by
referendum might not be amended within two years, was revoked 1998. At the time
being there are no limits relating to the revision of provisions based on a
referendum.
2. Can a
constitutional or legislative provision which allows referendums be revised by
a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. What is the time-limit for collecting signatures?
In the case of a national referendum four months. On the day of the general
elections for the Parliament and for the locals governments, and in a period of
time of 41 days before and after that day the collection of signatures is
prohibited. The running of the four months collecting time is suspended during
that period.
2. Who is entitled to collect signatures?
Everybody.
3. How are signatures checked?
See B.3. above.
4. Is there an
authority which has the power to correct irregularities resulting from the
content of the question? (Examples: problems of formal validity, obscure,
misleading or suggestion-making questions)
There is no possibility for correction. If the National Board for
Elections refuses verify the question, or the Constitutional Court repeals the
verification by the Board (see J supra), a new question may be presented. The
decision of the Board or the Court may of course give directions as to how to
formulate a valid question.
J -
Judicial review
1. Is it possible to
appeal to a court against a decision to hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is
there automatic judicial review? Is judicial review concerned in particular
with the outcome of popular initiatives?
There are two different appeals concerning holding a referendum.
Against the decision of the National Board for Elections on verifying the question
to be submitted to a referendum anybody can file an appeal with the
Constitutional Court within 15 days. That is both the verification and the
refusal of the verification of the question may be challenged. The
Constitutional Court approves or repeals the decision of the Board. In the
second case the Board has to initiate a new procedure.
If the question has been verified, the Parliament orders to hold a
referendum, or refuses the holding of an obligatory referendum. Both decisions
can be challenged before the Constitutional Court within 8 days.
As to the results of the referendum, decisions of the returning board
may be objected to before the local electoral committee. Decisions of the
electoral committee are subject to the review by the ordinary judiciary - by
the county courts.
2. If judicial review
exists, under what circumstances may the court rule against the holding of a
referendum (failure to respect unity of form or content, unclear questions,
etc.)?
Any formal or substantial deficiency may lead to a ruling against the
referendum.
3. Are the results of referendums subject to judicial review?
See 1. above.
4. Who may lodge an appeal?
Anybody. See 1. above.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many
referendums have been held since the country has had a Constitution?
Specify what type of referendums were held (see above I.C)?
Since 1989 four referenda have been held: two decisive and two
consultative ones. One of the decisive referenda (in 1990) was aimed at the
amendment of the Constitution (election of the President by the population), the two
consultative referenda were held on the access to the NATO and the EU.
In 16 cases the initiative was refused by the National Board for
Elections or the Parliament (in most of the cases following the review by the
Constitutional Court.
2. On whose initiative has each referendum been held?
The two decisive referenda were initiated be political parties, the
consultative ones by the Government.
3. Have any referendums been invalid because of a low
turnout?
One (that is referred to under 1. above).
4. In how many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
Three.
5. In how many referendums has the electorate voted no?
One.
6. Can any of the results be largely accounted for by factors
unrelated to the question?
Not.
7. Can any of the
positive results be accounted for by the popularity of the person putting the
question?
Not.
8. Can any of the
negative results be accounted for by an unpopular government? Or by general
discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the issues at stake?
Not.
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is there provision in the national Constitution for local
referendums?
Article 44(1) Voters exercise local government through the representative
body elected by them and by the way of local referendum.
2. If there are no constitutional provisions, does national
law allow local referendums?
Detailed rules on the local referendum are included in the Law on Local
Governments,
and in the Law on Electoral Procedure.
3. Have the federate,
regional, autonomous or other types of body adopted provisions for holding
referendums?
The Law on Local Governments provides only for the basic rules. All
details are left for decrees of the local government. The local decree may
regulate such important questions as the quorum for initiative by local voters,
or the determination of subjects on which holding a local referendum is
obligatory.
4. On what matters is it possible to call a referendum?
In all matters within the competence of the local representative body
[local council], further in order to approve a local decree. In matters related
to the merger of municipalities or a secession, changing the county the
municipality is belonging to, founding a new municipality, it is obligatory to
hold a referendum. Local decree may determine further subjects for obligatory
referendum.
A1 -
At what level?
1. Federate states?
----
2. Provinces? Regions?
----
3. Lower levels? Districts?
Yes, counties.
4. Municipalities?
Yes, also municipalities. Until now all local referenda took place at
the level of the municipalities.
5. On what matters?
Overwhelming majority of local referenda concerns dissolution of
mergers of municipalities and restoration of the independent entity of a
municipality. (Mergers had been forced by the socialist regime.)
6. May national or federal authorities intervene, and in what
conditions?
Not.
B -
What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to
the same questions as in I-B (stating in particular which federate, regional or
local authorities can intervene).
The question shall be verified by the Head of the Local Bureau for
Elections (in case of a referendum on county level by the Head of the County
Bureau). Judicial review is possible.
The second decision lies with the local representative body. If the
number of valid signatures is under the limit determined by local decree, the
mayor refuses the initiative. If the referendum was initiated by local
representatives or a committee of the local representative body, the body
decides whether the referendum be held. On the request of a sufficient number
of voters, and on subjects determined by law or local decree (see A-4) the
referendum must be held.
For subjects for a mandatory referendum see A-4 above.
A referendum can be held for approval of a local decree.
A referendum may be called for by one-quarter of the representatives of
the local representative body or a commission thereof; the steering body of a
local association.
A local decree shall determine the number of local voters on the
request on which a local referendum must be held (obligatory). This number
shall be more than 10% of the voters, and must not be more that 25% of them.
C -
Content
Reply to the same questions as
in I-C.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be
held on a proposal to secede from the State?
Not.
- Can it relate to
geographical boundaries?
Yes. Municipalities on the border of two counties can vote for changing
the county they belong to.
- Are any other subjects
permitted?
The prohibited subjects are determined by law. They are: the budget of
the municipality, local taxes, organisational and personal matters of local
authorities; dissolution of the local representative body.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as
in I-D. The same as in I-D.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as
in I-E (particularly the question of conformity with central-government rules).
The question shall be within the powers of the local representative
body.
F
- Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as
in I-F.
The general rules apply.
G
- Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as
in I-G.
The result of the local referendum is always binding on the local
representative body. Within one year no referendum may be held on the same
question, even in the case not, when the referendum was unsuccessful.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
If the referendum was unsuccessful the local representative body can
decide on the subject freely.
Reply to the same questions as
in I-H.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply to the same questions as
in I-I.
For collecting signatures a one-month period is open. Anybody is
entitled for collecting the signatures. The signatures will be checked by the
Local Committee for Elections (in the case of referendum on county level the
Count Committee).
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as
in I-J, making the appropriate distinction between judicial review at
central-government level and at federate or regional level.
Against the decision of the Head of the Local Bureau for Elections on
the verification of the question; further against the decision of the local
representative body on ordering, or on refusing the referendum on an obligatory
matter, an appeal to the local court (in county matters to the county court) is
possible. All other rules are as in the national referendum.
K
- Experiences of referendums
1. Have there been many local referendums?
2.
If so, at what level?
Federate level? Provinces or districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify what
type of referendums were held.
Local referendums have been frequently held. Typical matter is the
dissolution of mergers of municipalities. In the last years many referenda has
been initiated by voters and also held in environmental protection matters,
namely against iussing a settling permission to polluting or hazardous
industry.
III - The future of referendums
1. Is
the referendum system currently being reformed?
Not.
2. If
so, for what reason?
3. If
so, what is the general tendency of this reform?
IRLANDE / IRELAND
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is provision made for referendums in the Constitution?
Yes. Provision is
made in the Constitution for (i) constitutional referendums, in which any
proposal to amend the Constitution must be ratified by the people in a
plebiscite, and for (ii) ordinary referendums, in which under certain
circumstances, especially important legislation may be referred by the
president to the people for approval. The Constitution provides that, the
holding of referendums shall be regulated by ordinary legislation subject to
the specific constitutional requirements as regards referendum procedure and
the majority needed for the referendum to be deemed passed (Referendum Acts,
1994-2001).
2. If not, does the law provide for the use of referendums? On
what matters?
The holding of
referendums is regulated by ordinary legislation subject to the mandatory
requirements of the Constitution.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required by
the Constitution in that it provides that certain texts are automatically
submitted to referendum before or after their adoption by Parliament?
Referendum to amend
the Constitution
Article 46 of the
Constitution provides that any proposed amendment of the Constitution must be
first enacted by both houses of parliament in the form of ‘An Act to amend the
Constitution’, and then submitted by referendum to the people for their
approval. Proposed amendments of the Constitution are the only texts that are
automatically submitted to referendum on their adoption by Parliament.
Article 46 of the
Constitution states as follows:
1.
Any provision of this Constitution may be amended, whether by way of variation,
addition, or repeal, in the manner provided by this Article.
2.
Every proposal for an amendment of this Constitution shall be initiated in Dáil
Éireann [lower house of parliament] as a Bill, and shall upon having been
passed or deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas [Parliament],
be submitted by Referendum to the decision of the people in accordance with the
law for the time being in force relating to the Referendum.
3. Every
such Bill shall be expressed to be "An Act to amend the
Constitution".
4.
A Bill containing a proposal or proposals for the amendment of this
Constitution shall not contain any other proposal.
5.
A Bill containing a proposal for the amendment of this Constitution shall be
signed by the President forthwith upon his being satisfied that the provisions
of this Article have been complied with in respect thereof and that such
proposal has been duly approved by the people in accordance with the provisions
of section 1 of Article 47 of this Constitution and shall be duly promulgated
by the President as a law.
2. Referendums called by an authority
a. Can referendums be called by an
authority?
Yes, by Parliament.
b. If so, who may
call a referendum? The Head of State, the Government, Parliament, a given
number of members of Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
Parliament makes the proposal in respect of a bill to amend the
Constitution. In respect of other bills, a majority of the Seanad together with
one third of the Dáil may petition the president to decline to sign a bill into
law on the ground that the will of the people ought to be ascertained (Article
27).
Apart from the procedure prescribed for a referendum to amend the Constitution,
this is the only procedure for the calling of a referendum prescribed by the
Constitution. The Referendum Acts 1994 to 2001 do not rule out the holding of
referendums for other reasons, but they make no provision for such referendums.
While the Constitution does not rule out further scenarios in which referendums
might be held, legislation to regulate such referendums would be required
before they could be held.
Article 27 of the
Constitution states as follows:
This Article applies to any Bill, other than a Bill expressed to be a
Bill containing a proposal for the amendment of this Constitution, which shall
have been deemed… to have been passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
1. A majority of the members of Seanad Éireann and not less
than one-third of the members of Dáil Éireann may by a joint petition addressed
to the President by them under this Article request the President to decline to
sign and promulgate as a law any Bill to which this Article applies on the
ground that the Bill contains a proposal of such national importance that the
will of the people thereon ought to be ascertained.
2. Every such petition shall be in writing and shall be signed
by the petitioners whose signatures shall be verified in the manner prescribed
by law.
3. Every such petition shall contain a
statement of the particular ground or grounds on which the request is based,
and shall be presented to the President not later than four days after the date
on which the Bill shall have been deemed to have been passed by both Houses of
the Oireachtas.
…
4. Upon receipt of a
petition addressed to him under this Article, the President shall forthwith
consider such petition and shall, after consultation with the Council of State,
pronounce his decision thereon not later than ten days after the date on which
the Bill to which such petition relates shall have been deemed to have been passed
by both Houses of the Oireachtas.
5. 1° In every case in
which the President decides that a Bill the subject of a petition under this
Article contains a proposal of such national importance that the will of the
people thereon ought to be ascertained, he shall inform the Taoiseach [Prime
Minister] and the Chairman of each House of the Oireachtas accordingly in
writing under his hand and Seal and shall decline to sign and promulgate such
Bill as a law unless and until the proposal shall have been approved either
i. by the people at a Referendum in accordance with the
provisions of section 2 of Article 47 of this Constitution within a period of
eighteen months from the date of the President’s decision, or
ii. by a resolution of Dáil Éireann passed within the said
period after a dissolution and re-assembly of Dáil Éireann.
2° Whenever a proposal contained in a Bill the subject of
a petition under this Article shall have been approved either by the people or
by a resolution of Dáil Éireann in accordance with the foregoing provisions of
this section, such Bill shall as soon as may be after such approval be
presented to the President for his signature and promulgation by him as a law
and the President shall thereupon sign the Bill and duly promulgate it as a
law.
6. In every case in which the President decides that a Bill the
subject of a petition under this Article does not contain a proposal of such
national importance that the will of the people thereon ought to be
ascertained, he shall inform the Taoiseach and the Chairman of each House of
the Oireachtas accordingly in writing under his hand and Seal, and such Bill
shall be signed by the President not later than eleven days after the date on
which the Bill shall have been deemed to have been passed by both Houses of the
Oireachtas and shall be duly promulgated by him as a law.
3. Referendums held at the request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified
number of members of the electorate call for a referendum? If so, what
percentage of the electorate is required for the proposal to be valid? How are
voters’ signatures checked?
No.
b. Can a request
for a referendum relate to a text already adopted by Parliament? Can a new
text be put forward by popular initiative?
No.
4. Procedures involving more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a
text to popular vote have the approval of more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is
instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of the Government or of one or
both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of State or the head of the
Government reject the proposal?
See Article 27
above. The decision to submit a bill passed by both houses of parliament to a
popular vote must have the approval of a majority of the members of the upper
house, and of not less than one-third of the members of the lower house. The
President may also decline to sign the bill on the ground that the will of the
people therein ought to be ascertained, at which point a referendum may be
held. Alternatively, the president may reject the petition to put the bill
before the people in a referendum, and may choose instead to sign it into law.
There is no procedure in existence whereby a part of the electorate may request
a referendum. They may of course do so via their representatives in parliament,
e.g. by petitioning them to instigate the above procedure.
There is no procedure for a referendum based on a popular initiative putting
forward an alternative proposal to the one before Parliament.
If the referendum is requested
by part of the electorate, does Parliament - or do a number of members of
Parliament - have to agree?
Not applicable.
Can a referendum be based on a
popular initiative putting forward an alternative proposal to the one before
Parliament?
Not applicable.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose
the holding of a referendum by adopting a counterproposal on the same matter?
If so, what is the time limit for doing so? If so, is a special majority
required?
- Can it submit a
counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as the first proposal?
- Is it entitled only to give
its opinion?
- Is there a time limit for
Parliament to give its opinion, and if the time limit is exceeded what are the
consequences?
- If the referendum is on a
question of principle/a generally-worded proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see
following paragraph), is Parliament required to adopt a (new) piece of
legislation?
After
a dissolution and re-assembly of that house, a new Dáil may by a majority of
its members, approve by resolution a bill that the president has refused to
sign under the provisions of Article 27 discussed above, within a period of
eighteen months from the date of the President’s decision not to sign the Bill
into law. A special majority is not required.
More than one proposal may be laid before the people simultaneously. A majority
in parliament is required to place a constitutional amendment before the
people. In practice, no referendum could be put to the people without the
support of the Government and such a scenario involving a parliamentary
counterproposal is impossible.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted to referendum
Are referendums held only on
proposals for constitutional amendments?
Is a referendum mandatory
in the case of a constitutional amendment?
On what other types of measure
can a referendum be called? In particular, is referendum necessary or possible
for accession to the European Union or international organisations?
Referendums must be
held on proposals for constitutional amendments (Article 46). Referendums may
also be held on Bills of particular national importance when the requisite
proportions of both houses of the parliament, and the president, agree that
they should. A
A Referendum was
necessary for Ireland’s accession to the European Union. Where it would amend
the Constitution, a referendum is necessary to allow the government to ratify
any further European treaty which extends or alters the essential scope or
objectives of what earlier treaties have provided. See Crotty -v- An Taoiseach
[1987] IR 713. These referendums take the form of amendments to the
Constitution in that they give rise to alterations in Irish sovereignty which
are otherwise contrary to it. So all amendments to the Treaties have been put
to referendum other than those providing for the accession of new Member
States.
Constitutional amendments and consequential referendums are also necessary when
the State signs an international agreement that involves any alteration of the
extent of Irish sovereignty e.g. 23rd Amendment to allow Ireland to
ratify the Rome Statute of the International Court of Justice.
2. Matters to which referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved
for particular matters? Are certain matters automatically put to a
referendum or excluded from referendums?
See answer to C-1 above.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the Constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
In
the case of a constitutional amendment the text submitted to referendum must
take the form of a specifically worded draft of a constitutional amendment
which has been approved in the form of an Act to Amend the Constitution by both
houses of parliament. In the case of a referendum to approve or veto a particular
Bill, the proposal is the legislative enactment which has been passed by both
houses of parliament.
2. Do questions submitted to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a
specifically-worded draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal or a question
of principle must not be combined in the same question);
b. unity of content
(except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or another piece of
legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the various parts of
each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the
voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole provisions without an
intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the
question must not relate simultaneously to the Constitution and subordinate
legislation.
d. Does the vote have
to be on a single question or can it be on several different ones?
e. Does the question (or do the questions)
have to be clear and suggestion-free?
Questions submitted
to a referendum on a proposal for a constitutional amendment must take the form
of a specifically worded draft of a constitutional amendment which has been
approved in the form of an Act to Amend the Constitution by both houses of
parliament. Furthermore, a “Bill containing a proposal or proposals for the
amendment of the Constitution shall not contain any other proposal.” (Article
46.4.) This has been interpreted by the courts to mean that such a bill may not
contain another legislative proposal such as might be found in an ordinary
referendum, but that it does not mean that it may not contain multiple related
constitutional amendments. In fact the 19th amendment of the
Constitution contained three distinct proposals; it allowed the government to
ratify the Belfast Agreement (between the governments of Ireland and the United
Kingdom), and to amend Articles 2 and 3 of the Constitution. Separate proposals
to amend the Constitution may be put before the people on the same day.
It may be stated therefore that in Ireland, questions submitted to referendum
have to respect unity of form and unity of rank. Due regard being had to those
conditions, the vote may be on more than one question. (Also as noted above,
more than one referendum may be put to the people simultaneously.)
The question is always whether the voter
approves or disapproves of a piece of legislation or a specific amendment;
therefore they are by definition clear and suggestion free. There is no
requirement as to the content of the legislation or the specific amendments.
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
Is a
referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some
of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some
of its rules;
- to other overriding legal
rules.
There are no
substantive limits over what may be put to the people in a referendum to amend
the Constitution. Legislation put to the people in an ordinary referendum, like
all legislation, must comply with the provisions of the Constitution and
relevant provisions of European Union law. There was speculation that the
Constitution could not be amended contrary to natural law, but this was
rejected by the Supreme court in Re Article 26 and the Information (Termination
of Pregnancies) Bill 1995 [1995] 1 IR 1 at page 34 in which it was stated that
“[the] People were entitled to amend the Constitution in accordance with the
provisions of Article 46…and the Constitution as so amended… is the fundamental
and supreme law of the State representing as it does the will of the People”.
F - Campaigning, funding
and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the
authorities required to provide objective information, for example by sending
the text and an explanatory document to voters?
Copies of a Bill
containing the proposal which is the subject of the referendum are required to
be made available for inspection and purchase at post offices during the period
commencing on the fifth day after the date of the order appointing the polling
day and ending on the polling day. (Referendum Act, 1994 Section 22.)
If it is so prescribed by a resolution of each of the houses of
parliament, a statement in relation to the referendum proposal may be produced.
Where such a statement is produced, polling information cards contain a copy of
the statement copies of the statement are sent to every registered voter and or
the special voters list; copies of the statement are displayed in and around
the polling stations. (Referendum Act, 1994 Section 23.)
b. If an explanatory
document is provided, who draws it up? Can political parties take part in
drafting it? Does the explanatory document have to provide a balanced
presentation of the authorities’ views and their opponents’ views?
The
explanatory statement is prescribed by a resolution of both houses of
parliament. While the relevant legislative provisions are silent as to whether
or not the statement must be impartial, and as to whether or not political
parties not in government have a right to contribute, after the decision of the
Supreme Court in McKenna v An Taoiseach (No. 2) [1995] 2 IR 10 the government
are obliged not to spend public money with the aim of procuring a particular
result in a referendum. This would logically extend to a duty to prepare
information leaflets that are impartial, though it would not appear to extend
to a duty to include all political parties in the drafting of such information
leaflets. In McKenna, the Court stressed that the Government had interfered
without justification in the referendum process and had thereby breached the
principals of fair procedures and equality. The constitutional impropriety lay
in the Government’s expenditure of public funds on a campaign to influence the
voters in favour of the proposed amendment and not in advocating or campaigning
for the proposed amendment. Political parties remain free to expend their own
resources by campaigning for whatever result they deem appropriate.
A Referendum Commission was established by the Referendum Act 2001. It
is independent in the performance of its functions. Section 3(1) provides that
the Commission’s principal functions are to prepare:
‘a. a statement or statements containing a general explanation of
the subject matter of the proposal and of the text thereof in the relevant Bill
and any other information relating to those matters that the Commission
considers appropriate;
a. to publish and distribute such statements in such manner and
by such means including the use of television, radio and other electronic media
as the Commission considers most likely to bring them to the attention of the
electorate and to ensure as far as practicable that the means employed enable
those with a sight or hearing disability to read or hear the statements
concerned;
b. to promote public awareness of the referendum and encourage
the electorate to vote at the poll.
The Commission is further empowered to prepare, publish and distribute
‘brochures, leaflets pamphlets and posters’ and to distribute these to each
household.
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
Campaigning
for or against the referendum text is not restricted to political parties. Any
private party may campaign for a particular result. Public authorities,
following the McKenna decision are not allowed to spend public money
campaigning for a particular result. Officials of public authorities may
express views as to the result they feel is desirable, and may use some of the
incidents of office (i.e. in the case of a Minister, the ministerial car) in
the course of campaigning in their private capacity as members of a particular
party for a particular result.
d. Are the public
media required to allocate equal time to supporters and opponents of the
text?
Although there is no
legislative requirement for the publicly owned media to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the referendum text, since the Supreme Court
decision in Coughlan v Broadcasting Complaints Commission [2000] 3 IR 1, such
public broadcasters are under an obligation to uphold the democratic values of
the Constitution and to be fair to all interests concerned when allocating air
time to opponents and proponents of particular referendums.
e. What about the
private media? Are financial or other conditions for radio and television
advertising the same for supporters and opponents?
The decision in
Coughlan indicates that by virtue of the Radio and Television Act 1988,
independent broadcasters are under similar duties those which the national
broadcasters labour under. It is also illegal to run advertisements in the
broadcast media for political or religious ends; party political broadcasts are
excluded from this provision, as are advertisements taken out by the publicly funded
statutorily independent Referendum Commission, whose mission is to inform the
public on the merits of each side in any given referendum as it sees fit. There
are no restrictions on the political content of the print media. The only
restriction on political advertisements is that, at election time
(parliamentary, local, presidential and European) the newspaper can only accept
advertisements from national agents of political parties, candidates’ election
agents, or some person authorised in writing by them. There are no such similar
restrictions governing advertisements at referendum times. It is an open
question as to whether advertisements from political parties advocating one
side or another in a referendum would fall under the restrictions imposed on political
advertising in newspapers due to their advocacy of policies of the parties in
question. All the conditions discussed above apply equally to supporters and
opponents of referenda.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public
funds to campaign for or against a proposal submitted to referendum allowed? To
what extent? Is it prohibited in the period immediately preceding the vote?
The
use of public funds for the purposes of campaigning for or against a referendum
proposal is not allowed. The Referendum Commission is allowed to advertise
unfettered by such restrictions, but is under a statutory obligation to be fair
to both sides.
b. Is
privately-funded collection of signatures for popular initiatives allowed, and
if so on what conditions?
There is no
legislative regulation of the collection of signatures for popular initiatives.
In any case, as noted above however, there is no legislative framework for the
holding of a referendum under such circumstances.
3. Voting
a. Does voting take place on one day or
over a number of days?
Voting takes place
over one appointed day.
b. If there is a
large time-lag between different voting centres, is it possible for the
results from some of them to be known before voting closes in other centres?
Polling opens and
closes at the same time in polling centres around the country.
c. Is it compulsory for all voters to
cast a vote?
It is not compulsory
for all voters to cast a vote.
d. Quorum: For the
result of the referendum to be valid, is it necessary for it to have won a given
percentage of registered voters? Or is a minimum turnout required?
i. There is no minimum
turnout required for a referendum to amend the Constitution. The proposal is
approved if a majority of the votes cast are cast in favour of one proposal’s
enactment into law (Article 47.1).
ii. In referendums other
than those to amend the Constitution, the proposal is vetoed
a. If a majority of the votes cast are cast
against its enactment into law; and
b. If the votes cast
against its enactment amount to not less than 1/3 of the votes on the register.
G - Effects of
referendums
1. What are the
effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked for an
opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding referendum)?
The effect of a
successful constitutional referendum is to amend the constitution.
The effect of an
ordinary referendum is to either veto a piece of legislation or to force its
promulgation by the President. He or she is required to sign into law a Bill
approved by the people in an ordinary referendum. The electorate is therefore
in both cases asked for a decision as opposed to an opinion.
2. Does the referendum make it necessary to take other
decisions (see item B.5)?
The referendum
necessitates no further decisions. The subsequent course of action of
government on the issue is dictated by the result of the referendum.
3. Where
a referendum deals with a text that has already been adopted by an authority,
is that referendum:
-suspensive:
the text may not enter into force unless it has been approved by the electors
or unless a request to hold a referendum has not been made within the
time-limit established by the Constitution or by law;
-resolutory:
the text ceases to be in force following a "no" vote or failure to
secure a "yes" vote within a certain time-limit after its adoption;
or
-abrogative:
the acceptance of the referendum leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
In the case of constitutional referendums, the text of the proposed
constitutional amendment is adopted by both houses of parliament before being
put to referendum, and if it is not approved by the people it is abandoned. If
it is approved, it enters into force immediately. In the case of ordinary
referendums, legislation adopted by both houses of parliament is put to the people
for approval or veto. In neither case however can a referendum be properly said
to have a suspensive or resolutory effect (as the questionnaire explains them),
as the measures in question have not entered into force. The referendum in both
cases is part of the process by which legislation is promulgated.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
1. Can a provision
agreed to or rejected in a referendum be revised or adopted by a procedure
which does not allow a referendum?
A piece of legislation
approved in ordinary legislation may be subsequently amended in the ordinary
fashion by both houses of parliament without recourse to the people. The
Constitution cannot be amended without a referendum.
2. Can a
constitutional or legislative provision which allows referendums be revised by
a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
As it is the
Constitution which mandates referendums in the two circumstances discussed
variously above, the provisions allowing and mandating referendums cannot be
revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum. The legislative
framework which legislates aspects of the referendum procedure not dictated by
the Constitution can be amended by both houses of parliament in the ordinary
fashion without recourse to the people.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. What is the time-limit for collecting signatures?
2. Who is entitled to collect signatures?
3. How are signatures checked?
4. Is there an
authority which has the power to correct irregularities resulting from the
content of the question? (Examples: problems of formal validity, obscure,
misleading or suggestion-making questions)
There are no
specific rules in force governing popular initiatives.
J -
Judicial review
1. Is it possible to
appeal to a court against a decision to hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is
there automatic judicial review? Is judicial review concerned in particular
with the outcome of popular initiatives?
As the decision to
hold a constitutional referendum is one which is within the exclusive
discretion of the parliament, following the doctrine of separation of power,
which has constitutional status in Ireland, the courts will not interfere in
the decision to hold or not to hold a constitutional referendum. The decision
whether a legislative provision should be referred to the people lies with the
President (after a petition requesting him or her to so do has been presented
to him or her with the approval of a majority of the upper house and not less
than one-third of the members o the lower house). As such, in theory it is
possible though highly unlikely, that a decision by the President to accede or
not to accede to such a petition might be judicially reviewable, as it is an
exercise of a constitutional executive discretion. The president has never been
called upon to exercise such discretion however, so the question has never been
considered by the courts.
2. If judicial review
exists, under what circumstances may the court rule against the holding of a
referendum (failure to respect unity of form or content, unclear questions,
etc.)?
The courts have
consistently refused to interfere with the content of a referendum proposal put
to the people. The Supreme Court has endorsed proposals which insert
contingency provisions into the Constitution, and proposals containing more
than one amendment. While in theory it is possible that if a referendum
proposal violated the constitutional prohibition on mixing ordinary and
constitutional referendum proposals in the same referendum text the Supreme
Court might intervene, it has never had to consider this particular factual
situation, and has always shown its reluctance to interfere with the popular
sovereignty of the people in regard to referendums.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
The results of the
referendum are not subject to judicial review. If however there is doubt that
the referendum was conducted in a proper manner, the validity of the referendum
certificate (which records the result of the referendum) may be challenged by
means of a referendum petition to the High Court. The challenge may be taken on
a limited number of grounds, namely: obstruction of or interference with or
other hindrance to the conduct of the referendum; failure to complete or
otherwise conduct the referendum in accordance with the relevant legislation;
mistake or other irregularity in the conduct of the referendum or in the
particulars stated in the provisional referendum certificate; any offence
prescribed by electoral law. The court has the discretion to order the retaking
of the referendum in any constituency where it is satisfied that prescribed
irregularities affected the overall result, and may similarly order the votes
in any constituency to be recounted.
4. Who may lodge an appeal?
An application to
present a referendum petition may be made by the Director of Public
Prosecutions, or by any person who is registered or entitled to be registered
as a presidential elector.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many
referendums have been held since the country has had a Constitution?
Specify what type of referendums were held (see above I.C)?
There have been 28
constitutional referendums since the ratification of the Constitution by
plebiscite in 1937. No ordinary referendums have been held.
2. On whose initiative has each referendum been held?
Each referendum has
been held in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution on the
initiative of the parliament.
3. Have any referendums been invalid because of a low
turnout?
No referendums have
been invalid because of a low turnout.
4. In how many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
The electorate has
voted yes in 21 referendums.
5. In how many referendums has the electorate voted no?
The electorate has
voted no in 7 referendums.
6. Can any of the results be largely accounted for by factors
unrelated to the question?
No.
7. Can any of the
positive results be accounted for by the popularity of the person putting the
question?
No.
8. Can any of the
negative results be accounted for by an unpopular government? Or by general
discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the issues at stake?
No.
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is there provision in the national Constitution for local
referendums?
2. If there are no constitutional provisions, does national
law allow local referendums?
3. Have the federate,
regional, autonomous or other types of body adopted provisions for holding
referendums?
4. On what matters is it possible to call a referendum?
There is no
provision for local referendums in the national Constitution. According the
Local Government Act 2001, local governments (municipalities) may hold
consultative plebiscites to consult the people under their jurisdiction
regarding draft financial schemes. They are not obliged to hold plebiscites,
nor are they bound to follow the wishes of the people as evident in the
results. The Minister for Local Government is empowered to make regulations
governing the manner in which such plebiscites are held. To date he has made no
such regulations, no such plebiscites have been held, and no judicial
consideration has been applied to the issue.
A1 -
At what level?
1. Federate states?
2. Provinces? Regions?
3. Lower levels? Districts?
4. Municipalities?
5. On what matters?
6. May national or federal authorities intervene, and in what
conditions?
See above.
B -
What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to
the same questions as in I-B (stating in particular which federate, regional or
local authorities can intervene).
See above.
C -
Content
Reply to the same questions as
in I-C.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be
held on a proposal to secede from the State?
- Can it relate to geographical
boundaries?
- Are any other subjects
permitted?
See above. A
referendum cannot be held on a proposal to secede from the state, or in
relation to geographic boundaries.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as
in I-D.
There are no rules
governing the form of the text that may be submitted to plebiscite.
E - Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as
in I-E (particularly the question of conformity with central-government rules).
There are no rules
governing the substantive content of such plebiscites.
F
- Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as
in I-F.
There are no rules
governing the provision of information, campaigning or any such matters
ancillary to such plebiscites. National laws in relation to advertising in
broadcast and print media and the political content of broadcast media would
probably apply mutatis mutandis.
G
- Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as
in I-G.
As the plebiscites
are consultative, they have little practical effect, and may in actuality be
ignored by the local government.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
Reply to the same questions as
in I-H.
Not applicable.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply to the same questions as
in I-I.
Not applicable.
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as
in I-J, making the appropriate distinction between judicial review at
central-government level and at federate or regional level.
As the decisions of
local authorities are generally judicially reviewable, their decisions on foot
of a plebiscite result may be reviewable. It is unlikely that the decision
whether to hold a plebiscite or not would be reviewable however. There is no
mechanism for appealing the result of the plebiscite.
K
- Experiences of referendums
1. Have there been many local referendums?
No local plebiscites
have been held.
2.
If so, at what level?
Federate level? Provinces or districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify what
type of referendums were held.
III - The future of referendums
1. Is
the referendum system currently being reformed?
No.
2. If
so, for what reason?
3. If
so, what is the general tendency of this reform?
ITALIE /
ITALY
I - National, regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1.-2. There are some provisions dealing with referendums in the Italian
Constitution:
Article 75 provides for
the calling of referendums
aimed at repealing an ordinary legislative act of the State;
Article 123 allows the Statute (the basic act) of a Region to
establish referendums on the legislative and administrative acts of the Region; Article 123 allows the calling of a
referendum on the special legislative act of the Region dealing with the
organization of the regional government; Article 132 provides for the calling
of referendums on the change of the borders of the Regions or on the
establishment of a new Region; Article 138 allows the calling of referendum on
constitutional legislative acts aimed at revising the Constitution. Ordinary
legislative acts provide for the implementation of these provisions.
Article 75 and Article 138
entrust the power of initiative of a referendum to five hundred thousand
electors and to five regional councils. According to Article 138 also one fifth
of the members of a House have the power
of initiative. Article 123 entrusts the power of initiative to one fifth of the members of the concerned regional
council or to one fifthieth of the
electors of the intersted Region.
Moreover regional or local
referendums are provided for by the basic acts of the regional or local
entities concerned.
B - Types of referendums
1.-2. Only the referendums
provided for by Article 132 are mandatory and are called by the
President of the Republic.
3. The referendums provided
for by Articles 75, 123 and 138
are called when a proposal is
submitted by 500000 voters (Articles 75
and 138) or by a fiftieth of the electors of the Region concerned (Article
123). The signatures are checked by the competent judicial authorities.
The request for a referendum can relate to a constitutional
legislative act aimed at the revision of the Constitution adopted by the
Parliament (Article 138), or to a regional legsislative act dealing with the organization of the regional
government adopted by the regional Council (Article 123). In both the cases the
acts are submitted to referendum before their promulgation, which is allowed
only if the result of the referendum is positive.
4. The request for a referendum submitted by the voters is mandatory for the President of the Republic (Articles
75 and 138) and for the President of the
regional Government (Article 123).
The voters are not allowed to put
forward an alternative proposal to the
text approved by the Parliament (Article 138) or by the regional Council
(Article 123).
5. When the voters
require the calling of a referendum aimed at repealing a legislative act in
force, the Parliament is allowed to
bypass the popular initative only by adopting a
legislative act repealing the previous
one on the condition that the new act
modifies the basic principles and the essential content of the old act.
In this case the referendum does not take place.
At the regional and local level
the types of the referendums are choosen by the relevant basic acts. The types
are numerous and cannot easily be
systematized.
C - Content
1.- 2. The referendums dealing with constitutional amendments are not
mandatory.
The Constitution does not require
referendum for accession to the European Union or international organizations.
Referendums on a proposal of seceding from the State are not provided for.
Referendums aimed at the
repealing of a legislative act are not
allowed in the case of tax, budget, amnesty and pardon laws, in authorisationn
or ratification of international treaties. The constitutional jurisprudence of
the Constitutional Court added to this explicit provision of the Constitution some implicit exclusions concerning the
legislative acts which require a special procedure, the ordinary legislative
acts which have a constitutional mandatory content or are constitutionally necessary
for the functioning of the State.
D - Form of the text
1. The text submitted to referendum is a concrete proposal
presented not in the form of a specific provision but as a specifically - worded proposal
which is referred to all the text of a legislative act or of the
provisions of a legislative act dealt
with by the proposal.
2. According to the jurisprudence of the Constituional
Court a question submitted to a
referendum has to be homogeneous, that is it cannot deal with
different matters; it has to guarantee
the freedom of choice of the voter, who has to be allowed to make his
choice without being conditioned by the
multiplicity of the items of the question; if the question deals with more than
one item, all the items concerned have to be connected by an intrinsic link;
it has to respect the principle of the
unity of form. Obviously the question
cannot deal with legislativeacts which have a different rank in the
hierarchy of the sources of law. It has to be clearly drafted and
understandable.
The same principles apply to the
regional and local referendums.
E - Substantive limits
A referendum is prohibited if the
text put forward is contrary to the international obligations of the State, to
the Constitution, and to the provisions
of the ordinary acts of legislation which cannot be repealed by referendum. In judging these issues, that is the admissibility of a
referendum the Constitutional Court shall look at the possible effects of the
approval of the question submitted to referendum.
The extension of the competence of the regional and local
referendums obviously depends on the
extension of the competence of the regional and local entities concerned. This
principle applies to the relations with the national legislation also.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. There is'nt any specific rule entrusting the authorities
with the task of sending the text and an
expalnatory document of the question to
the voters. The authorities have to publish posters with the announcement of
the referendum and of the question submitted to the voters. When the voters can
require the calling of a referendum on an act approved by a national, regional
or local assembly, the act is published in the Official Journal of the State or of the regional or local
entity concerned to inform the interested voters who have the right of
requiring the calling of the referendum.
The public media are required to
allocate equal time to all the political subjects , and specially to the
political parties , the group of the promoters of the referendum and the
associations interested in spreading their opinion in the matter. The principle
applies also to the private media and to the newspapers which have to
insure their spaces to all supporters
and opponents at equal conditions.
2. There are not specific rules providing public funds to
campaign for or against a proposal submitted to referendum.
The privately funded collection
of signatures for popular initiatives is allowed.
3. The referenda take place in one day. There is'nt
time-lag allowing the results of a voting centre to be known
before voting closes in other centres. The casting of vote is not compulsory.
There are different quorum for the different types of referendum. The result of
a referendum aimed at repealing a
national legislative act is valid if the majority of those with voting rights
have voted and a majority of the votes validly cast has been reached (art. 75).
A regional legislative act
providing for the organization of the
regional government is approved if it is approved by the majority of the votes
validly cast (Article 123). A national constitutional act aimed at amending the
Constitution is approved when the majority of the votes validly cast is reached (Article 138). In both the last
cases there is'nt any requirement about the participation to the vote of the
registered voters.
G - Effects
1.-2. The decision of the electorate is binding in the referendums provided for by Articles 75, 123 and 138. It
is not binding both in the case of the creation of new Regions (Article 132,
first alinea), and in the case of the transfer of a local entity from one
Region to another Region.
When the electorate decides to
repeal a national legislative act, the
Head of the State shall adopt a
decree stating the result of the
referendum. If the electorate approves a national constitutional legislative act aimed at revising the
Constitution, the President of the
Republic shall promulgate the act; otherwise the procedure
is stopped. If the electorate approves a regional legislative act dealing with the organization of the
government of a Region, the President of the Region shall promulgate the act;
otherwise the procedure is stopped.
When the creation of new Regions or the change of the
regional borders are at stake, the
referendum is followed by a legislative act implementing the positive decision
of the electorate.
Effects of the other local and
regional referendums are provided for by
the relevant basic acts.
3. According to Article 138 a constitutional legislative
act aimed at revising the Constitution
may not be promulgated before the running of the deadline for the
submission of a request of the calling
of a referendum, if it was not approved in the second voting by each of the
Houses by a majority of two-thirds of the members. A regional legislative
act dealing with the organization of the government of a Region may not be promulgated before the running of
the time-limit provided for the submission
of the request of a referendum.
According to Article 75 a
legislative act ceases to be in force
after the decision of the electorate
accepting the proposal of its
repealing (and after the presidentioal decree
which declares the result of the referendum).
H - Parallelism
1.-2. If a provision was repealed in a referendum, it could be adopted
again by an ordinary legislative act
which may in any case be submitted to a referendum according to Article 75 of
the Constitution. On the other side the modifications of the Constitution
adopted according to Article 138 may be revised
in the same way, and therefore a referendum may be called on the
constitutional legislative act of revision.
I - Specific rules
1. Articles 123 and 138 provide for a deadline of three months.
Article 75 does not explicitly provide in the matter, but the ordinary
legislation requires that an initiative
may be submitted between
January 1st and September 30th.
2. The signatures are collected by the promoters of the initiative, but the signatures have to be
authenticated by a judge of peace or by a notary or by
a magistrate's clerk.
3.-4. A special office of the Court of Cassation is entrusted with
the power of checking the signatures. It has the power of asking the necessary corrections to the
promoters.
In the case of regional
referendums the signatures are checked
by the competent local judicial authorities or by special bodies of the
regional councils. The signatures aimed at the calling of local referendums
are checked by special branches of the relevant local
administrations.
J - Judicial review
1.- 2. The initiatives of calling
a referendum on the basis of Article 75
are submitted to an automatic previous review by the special
office of the Court of Cassation as far
as the collection of the signatures is concerned
and by the Constitutional Court
with regard the content
and the drafting of the question.
Referendums provided for by Articles 132 and 138 are previously checked by the special office of the Court of Cassation.
Regional referendums are previously checked by the competent regional judicial authority or by special bodies of the regional councils..
3-4. The results of the
referendums are declared on the basis of
an assessment of a judicial auhtority.
Promoters and electors may lodge an appeal.
Moreover the Constitutional Court
could be requested to judge the conformity to the Constitution of the normative result of a referendum according
to the ordinary rules providing for the access to the judicial review of
legislation by the Court.
K - Experiences
1.-8. Since 1948, when the Constitution entered in force, 54
referendums have been held. 53 of them were called according to Article 75, only 1 was called on
the basis of Article 138.
Mainly they have beeen called on
initiative of the elecctors, but some of them
(three in 1993) on initiative of regional councils.
18 referendums have been ivalid
because of the low turnout. In 19 referendums the electorate voted yes, the
electorate approved also a constitutional legislative act aimed at amending the
Constitution. In 16 referendums the electorate voted no.
I don't have sufficient elements to answer the questions 6-8 of § K.
Regional and local referendums
are frequently called; one referendum ex Article 123 was recently (2002) called
in a Region (Friuli - Venezia Giulia)
and the electorate rejected the legislative act dealing with the
organization of the regional government approved by the regional Council.
III - The future of referendums
The reform of the Italian
Constitution which is under discussion in the Parliament does not provide any amendment of the
provisions dealing with the referendum.
LETTONIE
/ LATVIA
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is
provision made for referendums in the Constitution ?
Yes.
The general provisions for referendums are made in the Constitution (Satversme)
of the Republic of Latvia. Referendums are required by the Constitution:
1.1. If the Saeima has amended the first,
second, third, fourth, sixth or seventy-seventh Article of the Constitution,
such amendments, in order to come into force as law, shall be submitted to a
national referendum. (See Article 77 of the Satversme).
1.2. If the President proposes the dissolution
of the Saeima, a national referendum shall be held. (See Article 48 of the
Satversme).
1.3. The President has the right to suspend the
proclamation of a law for a period of two months. The President shall suspend
the proclamation of a law if so requested by not less than one-third of the
members of the Saeima. This right may be exercised by the President, or by
one-third of the members of the Saeima, within seven days of the adoption of
the law by the Saeima. The law thus suspended shall be put to a national
referendum if so requested by not less than one-tenth of the electorate. If no
such request is received during the aforementioned two-month period, the law
shall then be proclaimed after the expiration of such period. A national
referendum shall not take place, however, if the Saeima again votes on the law
and not less than three-quarters of all members of the Saeima vote for the
adoption of the law. (See Article 72 of the Satversme).
1.4. Electors, in number comprising not less
than one tenth of the electorate, have the right to submit a fully elaborated
draft of an amendment to the Constitution or of a law to the President, who
shall present it to the Saeima. If the Saeima does not adopt it without change
as to its content, it shall then be submitted to national referendum. (See
Article 78 of the Satversme).
1.5. Membership of Latvia in the European Union
shall be decided by a national referendum, which is proposed by the Saeima.
(See Article 68 of the Satversme).
1.6. Substantial changes in the terms regarding
the membership of Latvia in the European Union shall be decided by a national
referendum if such referendum is requested by at least one-half of the members
of the Saeima. (See Article 68 of the Satversme).
2. If not,
does the law provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
-
B - What type of
referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory
referendums
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it
provides that certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum
before or after their adoption by Parliament?
There
are 6 different types of referendum in Latvia. Some of them are mandatory (see
Answers A1-1, A1-4, and A1-5)
2. Referendums
called by an authority
a. Can referendums be called by an authority?
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The
Head of State, the Government, Parliament, a given number of members of
Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
There
are 6 different types of referendum in Latvia. Some of them can be called by
authorities (see Answers A1-2, A1-5, A1-6),
3. Referendums
held at the request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of
the electorate call for a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate
is required for the proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
b. Can a request for a referendum
relate to a text already adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward
by popular initiative?
The electorate can’t express a
request for a referendum as such.
But:
1. the
electorate can express a request for the
referendum, if the proclamation of the law is suspended (see answer 1-3). The
law suspended shall be put to a national referendum if so requested by not less
than one-tenth of the electorate;
2. the electorate has the right to submit
a fully elaborated draft of an amendment to the Constitution or of a law. If
the Saeima does not adopt it without changes in its content, it shall then
be submitted to national referendum (see answer 1-4). Electors have such right,
if their number comprises not less than one tenth of the electorate.
4. Procedures
involving more than one authority
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have
the approval of more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a
proposal of the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can
the Head of State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate,
does Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting
forward an alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
There
are specific provisions regarding the referendum, if the proclamation of a law
is suspended. See answer A1-2.
C
- Content
1. Types of
act submitted to referendum
Are referendums held only on
proposals for constitutional amendments?
Is a referendum mandatory
in the case of a constitutional amendment?
Only if there are amendments to the
first, second, third, fourth, sixth or
seventy-seventh Article of the Constitution.
On what
other types of measure can a referendum be called? In particular, is referendum
necessary or possible for accession to the European Union or international
organizations?
See answers 1-1-1-6.
2. Matters to which referendums may relate
Are
referendums reserved for particular matters?
Yes. See answers A1-1-1-6.
Are certain matters
automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
Yes. About matters
automatically put to a referendum see answers A1-1-1-6
Matters automatically excluded
from referendum are determined in the Article 73 of the Satversme: The Budget
and laws concerning loans, taxes, customs duties, railroad tariffs, military
conscription, declaration and commencement of war, peace treaties, declaration
of a state of emergency and its termination, mobilisation and demobilisation,
as well as agreements with other nations may not be submitted to national
referendum.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in favour
of amending the constitution to introduce a presidential system of
government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not presented in the form of a
specific provision and known as a “generally-worded proposal” (for example:
“Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in order to reduce the number
of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
There are 6 types of referendums in
Latvia. The Constitution (Satversme) provides matters on what the referendum
shall be hold (see answers A1-1-1-6), but there are no provisions about the
form.
The Law ”On the Referendum and
Proposition of Laws” envisages that the motion passed for the referendum as
well as the words ”for” and ”against” shall be entered in the ballot.
When organizing the referendum on the membership of Latvia in the European Union or substantial
changes in the terms regarding the membership of Latvia in the European Union, the formulation of the
corresponding issues shall be elaborated by the Saeima.
In the
three referendums, which have taken place in Latvia, the following issues
(questions) have been formulated:
- In
the referendum, which took place on October 3, 1998, the voters had to answer
the question:
“Are
you for abrogation of the June 22, 1998 Law ”Amendments to the Law on
Citizenship”;
- In
the referendum, which took place on November 13, 1999, the voters had to give
an answer to the question: ”Are you for abrogation of the Law ”Amendments to
the Law on the State Pensions”;
- In the referendum, which took place on
September 20, 2003 the voters had to answer to the following question: ”Are you
for membership of Latvia in the European Union”?
2. Do questions submitted to
referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a specifically-worded
draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal or a question of principle must
not be combined in the same question);
b. unity of content (except in the case of
total revision of the Constitution or another piece of legislation, there must
be an intrinsic connection between the various parts of each question put to
the vote in order to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the voter must not be
expected to accept or reject as a whole provisions without an intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the question must not
relate simultaneously to the Constitution and subordinate legislation.
d. Does the vote have to be on a single
question or can it be on several different ones?
e. Does the question (or do the questions) have to be clear and
suggestion-free?
There
are no such provisions in the law.
E - Substantive limits on referendums
(substantive validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is
contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some of its rules;
- to other overriding legal rules.
There are no such provisions in
the law
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective information,
for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to voters?
b. If an explanatory document is provided,
who draws it up? Can political parties take part in drafting it? Does the
explanatory document have to provide a balanced presentation of the
authorities’ views and their opponents’ views?
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
d. Are the
public media required to allocate equal time to supporters and opponents
of the text?
e. What about
the private media? Are financial or other conditions for radio and
television advertising the same for supporters and opponents?
The Law does not directly regulate
the process of campaigning for the referendum. Simultaneously the Law envisages
that the Central Election Committee (CEC) informs the voters about the
procedure of instigation of the referendum or proposals on laws. In practice
the CEC takes care also about elaboration of informative materials, the
contents of which is ”neutral”. The members of the CEC are forbidden to carry
on propaganda.
2. Funding
a. Is
use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal submitted to
referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period immediately
preceding the vote?
b. Is privately-funded collection of
signatures for popular initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
The law does not regulate these issues.
3. Voting
a. Does voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
Voting takes place on one day.
b. If there is a large time-lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
No. All the election districts work
at one and the same time.
c. Is it compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
No. All citizens of Latvia, who
have the right to vote in elections of the Saeima, may participate in national
referendums. However, the citizens have no obligation to do it.
d. Quorum: For the result of the
referendum to be valid, is it necessary for it to have won a given percentage
of registered voters? Or is a minimum turnout required?
An amendment to the Constitution
submitted for national referendum shall be deemed adopted if at least half of
the electorate has voted in favour. A draft law, decision regarding membership
of Latvia in the European Union or substantial changes in the terms regarding
such membership submitted for national referendum shall be deemed adopted if
the number of voters is at least half of the number of electors as participated
in the previous Saeima election and if the majority has voted in favour of the
draft law, membership of Latvia in the European Union or substantial changes in
the terms regarding such membership. (See Article 79 of the Satversme).
G -
Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is
the electorate asked for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a
decision (binding referendum)?
All types of referendum are
binding.
2. Does the
referendum make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
No.
3. Where a referendum deals with a text
that has already been adopted by an authority, is that referendum:
-suspensive: the text may not enter into force unless it
has been approved by the electors or unless a request to hold a referendum has
not been made within the time-limit established by the Constitution or by law;
-resolutory: the text ceases to be in force following a
"no" vote or failure to secure a "yes" vote within a
certain time-limit after its adoption; or
-abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum leads to the
repeal of a provision in force?
The referendum in such case is
suspensive.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected
in a referendum be revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a
referendum?
If the
Saeima has amended the first, second, third, fourth, sixth or seventy-seventh
Article of the Constitution, such amendments, in order to come into force as
law, shall be always submitted to a national referendum.
As
concerns other cases the Law does not envisage that amendments to a legal norm
on which referendum has taken place shall be submitted to a national
referendum. The above problem has not been solved in practice.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative
provision which allows referendums be revised by a procedure which does not
allow a referendum?
The provision “If the Saeima has
amended the first, second, third, fourth, sixth or seventy-seventh Article of
the Constitution, such amendments, in order to come into force as law, shall be
submitted to a national referendum” is set out in Article 77 of the Satversme,
which in accordance with this norm may be amended only after a referendum.
In other cases legislative provision which allows referendums could be
revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum.
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. What is
the time-limit for collecting signatures?
See answer B-3.
2. Who is
entitled to collect signatures?
See answer B-3.
3. How are
signatures checked?
See answer B-3.
4. Is there an authority which has the
power to correct irregularities resulting from the content of the question?
(Examples: problems of formal validity, obscure, misleading or
suggestion-making questions)
No.
J - Judicial review
1. Is
it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to hold or not to hold a
referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is judicial review concerned
in particular with the outcome of popular initiatives?
In Latvia there are six different
types of referendums and each of them is determined to be held under a
different procedure. In several cases (see answers A1-1-A1-4) the procedure of
the referendum does not start with a certain ”decision on the referendum” but
with another act - the adopted or not adopted decision of the Saeima or the
proposal of the State President to dissolve the Saeima. Moreover, in one case -
if the proclamation of the law has been suspended (see answer A1-2), at least
one tenth of the electorate shall request holding the referendum. Only in one
case (see answer A1-5) the Saeima adopts the decision on the national
referendum.
The decisions, adopted by the
Central Election Committee (also the decisions on calling of the referendum if
the needed number of signatures for holding it has been received or vice versa)
may be appealed against at the court.
The decisions by the State
President or the Saeima, which are directly or indirectly connected with the
referendum, may be challenged at the Constitutional Court by not less than 20
deputies of the Saeima, the State President or the Cabinet of Ministers. There
has been no case like the above in practice.
2. If
judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the court rule against the
holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of form or content, unclear
questions, etc.)?
The
court may examine all aspects, which are connected with the conformity of
instigation and process of the national referendum with the law.
3. Are the results of referendums subject
to judicial review?
4. Who may lodge an appeal?
CEC passes the decision on the
results of the referendum. The decision may be appealed against under the
general procedure.
The law does not anticipate a
special procedure for challenging the results of the referendum.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held
since the country has had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums
were held (see above I.C)?
Since July 1993 (the time of
renewal of the validity of the Republic of Latvia Satversme as a whole) 3
referendums have taken place : 2 referendums on the draft laws adopted by
the Saeima as well as the national referendum on membership of Latvia in the
EU.
2. On whose
initiative has each referendum been held?
A national referendum on the
abrogation of the Law « Amendments to the Law on the State
Pensions » was held on November 13, 1999 and the referendum on the
abrogation of the Law «Amendments to the Law on Citizenship » was held on
October 3, 1998 after the State President had suspended proclamation of the
laws and not less than 1/10 of the electorate had requested to hold the referendum.
National referendum on membership
of Latvia in the European Union took place on the initiative of the Saeima on
September 20, 2003.
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
Yes, one.
339 879 Latvian citizens who
had the right to vote participated in the national referendum on the abrogation
of the «Amendments to the Law on State Pensions ». “ 320 071 or 94,17
percent of the voters were for the abrogation of the law; in their turn against
it were 18 160 or 5,34 % of the voters. At least participation of
482 334 voters or more than the half of the electorate, which had
participated in the last Saeima elections, was needed for the referendum to be
valid.
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
In two referendums.
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
None.
6. Can any of the results be
largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
No.
7. Can
any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
No.
8. Can any of the negative results be
accounted for by an unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a
misunderstanding of the issues at stake?
No.
II - Regional
or local referendums
There are no regional or local referendums in the Latvian Republic
prescribed by law.
III - The future of referendums
1. Is the
referendum system currently being reformed?
Yes.
2. If so, for
what reason?
To
ensure the possibility of taking decisions on issues, connected with membership
in the EU.
3. If so,
what is the general tendency of this reform?
Two more kinds of the referendum, connected with
the EU are envisaged (see answer A1-5, A1-6)
LITUANIE
/ LITHUANIA
I
- National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Referendums in Lithuania
are organized according to the Constitutional provisions indicated below:
Provision of Article 4, that “the People shall exercise their supreme sovereign power either directly
or through their democratically elected representatives“;
Provisions of Article 9, that “the most vital issues
concerning the life of the State and the People shall be decided by referendum“
and that “the procedure for calling and holding of a referendum shall be
established by law“.
2. The procedure of calling and holding of
referendum is established by the Law on Referendum of the Republic of Lithuania
which was adopted on 4 June 2002, came into force on 1 January 2003 and changed
the Law on Referendum of the Republic of Lithuania 1989.
B - What type of
referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory
and consultative (deliberative) referendums may be held in the Republic of
Lithuania.
According to the Constitution Referendums shall
be mandatory with regard to the following issues:
1. on the amendment to the
provision of Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania that,
“the State of Lithuania shall be an independent and democratic republic;”
2. on the amendment to the
provisions of Chapter I of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, “the
State of Lithuania;”
3. on the amendment to the
provisions of Chapter XIV of the Republic of Lithuania Constitution, “Amending
the Constitution;”
4. on the amendment to the
Constitutional Act, dated June 8, 1992, “On Non Alignment of the Republic of
Lithuania to Post-Soviet Eastern Alliances;”
5. regarding participation
by the Republic of Lithuania in international organisations, should this
participation be linked with the partial transfer of the scope of competence of
Government bodies to the institutions of international organisations or the
jurisdiction thereof.
The Law on Referendum states that Mandatory
referendums may be held also with regard to other laws or provisions thereof,
which 300 thousand citizens having the right to vote or the Seimas (Parliament)
shall submit a proposal for to be decided by means of a referendum.
Consultative (deliberative) referendums may be held with respect to other
issues of utmost importance to the State and the People, regarding which it is
not necessary to hold a mandatory referendum, they are being proposed for a
referendum by 300 thousand citizens having the right to vote or the Seimas
(Parliament).
2. From all State
institutions only the Seimas (Parliament) has the right of initiative of
calling a referendum. The Seimas (Parliament) takes under the consideration the
question on calling a referendum only if the corresponding proposal was
submitted by a group comprising at least 1/4 of the Seimas (Parliament)
members.
3. a. Part
3 of Article 9 of the Constitution states that “referendum shall also be called if at least 300,000 of the citizens
having the voting right so request“. The Central Electoral Committee shall
verify the authenticity of citizens' signatures and other documents on calling
the referendum.
3. b. Both cases
are possible.
4. It was already mentioned that 300 thousand citizens having
the right to vote (at least 300,000 of
the citizens announce their will by signing in the special blank issued by
the Central Electoral Committee for collecting citizens’ signatures ) and a group comprising at least one-fourth
of the Seimas Members have right of calling a referendum. In both cases the
final decision on this proposal shall be adopted by the Seimas (Parliament).
5. If a group of citizens
submit a petition to call a referendum the Seimas, having received a properly
registered final act of the group along with the citizens’ petitions and the
conclusion of the Central Electoral Committee that the submitted documents
correspond to this Law, shall deliberate the issue of the date of the
referendum at the next sitting of the Seimas during the session. The
representatives of the referendum group shall be invited to participate in this
sitting. The resolution of the Seimas on the date of calling the referendum
shall be passed in accordance with the procedure set forth in the Seimas
Statute, no later than within one month from the day on which the discussion
issue of the date of calling the referendum has been started. Should the group
of experts formed in the Seimas arrives at the conclusion that the referendum
text supplied in the citizens’ petition to call a referendum may not be in
keeping with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, can be the basis
for not calling the referendum.
In case when a group of the Seimas Members initiate a calling of
referendum, such proposal shall be deliberated by the Seimas at the next
sitting of the Seimas and shall adopt a decision according to the procedure set
forth in the Seimas Statute, i.e. in case of failing to collect a majority of
votes the proposal of a group of Seimas Members to call a referendum may be
rejected.
C - Content
1. Constitutional
amendments may be submitted to referendum. In cases mentioned in paragraph B-1
a mandatory referendum shall be hold. In cases concerning the amendments of
other constitutional provisions consultative (deliberative) referendums may be
held.
Draft laws or their parts (separate provisions), as well as most
important matters of State or People may be submitted for a referendum. A
referendum concerning Lithuania's accession to the European Union was held in
Lithuania.
2. Matters that can not be
submitted for a referendum are not established in the Constitution.
D - Form of the
text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1. A draft law which is
being proposed for a referendum must conform to the requirements set forth by
the Law on the Procedure of Drafting of Republic of Lithuania Laws and Other
Regulatory Enactments.
The proposed draft resolution on a referendum shall indicate:
1. the type of referendum;
2. the text of the law
proposed for a referendum, text of another enactment or text of an issue to be
deliberated, which concerns an issue (resolution) on the life of the State or
of the People.
2. Every separate question
must be submitted to referendum separately and the vote have to be on every
single question.
E - Substantive
limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Article 6 of the Law on Referendum states that, a draft law which
is being proposed for a referendum must conform to the requirements set forth
by the Law on the Procedure of Drafting of Republic of Lithuania Laws and Other
Regulatory Enactments.
The proposed draft resolution on a referendum shall indicate: (1) the
type of referendum; (2) the text of the law proposed for a referendum, text of
another enactment or text of an issue to be deliberated, which concerns an
issue (resolution) on the life of the State or of the People;
Upon a petition by the representatives of a citizen’s initiative group,
the Seimas Office must ensure its support, in drafting the text (resolution) of
the law, other enactment proposed for a referendum or an issue concerning the
life of the State or the People proposed for deliberation, by enlisting legal
experts.
The concept “resolution” used in this Law shall include the law, other
enactment and resolution.
For this reason deliberating the proposal of the Seimas Members to call
a referendum Seimas may reject such proposal due to inaccuracy of draft
content.
The initiative of the group of citizens can not be blocked on this
basis. Part 2 of Article 14 of the Law on Referendum states that should the
group of experts formed in the Seimas arrives at the conclusion that the
referendum text supplied in the citizens’ petition to call a referendum may not
be in keeping with the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania, can be the
basis for not calling the referendum.
F - Campaigning,
funding and voting
1.-2. Articles 16 and 17 of the
Law on Referendum state that, the day of the group’s registration with the
Central Electoral Committee or the day of the submission of the proposal to the
Seimas by the Seimas group to call the referendum shall be deemed as the start
of the referendum agitation campaign.
Upon entry into force of the Seimas resolution to call a referendum,
the Central Electoral Committee shall publish in the public media and their
website the text of the resolution for the referendum.
From the onset of the referendum agitation campaign, the group representatives,
Seimas members, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, ministers as
well as, political parties and political organisations (hereinafter - parties),
registered according to the prescribed procedure, public organisations and
citizens shall be accorded the right to conduct agitation without interference
for the proposal to call a referendum, passage of the resolution presented for
a referendum and also against the proposal to call a referendum and the passage
of the resolution being presented for a referendum.
The form and measures of referendum agitation must not be contrary to
the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Lithuania.
Referendum agitation shall be prohibited within less than 30 hours
before the commencement of voting in the referendum and on the day of voting.
A right to use the media free of charge shall be extended to the group
representatives, President of the Republic, Prime Minister, ministers, parties,
public organisations and citizens. The Central Electoral Committee having
coordinated with the heads of the National Radio and Television of Lithuania,
shall approve the regulations of preparing broadcasts intended for referendum
agitation and the actual duration and time of the National Radio and Television
of Lithuania broadcasts. It shall also distribute the broadcast time in such a
way that the equal rights principles of the group’s and its opponents’
representatives would not be violated. The representatives of both the group
and its opposition shall be accorded at least seven hours each of the public
(national) radio and television time for holding debates between them.
The group shall propose the participants of the radio and television
broadcasts, who support the initiative of calling a referendum and the resolution
proposed therein for passage, and it shall inform the Central Electoral
Committee of this. The opponents of the group shall be the representatives of
the parties and public organisations and other persons, who do not approve of
the initiative of calling a referendum and of the resolution proposed therein
for passage. They shall inform the Central Electoral Committee of their desire
to take part in the debates. The Central Electoral Committee, adhering to the
order of priority set forth in paragraph three of this Article, shall comprise
a list of the persons, who shall take part in the debates prepared for radio
and television broadcasts.
The following order of priority shall be set for the persons in
opposition to the group, who shall participate in the debates being prepared
for radio and Television: The President of the Republic, Members of the Seimas
(their order shall be determined through mutual agreement or by drawing lots);
The Prime Minister; the ministers (their order shall be determined through
mutual agreement or by drawing lots); the representatives of the parties whose
candidates have been elected in multi-member electoral districts (their order of priority shall be determined
through mutual agreement or by drawing lots); the representatives of the
parties whose candidates have been elected only in single-member electoral districts (their order of
priority shall be determined through mutual agreement or by drawing lots);
representatives of the parties whose candidates had not been elected or did not
take part in the Seimas elections, (their order of priority shall be determined
through mutual agreement or by drawing lots); the representatives of public
organisations (their order of priority shall be determined through mutual
agreement or by drawing lots); citizens (their order of priority shall be
determined by drawing lots). If some persons, who only support the calling of a
referendum and the resolution proposed therein for passage or only oppose
these, shall take part in the radio and television debates, they shall hold
discussions with the broadcast manager or
the broadcast participants invited by him.
Only the amount of the special election accounts shall limit the
agitation in commercial mass media.
The Central Electoral Committee shall resolve all the disputes arising
of referendum agitation.
3. a. Voting
on referendum day shall take place from 7 to 20 hours at a polling station
designated by the referendum committee. A different time may be set for voting
in a Seimas resolution on calling a referendum. In a separate resolution the
Seimas may establish that the referendum shall take place on more than one day.
The voter shall vote only at that polling station, on the voter lists
whereof he is registered, unless established otherwise by this Law.
b. The
Central Electoral Committee may only begin establishing the results of the
referendum after having received the vote counting records of all city and
regional referendum committees and also, other documents indicated in Article
70 of this Law, and shall investigate all the complaints regarding the vote
counting records of the city and regional referendum committees.
According to the vote counting records of the city, regional referendum
committees and according to the vote counting records at the Republic of
Lithuania diplomatic missions (consulates), the Central Electoral Committee
shall determine:
1. the number of voters
having the right to take part in the referendum;
2. the number of voters
who took part in the referendum;
3. the number of
referendum ballot papers which are invalid:
4. the number of valid
referendum ballot papers;
5. the number of “YES” and
“NO” or “FOR” and “AGAINST” replies.
The Central Electoral Committee, having determined that gross
violations of this Law, committed in the course of voting, or the falsification
of documents, have had a decisive impact on the results of the referendum, it
may acknowledge the referendum results as invalid.
c. The
voters are not under compulsion to cast a vote in a referendum.
d. A mandatory referendum shall be deemed
having taken place, if over one half of the citizens, having the right to vote
and having been registered in voter lists, have taken part in it.
The resolution regarding the provision of Article one of the Constitution
of the Republic of Lithuania, “The State of Lithuania shall be an independent,
democratic Republic,” and also concerning the Constitutional Act of June 8,
1992, “On Non-Alignment of the Republic of Lithuania To Post-Soviet Eastern
Alliances, shall be deemed as
adopted, if at least three-fourths of the citizens having the right to vote and
having been registered in voter lists, have approved it.
The resolution regarding the amendment of the provisions of Article 1
of the Republic of Lithuania Constitution on, “The State of Lithuania” and
Chapter XIV, on “Amending the Constitution” shall be deemed as passed if more
than half of the citizens, having the right to vote and having been registered
on voter lists have approved it.
A resolution regarding other issues, laws or provisions thereof, which
have been deliberated in a mandatory referendum, shall be deemed as approved,
if more than one half of the citizens, who had taken part in the referendum,
but at least one - third of the citizens having the right to vote and having
been registered on voter lists.
The decision regarding participation by the Republic of Lithuania in
international organisations, should this participation be linked with the
partial transfer of the scope of competence of Government bodies to the institutions of international
organisations or the jurisdiction thereof, shall be deemed adopted if it has
been approved by more than one half of the voters who have participated in the
referendum.
A consultative (deliberative) referendum shall be deemed as having
taken place if over one half of the citizens, who are eligible and have been
registered in voter lists, have taken part in it.
In the event, that over one half of the voters have taken part in the
referendum and at least one half of those voters who have participated, have
been in favor of the resolution, the resolution shall be deemed as having been
adopted. The issue of the conducting of this referendum must be deliberated in
the Seimas according to the procedure established by the Seimas Statute, within
one month from its announcement.
In the event when fewer voters have taken part in the referendum, than
has been stipulated in paragraph one of this Article, it shall be deemed that
the referendum has not taken place, and the voter’s opinion voiced during its
course, may be considered in the Seimas during the deliberation of laws and
other draft legal acts.
G - Effects of referendums
1. The ballot paper shall include the text of an appeal to the voter and
the reply versions: “Yes,” and “No,” or “For,” and “Against.”
Should there be two or several referendums being held, the ballots of
each one of them must be of a different color.
The Central Electoral Committee shall establish the form and the
specimen for filling them out.
Final referendum results may be officially published in the “State
Gazette,” by the Central Electoral Committee, no later than within 4 days of
the referendum vote.
The Central Electoral Committee shall present to the President of the
Republic the text of the resolution adopted by referendum no later than the
next day following the official publication of the final referendum results.
2. The final decision on
corresponding question in case of consultative (deliberative) referendum shall
be made by the Seimas.
3. The day of voting by referendum shall be
deemed as the day of the passage by referendum of a law, other legislative
enactment or resolution. In the event, the referendum shall be held on more
than one day, the last day of voting by referendum shall be deemed as the day
of passage by referendum of a law, other legislative enactment or resolution.
The President of
the Republic must sign and officially proclaim a law, other legal enactment or
resolution passed by referendum no later that within 5 days from the official
publication of the final results of the referendum.
Should the
President of the Republic fail to sign and proclaim such a law, other legal
enactment or resolution within the stipulated time, it will enter into force
following its signing and official proclamation by the Chairman of the Seimas.
A Law passed by
referendum on an amendment to the Constitution shall enter into force no
earlier than after one month from the day it was passed by referendum.
A law which has
been passed by referendum, with the exception of amendments to the
Constitution, another legal enactment, or resolution, shall enter into force on
the day of their official publication in the “State Gazette,” provided a later
entry into force date is not stipulated in them.
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1. The laws agreed to in a
referendum have the same legal power as the laws adopted by the Seimas,
therefore the first ones as well as the second ones with the constitutional
exceptions shall be amended according to the same (corresponding) rules (see
answer in B-1).
2. Constitutional
provisions on referendums are in sections I and XIV of the Constitution, and
these provisions can be revised only by referendum.
I - Specific rules
on popular initiatives
1. The citizens shall implement the citizens” right to call a referendum
directly. With a view to this, an initiative referendum group (hereinafter - group) of at least fifteen citizens who are
eligible, shall be formed. The chief representative of the group shall visit
the Central Electoral Committee and file an application to register the group
and to adopt the text of the resolution proposed for adoption by a referendum
and also, shall co-ordinate on a preliminary basis the question of the date of
the Central Electoral Committee sitting.
The Central Electoral Committee shall draw up the group’s registration
act at their sitting no later than within 15 days from the day of its receipt.
A copy of the act shall be issued to the group or a representative thereof no
later than on the day following the day of registration of the group and
forwarded to the Chairman of the Seimas. The Chairman of the Seimas shall
inform the Seimas of the initiative of calling a referendum, expressed by the
citizens.
The Central Electoral Committee must, no later than within five
business days of the registration of the group, issue it blanks for collecting
the signatures of citizens.
A three-month time limit shall be established in order to implement the
provisions of the right of the citizens’ initiative to call a referendum. It
shall be calculated from the day of issuing the citizen signature sheets at the
Central Electoral Committee.
Should the required number of citizen signatures fail to be collected
and submitted during the time limit set forth in paragraph 5 of this Article,
the collecting of signatures shall be interrupted.
2. Citizens’ signatures shall be collected in the
special blank issued by the Central Electoral Committee. Signatures shall be collected
by the members of an initiative referendum group and other assisting citizens.
A citizen himself must write data about his person into the blank and sign it.
The group shall accumulate citizen petitions to call a referendum. Having
collected 300 thousand signatures, within the time limit set forth in paragraph
five of this Article, the group shall draw up the concluding act and submit it
to the Central Electoral Committee along with the citizen petitions.
3. The Central Electoral
Committee shall verify within 15 days the received documents on calling the
referendum. The Central Electoral Committee, having determined that the
documents meet the requirements of this Law, shall give to the Seimas the final
act along with the citizen’s petitions and its own conclusion.
The Central Electoral Committee, having established that the documents
contain non-essential deficiencies or that very few (up to 0.5 per cent) of the
citizens’ signatures are missing, shall inform the group thereof and set a 15 -
day time limit to eliminate these deficiencies. Having eliminated these
deficiencies over the prescribed period of time, the petition to call a
referendum shall be examined further according to general procedure.
Should the time limit for the implementation of the citizens’ right of
initiative to call a referendum be violated, the required number of citizens’
signatures fail to be collected or should it be determined that gross
violations of the law (falsified citizens’ signatures or a violation of the
principle of voluntariness in collecting signatures) exist in the submitted
documents, the Central Electoral Committee shall refuse the petition to call a
referendum, based upon a reasoned decision and inform the group and the Seimas
thereof. The group shall have the right to appeal this decision to the Superior
Administrative Court of Lithuania
within the period of one month.
Should it be determined that a citizen has signed two or more times for
calling the same referendum, all of his signatures shall not be counted.
Signatures shall also not be counted, if in violation of paragraph 4 of this
Article 11, the data about the citizen are entered on the signature sheet by
someone else, and also, if all of the data set forth in this Law have not been
included, or if they have been rendered falsely.
4. It was mentioned that,
a draft law which is being proposed for a referendum must conform to the
requirements set forth by the Law on the Procedure of Drafting of Republic of
Lithuania Laws and Other Regulatory Enactments.
Upon a petition by the representatives of a citizen’s initiative group,
the Seimas Office must ensure its support, in drafting the text (resolution) of
the law, other enactment proposed for a referendum or an issue concerning the
life of the State or the People proposed for deliberation, by enlisting legal
experts. An initiative citizens group file an application for registering the
group to the Central Electoral Committee which can make proposals to revise the
documents. However, it shall not be permitted to alter the text of the
resolution proposed in the citizens’ petition to call a referendum.
J - Judicial review
1. Neither
Constitution nor laws provide for a possibility to appeal to the Constitutional
Court against decisions to hold or not to hold a referendum. However, it was
mentioned that Seimas makes a final decision whether to call or not to call a
referendum. Such decision (as well as the other act of Seimas) may be appealed
against to the Constitutional Court.
2. The
Constitutional Court investigates whether the act adopted by Seimas is not in
conflict with Constitution, and whether the act of the Government is not in
conflict with the laws.
3. A
law adopted in a referendum (except constitutional amendments) also may be
appealed against to the Constitutional Court to investigate whether it
corresponds to the Constitution.
4. The
right to file a petition with the Constitutional Court concerning the
compliance of a legal act with the Constitution shall be vested in the
Government, a group consisting of not less than 1/5 of all members of the
Seimas, and the courts.
K - Experiences of
referendums
1. From
1992 till 2004 six referendums were held in Lithuania. One of them was
mandatory (concerning Lithuania's membership in European Union). All six
referendums were decisive (conclusive).
2. Five
referendums were held on Seimas initiative and one - on citizens' initiative.
3. Two
referendums failed because of too little activity of voters (less than half of
citizens who had the right to vote and were on the voters' list took part in
the referendum).
4. In
two referendums citizens approved the question proposed to consider in
referendum.
5. In
two referendums citizens disapproved the question proposed to consider in
referendum.
6. ---
7. ---
8. Citizens
do not come to referendum to give the vote, because a great part of them do not
trust governmental institutions and political parties.
II - Regional or local
referendums
Neither Constitution nor laws provide for regional or local
referendums. According to the Law on Local Self-Government, municipalities may
organize interrogatories of local residents concerning questions falling within
municipality's competence.
III - The future of
referendums
1. See
answer in A-2.
2-3 A requirement to coordinate with
constitutional provisions, democratization of the procedures of holding a
referendum.
LUXEMBOURG
I - Référendums nationaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Le référendum est-il prévu par la Constitution?
Oui, la Constitution prévoit la possibilité d’organiser un référendum.
Ainsi, le référendum est introduit dans la Constitution luxembourgeoise par la
révision constitutionnelle de 1919. Depuis, l'Article 51, paragraphe 7 de la
Constitution prévoit que « les électeurs pourront être appelés à se
prononcer par la voie du référendum dans les cas et sous les conditions à
déterminer par la loi ». Pourtant, il n’existe pas de loi générale sur
l’organisation d’un référendum.
2. A défaut de dispositions
constitutionnelles la loi permet-elle de recourir au référendum? En quelles
matières?
-
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Référendum obligatoire
Le référendum est-il exigé par la Constitution, qui dispose que certains
textes sont soumis automatiquement au référendum avant ou après leur adoption
par le Parlement?
Au cas par cas : la Constitution ne prévoit pas de précision sur cette
modalité. En fait, le texte de la Constitution reste muet tant sur le caractère
obligatoire, ainsi que sur les autres modalités.
2. Référendum à la demande d’une autorité
a. Le référendum peut-il être organisé à
la demande d’une autorité?
En fait le texte de la Constitution reste tacite sur ce sujet. On pourrait
imaginer que le Gouvernement ou le Conseil d’Etat suggèrent l’organisation d’un
référendum, néanmoins que la Chambre des Députés décide.
b. Si oui, qui peut décider
l’organisation d’un référendum? Le chef de l’Etat, le Gouvernement, le
Parlement, une fraction du Parlement, des entités territoriales?
Actuellement le référendum sur le traité de la Constitution européenne est
suggéré par le Gouvernement, dans l’accord de coalition de 2004 libellé comme
suit : « Le Gouvernement entend soumettre la Constitution européenne
à un référendum après que la Chambre des Députés se soit prononcée par un
premier vote. Le résultat du référendum sera obligatoire. »
3. Référendum à la demande d’une fraction du corps électoral
a. Un certain nombre
d’électeurs peut-il exiger l’organisation d’un référendum? Dans ce cas, quel
est le pourcentage des électeurs exigé pour valider la proposition? Comment
sont vérifiées les signatures des électeurs?
Non, a priori la Constitution ne prévoit pas de telles modalités. Or, la
déclaration gouvernementale du 12 août 1999 ainsi que le projet de loi à
l’initiative populaire en matière législative et au référendum, déposé le 20
mai 2003, prévoit ce qui suit:
« Afin d'inciter les citoyens à prendre une part plus active dans la
vie politique entre deux échéances électorales, le Gouvernement élaborera un
projet de loi réglant l'initiative populaire au niveau national. Celle-ci
devrait permettre à 10.000 électeurs de présenter une proposition de loi qui
devrait être examinée par la Chambre des Députés. De même, 50.000 électeurs
pourraient exiger un référendum sur une proposition de loi ainsi
présentée. »
b. Une demande de référendum
peut-elle porter sur un texte déjà adopté par le Parlement? Une initiative
populaire peut-elle proposer un texte nouveau?
La Constitution ne détermine pas de précision en matière de l’organisation
d’un référendum. En absence d’une loi générale sur l’organisation d’un
référendum, les modalités seront fixées au cas par cas. En ce qui concerne, le
référendum sur la Constitution européenne, l’accord de coalition prévoit :
« Le Gouvernement entend soumettre la Constitution européenne à un
référendum après que la Chambre des Députés se soit prononcée par un premier
vote. Le résultat du référendum sera obligatoire. » Quant à l’initiative
populaire un projet de loi a été déposé par le Gouvernement, qui devrait
permettre à 10.000 électeurs de présenter une proposition de loi qui devrait
être examinée par la Chambre des Députés. De même, 50.000 électeurs pourraient
exiger un référendum sur une proposition de loi ainsi présentée.
4. Procédure impliquant plusieurs autorités
Est-il prévu que la
présentation d’un texte au vote populaire est soumise à l’accord de plusieurs
organes?
Par exemple :
Si le référendum est proposé
par le chef de l’Etat, faut-il une proposition du Gouvernement ou de l’une ou
des deux chambres du Parlement ? Le chef de l’Etat ou le chef du
Gouvernement peuvent-il refuser la proposition?
Si le référendum est demandé
par une fraction du corps électoral, faut-il l’accord du Parlement/d’une
fraction du Parlement?
Le référendum peut-il être
fondé sur une initiative populaire présentant une proposition alternative à un
projet retenu par le Parlement?
A l’exception du Parlement, ce sont le Conseil
d’Etat et les Chambres professionnelles qui se prononcent par avis sur tout
texte législatif. Cependant, l’avis des chambres professionnelles n’est que
facultatif, tandis que l’avis du Conseil d’Etat est obligatoire. Si le Conseil
d’Etat formule une opposition formelle (uniquement dans le cas d’ordre
constitutionnel), alors la Chambre des Députés devra procéder à deux votes
séparés d’un décalage d’au moins trois mois.
5. Rôle du Parlement
- Peut-il s’opposer à
l’organisation d’un référendum en adoptant un contre-projet portant sur le même
objet? Dans quel délai? Une majorité spéciale est-elle requise?
- Peut-il soumettre un
contre-projet au peuple simultanément au premier texte proposé?
- Peut-il donner uniquement
donner son avis?
- Un délai est-il fixé pour
que le Parlement prenne position et, si celui-ci n’est pas respecté, quelles en
sont les conséquences?
- En cas de référendum
portant sur une question de principe/une proposition non formulée/abrogatif
(voir paragraphe suivant), doit-il adopter un (nouveau) texte juridique?
En absence de loi générale sur l’organisation d’un référendum, les
modalités seront fixées au cas par cas, ce qui signifie que la loi fixant les
modalités de l’organisation d’un référendum sera adaptée au cas par cas selon
les souhaits de la Chambre des Députés.
C - Contenu
1. Types d’actes soumis au référendum
Le référendum est-il prévu
seulement pour modifier la Constitution?
Non, la Chambre des Députés n’est pas censée de recourir au vote populaire
pour modifier le texte de la Constitution. Le champ d’application matériel de
l’initiative populaire peut porter sur l’ensemble du domaine de la loi
ordinaire, à l’exclusion dès lors des seules questions constitutionnelles.
Un référendum est-il
nécessaire pour modifier la Constitution?
Non, le référendum n’est pas nécessaire pour
modifier la Constitution.
Sur quels autres types
d’actes le référendum peut-il intervenir? En particulier, le référendum est-il
nécessaire ou possible pour l’adhésion à l’Union européenne ou à une
organisation internationale?
En principe, la Constitution ne prévoit pas de
restrictions, donc le texte du référendum peut porter sur l’ensemble du domaine de la loi ordinaire, à
l’exclusion dès lors des seules questions constitutionnelles.
2. Matières sur lesquelles peut porter le référendum
Le référendum est-il réservé
à certaines matières? Certaines matières sont-elles soumises obligatoirement au
référendum ou, au contraire, exclues du référendum?
Théoriquement, tous les actes peuvent être soumis
au référendum, si la loi le prévoit à l’exclusion des seules questions constitutionnelles.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
1. Quelle est la forme possible du texte
soumis au référendum?
- un
projet rédigé de texte constitutionnel, légal ou autre
-
l’abrogation d’un texte en vigueur
- une
question de principe (par exemple : « êtes-vous en faveur d’un
amendement de la Constitution visant à introduire un système
présidentiel ? ») ou
- une proposition concrète
qui n’est pas présentée sous la forme de dispositions spécifiques, dite
"proposition non-formulée" (par exemple : «êtes-vous en faveur
d’un amendement de la Constitution réduisant le nombre de sièges du Parlement
de 300 à 200 ? »).
En principe, la Constitution ne prévoit pas de
modalités d’organisation, donc toutes les modalités sur l’organisation d’un
référendum doivent être fixées par une loi.
2. Les questions soumises au référendum doivent-elle
respecter :
a. l’unité de la
forme (une même question ne doit pas combiner un projet rédigé et une
proposition non formulée ou une question de principe) ;
En absence d’une loi générale qui réglera les
modalités de l’organisation d’un référendum, il nous est impossible de répondre
à ces questions. Donc, les modalités dépendront donc du texte de la loi à
intervenir. Précisons que le champ d’application matériel de l’initiative
populaire peut porter sur l’ensemble du domaine de la loi ordinaire, à
l’exclusion dès lors des seules questions constitutionnelles.
b. l’unité de la
matière (sous réserve du cas de révision totale d’un texte, il doit
exister un rapport intrinsèque entre les différentes parties de chaque question
soumise au vote, afin de garantir la liberté de vote de l’électeur, qui ne doit
pas être appelé à accepter ou rejeter en bloc des dispositions sans lien entre
elles) ;
En absence d’une loi générale qui réglera les
modalités de l’organisation d’un référendum, il nous est impossible de répondre
à ces questions.
c. l’unité de rang : une
même question ne doit pas porter simultanément sur la Constitution et un acte
normatif inférieur.
En absence d’une loi générale qui réglera les
modalités de l’organisation d’un référendum, il nous est impossible de répondre
à ces questions.
d. Le vote doit-il porter sur une seule question ou peut-elle
porter sur plusieurs?
En absence d’une loi générale qui réglera les modalités de l’organisation
d’un référendum, il nous est impossible de répondre à ces questions.
e. La ou les questions doivent-elles être
claires et non suggestives?
En absence d’une loi générale qui réglera les modalités de l’organisation
d’un référendum, il nous est impossible de répondre à ces questions.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la validité
matérielle)
Le référendum est-il exclu
si le texte proposé est contraire :
- au droit international ou
à certaines de ses normes
- à la Constitution ou à
certaines de ses normes
- à d’autres normes de droit
supérieur
A priori oui, mais en absence de texte législatif,
nous ne savons pas quelles seront les modalités exactes sur l’organisation d’un
référendum. Cependant, il va de soi que dans un Etat de droit la hiérarchie des
normes doit être respectée pour toute sorte de référendum.
F - Campagne/propagande/financement et votation
1. Campagne et propagande
a. Les autorités sont-elles
tenues de fournir une information objective, notamment par la remise du texte
et d’une notice explicative aux électeurs?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
b. Si une notice explicative
est prévue, qui la rédige? Les formations politiques peuvent-elles participer à
la rédaction de cette notice ? La notice explicative doit-elle présenter
le point de vue des autorités et celui des personnes ayant un point de vue
opposé, de manière équilibrée?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère impossible.
c. La propagande pour ou contre le texte
proposé est-elle réservée aux partis politiques? Dans le cas contraire, qui
peut participer à cette propagande? Les autorités (nationales, régionales,
locales) peuvent-elles faire campagne?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
d. Les médias publics sont-ils
tenus de réserver une place égale aux partisans et aux adversaires du texte
proposé?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
e. Qu’en est-il des médias
privés ? Les conditions financières ou autres de la publicité
radio-télévisée sont-elles égales pour les partisans et les adversaires du
projet?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à
cette question s’avère impossible.
2. Financement
a. L’utilisation de fonds
publics en faveur ou en défaveur d’un projet soumis au référendum est-elle
autorisée? Dans quelle mesure? Est-elle exclue pendant la période précédant le
vote?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
b. La rémunération de la
récolte des signatures pour les initiatives populaires par des fonds privés
est-elle autorisée, et à quelles conditions?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
3. Votation
a. Les opérations électorales
sont-elles réalisées en un seul jour ou sur plusieurs?
En principe les opérations électorales se
déroulent en un seul jour, sauf en cas de dérogation d’une loi spéciale.
b. S’il y a un décalage
horaire important entre les différents centres de vote, les résultats de
certains d’entre eux peuvent-ils être connus avant la clôture des opérations
des autres centres?
Non.
c. La participation de chaque électeur
est-elle obligatoire?
Conformément à la Constitution, le vote est obligatoire. On ne saurait
cependant exclure qu’une loi puisse modifier les modalités de cette
disposition.
d. Quorum : Pour que la
consultation soit valable, doit-elle avoir recueilli un certain pourcentage de
votants par rapport au nombre des inscrits ? Ou faut-il une participation
minimale?
En absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère impossible.
G - Les effets du référendum
1. Quels sont les effets du
référendum? Est-il demandé aux électeurs un simple avis (référendum
consultatif)? Ou une décision (référendum décisionnel)?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible. Néanmoins on peut mentionner que l’accord de coalition de 2004
retient que le Gouvernement entend soumettre la Constitution européenne à un
référendum après que la Chambre des Députés se soit prononcée par un premier
vote, dont le résultat du référendum sera obligatoire.
2. Le référendum oblige-t-il à prendre d’autres
décisions (voir point B.5)?
-
3. Si le référendum porte sur un texte déjà
adopté par une autorité, est-il :
- suspensif :
le texte ne peut entrer en vigueur tant qu’il n’a pas été approuvé par les
électeurs ou qu’une demande de référendum n’a pas eu lieu dans le délai prévu
par la Constitution ou par la loi ;
- résolutoire :
le texte cesse d’être en vigueur suite à un vote négatif/en l’absence de vote
positif intervenant dans un certain délai après son adoption;
- abrogatif :
l’acceptation du référendum conduit à l’abrogation d’une disposition en
vigueur.
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
H - Parallélisme des
formes et normes prévoyant le référendum
1. Une disposition
acceptée/refusée par référendum peut-elle être révisée/introduite par une
procédure excluant le référendum?
Dans chaque cas la loi qui sera à voter pour
l’organisation de chaque référendum en détermine les modalités.
2. Une norme constitutionnelle
ou législative prévoyant la possibilité d’organiser un référendum peut-elle
être révisée par une procédure excluant le référendum?
Une réponse à cette question s’avère comme difficile, parce que tout dépend
du contenu de la loi à intervenir.
I - Règles particulières relatives à
l’initiative populaire
1. Quels sont les délais pour la récolte des signatures?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
2. Qui est autorisé à récolter les signatures?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
3. Comment la vérification des signatures s’effectue-t-elle?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
4. Une autorité est-elle
autorisée à rectifier les vices résultant du contenu de la question?
(Exemples : en matière de validité formelle, de caractère obscur, trompeur
ou suggestif de la question)
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
1. La décision d’organiser ou
de ne pas organiser un référendum peut-elle faire l’objet d’un recours devant
une juridiction? Ou un contrôle judiciaire est-il exercé d’office? Ce contrôle
concerne-t-il en particulier l’aboutissement des initiatives populaires?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
2. Dans l’affirmative, quels
sont les cas où le juge peut s’opposer à la tenue d’un référendum (violation de
l’unité de la forme, de l’unité de la matière, absence de clarté de la
question, etc.)?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
3. Les résultats du référendum peuvent-ils faire l’objet d’un
contrôle juridictionnel?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
4. Qui a qualité pour recourir?
En raison de l’absence d’une loi, une réponse à cette question s’avère
impossible.
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Depuis que le pays est doté
d’une Constitution combien de référendums ont-ils été organisés? Précisez quels
types de référendum ont été organisés (voir supra I.C).
Jusqu'à maintenant un référendum a été organisé
qu’à deux reprises (1919/1937) qui étaient de nature consultative..
Le premier référendum de l'histoire du Luxembourg qui a lieu le 28
septembre 1919. C’était en fait un double référendum. Le même jour, les
Luxembourgeois étaient appelés à se prononcer sur le maintien de la dynastie ou
non ainsi que sur une union économique éventuelle avec la France. Ils se sont
prononcés à de larges majorités pour le maintien de la dynastie avec la
Grande-Duchesse Charlotte et pour une union économique avec la France.
Le deuxième, ou si l'on veut, le troisième référendum de l'histoire du
Luxembourg s’est déroulé le 6 juin 1937. Les citoyens étaient appelés à se
prononcer sur une loi dite, la « loi muselière », qui, adoptée à une
large majorité à la Chambre des Députés, rencontrait une forte opposition
extraparlementaire menée notamment par les syndicats. Ces derniers voient dans
cette loi une atteinte à la liberté d'opinion. Le projet de loi « pour la
défense de l'ordre politique et social » interdit l'appartenance à tout
groupement dont « l'activité tend à abolir ou à changer par la violence ou
par tout autre moyen illicite la Constitution ». Elle visait avant tout le
parti communiste. Suite à la forte opposition extraparlementaire, le
Gouvernement Bech décidait de soumettre l'application de la loi à un
référendum. Ce référendum s’est soldé par une légère majorité contre l'entrée
en vigueur de la loi.
2. Qui a pris l’initiative d’organiser chacun d’eux?
En 1919 et en 1937, c’était le Gouvernement qui a
pris l’initiative du référendum.
3. Certains référendums ont-ils échoué faute d’une participation
suffisante?
Non, puisque le vote est obligatoire
4. A combien de référendums les électeurs ont-ils donné une
réponse affirmative?
Pour ce qui concerne les détails, veuillez vous
référer aux annexes ci-jointes.
5. A combien de référendums les électeurs ont-ils donné une
réponse négative?
Pour ce qui concerne les détails, veuillez vous
référer aux annexes ci-jointes.
6. La réponse
s’explique-t-elle en grande partie pour des raisons étrangères à la question
posée?
Pour ce qui concerne les détails, veuillez vous
référer aux annexes ci-jointes.
7. Une réponse affirmative s’explique-t-elle
par la popularité de celui qui a posé la question?
-
8. Une réponse négative
s’explique-t-elle par l’impopularité des gouvernants? Ou par un mécontentement
général? Ou encore par une inexacte compréhension des enjeux en cause?
-
II - Référendums
régionaux ou locaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Le référendum est-il prévu par la
Constitution nationale?
Oui, l’Article 51(7) de la Constitution nationale prévoit le recours au
référendum.
2. A défaut de dispositions
constitutionnelles la loi nationale permet-elle de recourir au référendum?
-
3. Des dispositions des
entités (fédérées, régionales, autonomes, etc.) prévoient-elles le référendum?
L’Article
35 de la loi communale prévoit le recours au vote populaire : « Le
conseil communal peut appeler les électeurs à se prononcer par la voie du
référendum dans les cas d’intérêt communal et sous les conditions qu’il
détermine. Le référendum est de droit lorsque la demande en est faite par un
cinquième des électeurs dans les communes de plus de trois mille habitants, et
par un quart des électeurs dans les autres communes. Dans ces cas, le conseil
doit organiser le référendum dans les trois mois de la demande. Les modalités
du référendum sont fixées par règlement grand-ducal. Les dispositions de la loi
électorale relatives au vote obligatoire, notamment les Articles 259 à 262
inclusivement, sont applicables. Dans tous les cas, le référendum n’a qu’un
caractère consultatif. »
4. En quelles matières le référendum est-il possible?
Conformément à la loi communale, les modalités du référendum sont fixées par règlement
grand-ducal.
A1 - A quel niveau?
1. Au niveau des Etats fédérés?
Le Gand-Duché est un Etat unitaire.
2. Au niveau des provinces? Des régions?
Le Gand-Duché est un Etat unitaire.
3. Au niveau de circonscriptions plus réduites? Des
départements?
La répartition en circonscriptions n’existe qu’au point électoral.
4. Au niveau des communes?
Oui, au niveau communal le recours au vote populaire est possible.
5. En quelles matières?
L’organisation d’un référendum peut être exigé soit par le conseil communal
soit par un cinquième des électeurs dans les communes de plus de trois mille
habitants, et par un quart des électeurs dans les autres communes, dont les
modalités sont à fixer par règlement grand-ducal.
6. Les autorités nationales ou
fédérales peuvent-elles intervenir, et dans quelles conditions?
Non, à condition que la hiérarchie des normes soit respectée aucune
autorité nationale n’a le droit d’intervenir, puisque les communes jouissent de
l’autonomie communale. Sauf, en ce qui concerne les modalités, qui sont fixées
par règlement grand-ducal.
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-B, mutatis mutandis (en indiquant notamment quelles autorités
fédérées/régionales/locales peuvent intervenir).
-
C - Contenu
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-C.
En particulier :
- Le référendum peut-il
porter sur la sécession?
-
- Une modification des
limites territoriales?
-
- Tout autre objet?
-
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-D.
La loi
communale stipule que les modalités du référendum sont fixées par règlement
grand-ducal. En outre, selon la loi communale, les dispositions de la loi
électorale relatives au vote obligatoire, notamment les Articles 259 à 262
inclusivement, sont applicables. Cependant dans tous les cas, le référendum n’a
qu’un caractère consultatif.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum (la validité
matérielle)
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-E (et en particulier à la question de la conformité aux normes de l’Etat
central).
A priori oui, mais vu que les modalités du référendum sont fixées au cas par
cas par règlement grand-ducal, nous ne savons pas quelles seront les modalités exactes sur
l’organisation d’un référendum. Cependant, il va de soi que dans un Etat de
droit la hiérarchie des normes doit être respectée pour toute sorte de
référendum.
F - Propagande et votation
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-F.
En raison du fait que les modalités du référendum sont fixées par règlement
grand-ducal, une réponse à
ces questions s’avère impossible.
G - Les effets du référendum
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-G.
En raison du fait que les modalités du référendum sont fixées par règlement
grand-ducal, une réponse à
ces questions s’avère impossible.
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant
le référendum
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-H.
Les modalités de l’organisation de chaque référendum
sont déterminées par règlement grand-ducal.
I - Règles particulières relatives à
l’initiative populaire
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-I.
L’Article
35 de la loi communale prévoit le recours au vote populaire : « Le
conseil communal peut appeler les électeurs à se prononcer par la voie du
référendum dans les cas d’intérêt communal et sous les conditions qu’il
détermine. Le référendum est de droit lorsque la demande en est faite par un
cinquième des électeurs dans les communes de plus de trois mille habitants, et
par un quart des électeurs dans les autres communes. Dans ces cas, le conseil
doit organiser le référendum dans les trois mois de la demande. Les modalités
du référendum sont fixées par règlement grand-ducal. Les dispositions de la loi
électorale relatives au vote obligatoire, notamment les Articles 259 à 262
inclusivement, sont applicables. Dans tous les cas, le référendum n’a qu’un
caractère consultatif. »
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
Répondre aux mêmes questions
que I-J, en distinguant le cas échéant le contrôle judiciaire au niveau de
l’Etat central et des entités fédérées/des régions.
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Les référendums locaux ont-ils été nombreux?
2. A quel niveau? Etat fédéré? Province ou
département? Communes? Autres circonscriptions? Précisez quels types de
référendums ont été organisés.
III -
Avenir du référendum
1. Une réforme du
référendum est-elle en cours?
En 2003 le Gouvernement avait déposé un projet de loi à l’initiative
populaire en matière législative et au référendum, qui ne fut pas encore votée.
En même temps, le Gouvernement a retenu dans l’accord de coalition de
2004 : « Le Gouvernement entend soumettre la Constitution européenne
à un référendum après que la Chambre des Députés se soit prononcée par un
premier vote. Le résultat du référendum sera obligatoire. »
2. Si oui, quel est son
objet?
Dans l’exposé des motifs
du projet de loi de 2003, le Gouvernement espère pouvoir « inciter les
citoyens à prendre une part plus active dans la vie politique entre deux
échéances électorales, le Gouvernement élaborera un projet de loi réglant
l'initiative populaire au niveau national. Celle-ci devrait permettre à 10.000
électeurs de présenter une proposition de loi qui devrait être examinée par la
Chambre des Députés. De même, 50.000 électeurs pourraient exiger un référendum
sur une proposition de loi ainsi présentée."
3. Si oui, quelle est la
tendance générale de cette réforme?
La population est
largement en faveur du vote populaire tandis que la Chambre des Députés parait
plus divisée sur cette question. Il faut attendre les débats à venir, notamment
les discussions concernant le projet de loi qui a été déposé en 2003 par le
Gouvernement ainsi que la campagne et le déroulement du référendum sur la Constitution
européenne.
MALTE / MALTA
A - Legal Basis
1. Is
provision made for referendums in the Constitution ?
Section 6 of the Constitution of
Malta declares the Constitution as the supreme Law: "Subject to the
provisions of subsections (7) and (9) of section 47 and of section 66 of this
Constitution, if any other law is inconsistent with this Constitution, this
Constitution shall prevail and the other law shall, to the extent of the
inconsistency, be void."
The subsections of section 47
deal with the position when a state of emergency is declared, and are not
relevant to the matter of referendums. Section 66 empowers Parliament to change
the Constitution but provides in subsection (2) for a qualified majority of not
less than two thirds of all the members of the House in the case of an
alteration to a number of certain quoted sections, which are considered
entrenched, and in subsection (3), for two further guarantees in addition to
the two thirds majority, in the case of an alteration of the subsection itself
and of subsection(4) of the same section as well as an alteration to subsection
(2) of section 76 of the Constitution. Section 76 which deals with the
dissolution and prorogation of Parliament. The two added guarantees are: the
passage of six months between the two thirds vote in the House and the
presentation of the bill amending the Constitution to the President and its
being "submitted to the electors qualified to vote for the election of
members of the House of Representatives, and the majority of the electors
voting have approved of the bill."
In essence the Constitution
considers referendums as a constitutional break on the powers of Parliament in
the matter of the alteration of the Constitution itself, and only within the
confines of a possible conflict of interest between the representatives and
their electors. The Constitution does not see referendums as alternative ways
of approval of legislation. The Constitution sees Parliament as the depositary
of sovereign legislating power. The Constitution does not however limit the
right of Parliament to legislate so as to make use of referendums.
2. If not, does the
law provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
Chapter 237 of the Laws of Malta
is the Referenda [throughout the Act itself the proper Latin plural is made use
of instead of the colloquial referendums] Act. This Act [originally Act XXXIII
of 1973] substitutes earlier specially enacted ad hoc Referendum Acts.
The Referenda Act distinguishes between a referendum held under the Act and one
held under section 66(3) of the Constitution. There is a further distinction
between a referendum where the voters will be asked to "approve proposals
set out in a resolution passed for that purpose by the House and published in
the Gazette;" and a referendum in which they are called to
declare"whether they agree that a provision of law should be abrogated in
accordance with the provisions of Part V of this Act."
This Act regulates: the mandatory
referenda held according to the Constitution; as well as (a) those where Parliament
chooses to refer the matter to the electorate, because of the political,
and maybe Constitutional importance of the issue; and (b) those where a number
of citizens (not less in number then ten per cent of the registered voters)
demand that certain specified pieces of legislation or parts thereof shall not
continue in force. Not all legislation can be put to the test of abrogative
referenda. The Law specifies the following, as not subject to an
abrogative referendum under the Act :
b.
the European Convention Act;
c. any
law providing for the matters referred to in Article 56(8)(a)(b) or (c) of the
Constitution [Corrupt practices during elections and foreign interference];
e. the General Elections Act;
f.
any fiscal legislation;
g.
any legislation giving effect to
any treaty obligation undertaken by Malta;
h. save
as provided in Article 36A of the Local Councils Act, any bye-law made by a
Local Council under that Act.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory Referenda
As stated above, only those under
Article 66(3) of the Constitution can be said to be mandatory referenda, in the
sense that they are required for certain pieces of constitutionally relevant
legislation to be validly enacted. In that case the referendum has to be held after
Parliament has voted with the required two thirds majority, and after the
passage of six months.
2. Referenda called by an
authority
a. Can referenda be called by an authority ?
Referenda can be held either
under the Referenda Act (Chapter 237) or under an ad hoc Law. Under the
Referenda Act it is the President of the Republic who fixes the date of the
referendum, but the law provides that five weeks must lapse between the
proclamation of the date, by publication of the Writ, and the date of the vote
(Article 5). An ad hoc law will provide specifically, but in all cases
in the past the President (and before him the Governor as the Monarch's
representative)issued the Writ calling for the referendum.
There is however no authority
which can call a referendum outside Constitutional and Legal provisions, acting
on its own discretion.
b. If so who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the Government,Parliament, a
given number of members of Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
As
stated, a referendum has to be called in the case of certain proposed
constitutional amendments, after the passage of the amending bill through
Parliament. Parliament itself has therefore moved in the first place, but it is
the President who has to fix the date and issue the Writ for the referendum to
be held. The Maltese Constitution considers Parliament as one single collective
body and though there are certain conditions for the passage of a
constitutional amendment, once those conditions are fulfilled, it is Parliament
as a whole that is acting and no group or number of deputies has any
constitutional role.
Article 36A of the Local Councils
Act (Chapter 363) makes the Referenda Act applicable to any bye-law made by a
Local Council under the provisions of Chapter 363. SubArticle (2) of that
Article applies the Referenda Act, by specifying that for the purpose of an
abrogative referendum under this law the ten per cent of citizens required to
request such a referendum, has to refer to the number in the locality of that
local council. However all other legal requirements mutatis mutandis,
apply.
3. Referenda
held at the request of part of the electorate
The two questions
under a. and b. have already been dealt with under 2 immediately above.
4. Procedures involving more than one authority
In
the case of an abrogative referendum requested by at least ten percent of the
voters [under the Referenda Act of the registered voters of the whole country,
under the Local Councils Act of the voters of the locality], it is the
Electoral Commission which has to ascertain whether the required number of
voters have signed the declaration. After that the Electoral Commission has
ascertained the signatures, it shall deposit a note in the Constitutional Court
specifying the numbers of the valid and invalid signatures. The proposers of
the referndum,not less than five and not more than ten, shall sign a
declaration before all the other signatories, indicating that they are signing
as proposers. The Constitutional Court shall within two days of receipt of the
declaration from the Electoral Commission cause a notice to be published in the
Government Gazette giving all the relevant particulars.
Any voter or the Attorney General on
behalf of the Government may, within three months, file an application with the registry of the
Constitutional Court, and petition that the Constitutional Court should declare
that the Referendum requested should not be held, listing the reasons. The
application shall be served on the Prime Minister, the Leader of the
Opposition, the proposers and any other person making an application. If after
hearing submissions, the Constitutional Court decides that the referendum
should not be held, the request is rejected, on the contrary, if no grounds
exist for the original request to be rejected, the referendum shall be held.
The decision of the Constitutional Court shall be delivered personally to the
President of the Republic, who shall fix a date for the referendum not earlier
than three months and not later than six months, from the date of the receipt
of the decision and issue a Writ for the referendum to be held.
If Parliament repeals the provisions
which the referendum seeks to abrogate, the referendum is not held. If
Parliament is dissolved between the date of the decision and the polling day
fixed by the President, the referendum is likewise not held. In each of these
cases the President shall by Proclamation declare that for the reasons above
the referendum will not be held.
An abrogative referendum can only
propose abolition or annulment of legislation, the laws (Chapters 237 and 363)
do not provide for alternative proposals to be submitted to the popular vote.
If Parliament acts to remove from
any legislation the enactments which a referendum requested by ten percent of
the electorate, and which has been admitted by the Electoral Commission and, in
some cases, the Constitutional Court, had sought to abrogate, then the
President of the Republic will by Proclamation declare that the referendum will
not be held.
Parliament is not precluded by Law
from proposing a counter referendum. Parliament does not have a
"consultative" function, and cannot give opinions. Resolutions passed
by the House of Parliament have no legislative binding force, as the
promulgation of legislation presupposes a procedure [with a number of readings]
with finally, the consent of the President and there is no constitutional
provision for the President`s consent to a resolution
The result of an abrogative
referendum is definitive. Parliament can and should look into any legislative lacuna that might thereby ensue. The
President may send a message to Parliament to remind it of its duty, in
the same fashion as he may do after a judgement of the Constitutional Court
declaring a law unconstitutional.
C - Content
Are referenda
held only on proposals for constitutional amendment?
Is a referendum
mandatory in the case of a constitutional amendment?
As stated above referenda are a sine qua(æ) non in the case of certain
specified constitutional amendments, to which refeence has been made above. In the case of other constitutional
amendments, though not mandatory, Governments or Parliamentary majorities might
wish to have the comfort of a popular vote.
Referendum can be and are held also on other matters.
On what other types of measure
can a referendum be called? In particular, is a referendum necessary or
possible for accession to the European Union or International Organisations?
The
Constitution does not preclude the holding of a referendum on any matter. The
Referenda Act does not authorise the holding of an abrogative referendum in the
case of certain types of legislation which have been shown above. Referenda
have historically been held in Malta on matters of great moment: Integration
with Britain (1956); Independence Constitution (1964); Accession to the
European Union (2003).
Are referenda reserved for particular matters ? Are certain matters
automaically put to a referendum or excluded from referenda?
As stated above, referenda are
mandatory only in the case of certain specified constitutional amendments.
Abrogative referenda on voters` initiative are excluded in certain specified
cases. In all other cases there is ample liberty of choice open to political
forces to opt for the holding of referenda when they deem it wise, salutary or
democratically imperative.
D - Form of
the text submitted to referendum(formal validity)
1. What form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically worded draft
- repeal
- a question of principle
- a concrete proposal
- generally worded proposal ?
Article 4(2) of
the Referenda Act provides that: "The question or questions to be put to
those entitled to vote shall be so framed that they can be answered yes or no;
and the ballot paper on which the vote is to be recorded shall be in such form
that each question may be so answered". The legislator was also
preoccupied with the distinction to be retained when more than one question was
to be submitted to the electorate on the same occasion, that the law further
stipulates in subsection (4) that different questions have to be shown in
different colours on the ballot paper.
Provided these
conditions are met there are no further limitations as to the question to be
put. However in the case of an abrogative referendum the enactment which it is
proposed should be annulled is to be specified clearly.
2. Do
questions submitted to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form
b. unity of content
c. unity
of rank
d. does the vote have
to be on a single question or can it be on several different ones?
e. does
the question (or questions) have to be clear and suggestion free?
The Referenda Act
does not address these problems, and neither for that matter are they
considered by the Constitution. As a political comment one can say that the
political history of Malta does not offer too many occasions where a referendum
was resorted to. Although the first referendum held in Malta goes back to the
nineteenth century, referenda have been few in number. In fact only three in
the twentieth century and one in the new millennium. It seems that the
political parties, when in power, and can therefore, through a parliamentary
majority, legislate for it to be held, are wary lest it turn into a protest
vote against government. Also in the very balanced situation obtaining in
Malta, it is resorted to only when it would be counterproductive not to hold
it.
E - Substantive limits on referenda (substantive validity)
There are no
absolute constitutional obstacles to the possible content of a referendum. The
Constitution only stipulates the cases when it is mandatory. The Referenda Act
excludes from the procedure of an abrogative referendum certain enactments,
which have been listed above (under A-2)
F - Campaigning,funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
The Referenda Act
in Article 10 makes applicable to referenda all the provisions of the General
Elections Act (Chapter 354) and the Electoral Polling Ordinance (Chapter 102), mutatis
mutandis. There is no extra requirement in the case of referenda with
regard to the provision of information, except information as regards the
voting document and the questions to be answered yes or no. Government has felt
the need, in the case of the latest (2003) referendum concerning accession to
the European Union, to set up a special unit which sent leaflets to voters
concerning the choice: what entry into the Union would mean.
b. If an explanatory document etc..?
The
question does not arise as no explanatory document is legally required. Of
course political parties or interested lobbies would be free to send leaflets
and other material.
c. Is campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted
to political parties? If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national,
regional or local authorities allowed to campaign ?
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters and
opponents?
There are no
restrictions as to who can campaign for or against. As a matter of fact not
only political parties but also ad hoc groupings and dissidents as well
as independent citizens, have partecipated in the latest referenda. The
Broadcasting Act requires the Broadcasting Authority to ensure that there is a
balance in the time allocated. In actual fact, in the latest referendum, the
complaint was made by the proponents [ the Government ] that the Braodcasting
Authority had been overzealous in scrupulously abiding by the Bradcasting Act,
the different attitudes taken by opponents might have led to the noes being
over represented.
a. Is the use of public funds for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed ? To what extent ?Is it published in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
There is no legislation explicitly prohibiting
the use of public funds to explain or even to promote a referendum query.
Indeed when the proposal comes officially from Government, it is assumed that
information (as distinguished from promotion) is funded from public funds.
Promotion though not prohibited is frowned upon as something not proper. In the
case of the latest referendum concerning the Accession to the European Union,
the money allocated to the information campaign was made known before the vote,
and the money actually spent was the subject of public debate.
Article 21 of the
Act authorises the Minister responsible for Finance may by warrant under his
hand direct the Accountant General to pay all sums required to be spent or
incurred to carry out the provisions of the Act, out of the Consolidated Fund.
All accounts have to be laid on the table of the House of Representatives as
soon as practicable. This is need when it had not been possible to provide for
the public funding in the yearly budget estimates.
Is privately-funded collection of signature for
proper initiatives allowd and if so on what conditions ?
There are no
prohibitions of any sort concerning the funding and the manner in which the
collection of signitures for popular initiatives is conducted.
The Referenda Act
mentions the"day"fixed by the President for the holding of the
referendum.
The singular is
assumed as normal in that in Malta, since some time, voting at elections is
done on only one day. But nothing precludes Parliament from legislating for
referenda to be held on more days when, for example, a number of questions are
put to the electors or when the referendum is held concurrently with local or
national elections.
This
cannot occur in Malta since the counting of votes is done in one centre, and
does not begin before all the votes fom all voting stations are collected in
the central counting Hall.
It
is not a legal but a moral obligation to cast one`s vote at elections and
referenda; however a very high proportion of the Maltese electorate actually
does vote.
Article 20(1) in its proviso
stipulates that" such a proposal shall be deemed not to have been approved
if less than fifty percent of those entitled to vote in the referendum plus
one, will have cast their vote". This however applies only to abrogative
referenda.
G - Effects of referenda
The referenda for which provision is
made in the Constitution, and the abrogative referenda as in the Referenda Act
are decision referenda. However Parliament may by resolution propose other
referenda which may well be consultative. This has never happened to date,
except, perhaps to a certain extent, in the Integration
"proposal"Rferendum of 1956.
2. Does the referendum make it necessary to take other
decisions ?
When an abrogative rerendum is
successful and the electorate by fifty percent of the registered voters, plus
one has voted, in the sense that a majority of those voting has supported the
amendment or repeal of the enactment, then the President of the Republic
(Article 20(1)) has to issue a Proclamation accordingly. As the consent of the
President is an essential ingredient in the promulgation of laws, this
proclamation completes the amendment or repeal of the enactment by the
electorate.
3. Where a referendum deals with a text that has already been
adopted by an autthority, is that referendum:
- suspensive;
- resolutory;
- abrogative ?
In the case of mandatory referendums
as provided by the Constitution, the referendum is suspensive, in the sense
that the amendments passed by Parliament cannot be given the assent of the
President unless approved by the referendum.
In
the case of other referendums provided for by a special law of Parliament, then
it depends on the issue and how the question is put.
There is no doubt that in the
case of an abrogative referendum the result abrogates the enactment and this is
made public by the proclamation of the President.
H - Parallellism of
procedures and rules on referenda
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Parliament
can, in the sense that this is not specifically excluded by the Constitution,
further amend an enactment amended by an abrogative referendum, but this
further emendment will also be subject to another referendum, if not covered by
the specific exclusions listed under 13(2) of the Referenda Act. However this
would be politically suidical for that majority as it would be pitting itself
against the electorate. It cannot be excluded however that further legal
additions might be needed to complete legislation which has been changed by
referendum.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision
which allows referenda be reviseby a procedure which does not allow a
referendum?
The Referenda Act is not part of the
Constitution though it is constitutionally based. It is therefore
not entrenched and can be changed by simple majority in the House.
Theoretically the whole institute of abrogative referenda can be done away
with. No abrogative referendum would then be available as a remedy. A
Parliamentary majority cannot remove the mandatory referendum provided in the
Constitution without a confirmatory referendum.
I - Specific Rules on
popular initiatives
1. What is the time limit
for collecting signitures?
There is no time limit from the
entry into force of an enactment. In fact the Referenda Act expressly includes
all enactments even those which were enacted before the coming into force of
the Act.
2. Who is entitled to collect signitures?
Every elector is entitled to collect
signiture. The Referenda Act provides in Article 15(2) that not less then five
and not more than ten can sign the declaration requesting the calling of a
referendum as "proposers", signing before all other signatories.
3. How are signitures
checked?
According to Article 14(3) of the
Referenda Act the Electoral Commission has to ascertain within fifteen days
from the delivery of the signitures, "the number of persons, qualified
according to subArticle (1), who have signed the declaration and shall within
the said period of fifteen days deposit the declaration by means of a note in
the registry of the Constitutional Court, stating in the note the number of
valid signitures appearing on the declaration as well as the number of invalid
signitures and the reason for such invalidity". SubArticle (1) mentions
the voters qualified as those who appeared in the last electoral registered
published before the delivery of the declaration requesting the abrogative
referendum. The law leaves it to the Electoral Commission to establish and
adopt the methods to be employed to check the authenticity of the signitures.
In Article 15(3) it is declared that the Electoral Commission has the right to
ascertain that the persons actually appearing as signitories have in fact
signed it and the Commission is empowered to ignore the signitures which have
not been signed by the persons whose name appears as a signatory.
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question?
The Constitutional Court is vested
with the duty to hear all applications which are filed contesting the
abrogative referendum on any of four reasons set out in Article 16(1):
a. number of signitures;
b. application of the
abrogative procedure to the named enactment;
c. incompatibility of
the remaining part of the Law with the Constitution or the European Convention
Act, when the enactment is annulled;
d. the time limits
prescribed by the Referenda Act had not been respected.
J - Judicial Review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a Court against
a decision to hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there an automatic
judicial review ?Is judiial review concerned in particular with the outcome of
popular initiatives?
2. If judicial review exists under what
circumstances may the Court rule against the holding of a referendum?
3. Are the results of a referendum subject to judicial
review?
4. Who may lodge an appeal?
The Constitutional Court has an
original competence to deal with all matters with a "constitutional"
subject matter. It is vested by the Referenda Act with the special competence
to hear applications made by any registered voter and the Attorney General on
behalf of the Government contesting a request to hold an abrogative referendum.
The basis of this contestation is set out in the four reasons shown in Article
16(1). There is no limitation of the competence of the Constitutional Court in
constitutional matters. The mandatory referenda and all matters concerning them
fall within the scope of the Constitutional Court. The Constitutional Court has
a final say on these matters and there is no appeal from its decisions though
applications to the European Court of Human Rights are possible if it is
alleged that the European Human Rights Convention has been breached.
K - Experience of Referenda
1. How many referenda have been held since the country has
had a Constitution ?
Since Independence (1964) only two
referenda have been held: one was local, that is the abolition of the Gozo
Local Council (1972) and one concerning the Accession to the European Union
(2003). Under the various Constitutions before Self-Government only one was
held: the question concerned the electability of Ecclesiatics. During the first
period of Self-Government (1921-33) no referenda were proposed. During the
second (1947-64) there were two "constitutional proposals" put to the
electorate; one concerned the intended Integration with Britain (1956) and the
other the Independence Constitution (1964).
2. On whose initiative
has each referendum been held?
All these referenda were held on
the initiative of the Government, and in every case except the first one,
following a vote of the House.
3. Have any referendum
been invalid because of a low turnout ?
None.
4. In how many of the
referenda has the electorate voted yes?
5. In how many of the
referenda has the electorate voted no?
There has been a majority of
votes cast in favour of the positive reply "Yes" in all cases.
However in the case of the Integration proposal, their was a massive and
organised abstention which added to the "no" vote indicated a
substantial negative attitude of the electorate, which led, coupled with other
factors, to a scuttling of the proposal.
6. Can any of the
results be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question ?
By and large the electorate voted
more on the merit of the questions than because it was influenced by other
extraneous factors. However the fact that all referenda were proposed by the
Government then in power could have added to the positive result. It is however
fair to say that in all cases this might also have led to some protest negative
voting counterbalancing the advantage. In the three most momentous decisions
[Integration with Britain; Independence; Accession to the European Union ]
there are indications of substantial transversal cross party voting proving a
more "objective" approach to the referendum question.
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by
thepopularity of the person putting the question?
8. Can any of the
negative results be accounted for by an unpopular Government? Or by general
discontent ? Or by a misunderstanding of the issues at stake?
Undoubtedly the positive yes vote
for the Integration with Britain proposal had been augmented by the personal
popularity of Dom Mintoff, then a freshly elected Prime Minister in the peak of
authority and persuasion. The close victory for the "yes" vote in the
referendum concerning the Accession to the European Union is usually ascribed
to a general electoral weary attitude to the Government then in power.
Otherwise the yes vote might have won with a larger margin.
II - Regional or local referenda
A - Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the National Constitution for Local Referenda?
2. If there are no constitutional
provisions, does national law allow local referenda?
Referenda
at the local level are not entrenched or at least provided for by the Constitution,
which however does not prohibit or exclude them, but are envisaged by the Local
Councils Act which refers to the Referenda Act.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other type of
body adopted provisions for holding referenda?
4. On what matters is it
possible to hold referenda?
Malta has no federate, regional
or autonomous body. One of the referenda mentioned above had in fact abolished
the Gozo (regional) Council. There are Local Councils, under the Local Councils
Act (Chapter 363) which provides also for the holding of abrogative referenda
in the case of bye-laws adopted by local councils. There are no other standing
legal provisions for other types of referenda: propositive or recall
procedures.These might be provided for by an ad hoc law which would not
be constitutionally barred. One can therefore say that whilst there are
mandatory referenda, and referenda which are excluded under Part V of the
Referenda Act with regard to abrogative referenda, all other matters are the
possible matter for a referendum to be held under a special ad hoc law
or resolution.
A1 - At what level ?
1. Federal States?
2. Provinces, Regions?
3. Lower levels? Districts?
4. Municipalities?
5. On what matters?
6. May national authorities
intervene, and in what conditions?
Malta
has only local authorities (communes) and there is an abrogative referendum
provided for in the Local Councils Act (Chapter 363) to real bye laws enacted
by the Local Councils. The Government can only intervene, by an application
made by the Attorney General on its behalf if there is any non-conformity with
in law in the matter of the request for the holding of the referendum.
B - What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Arguably the only possible
referendum at the local level is the abrogative referendum espressly provided
for in the Local Government Act. The Councils could hold other referenda either
through specific ad hoc legislation by the House of Representatives, or,
but however without a legally binding outcome, through special arrangements for
the consultation of the local electorate.
C - Content
- Can a referendum be
held on a proposal to secede from the State?
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
- Are any other matters permitted?
It is difficult to imagine in the
case of Malta, a proposal to secede from the State being submitted after a
specific law authorising such a referendum being passed by the national
Parliament. The geographical boundaries in the case of Malta are set by the
forces of nature, but Parliament can alter the boundaries of jurisdiction of
local councils and this matter could be made subject of a consultative
referendum ad hoc.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum(formal validity)
The
question to be put to the electorate must always be answerable in
"Yes" and "No".
E - Substantive limits on referendum (substantive validity)
Local referenda are subject to
the Constitution and the two relevant laws [Local Councils Act and Referenda
Act]. It would be ultra vires for the Councils to go beyond.
F - Campaigning and voting
G - Effects of Referenda
H - Parallellism of Procedures and rules on referenda
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
J - Judicial review
K - Experience of referenda
1. Have there been many
local referenda ?
2. If so at what level ?
The Local Councils Act makes
express reference to the Referenda Act as regards abrogative referenda to
repeal bye laws enacted by local councils,and that Act applies, mutatis
mutandis.
No local referenda of any type
have been held in Malta.
III - The future of Referenda
1. Is the referendum system
currently being reformed?
2. If so for what reason?
3. If so, what is the
general tendency of this reform?
The
referendum system is not being reformed and there is at the moment no movement
to review it.
PAYS-BAS / NETHERLANDS
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is provision made for
referendums in the Constitution ?
The Dutch Constitution does not
contain any provision concerning referendums. A proposal to include such a
provision was recently rejected by Parliament in second reading.
2. If not, does the law
provide for the use of referendums? On what matters?
Anticipating the inclusion of a
provision on referendums into the Constitution and the adoption of a Law on
Referendums based upon that constitutional provision, a Temporary Law on
Referendums was adopted, which took effect on January 1, 2002 and will remain
in force till January 1, 2005.
According to Article 6 of the
Temporary Law, referendums may take place in relation to new laws, adopted by
Parliament, and in relation to tacit approval by Parliament of treaties,
provided that those treaties will bind only the Netherlands and not the two
other parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Aruba and the Netherlands
Antilles. There are, however, several exceptions. According to Article 7, no
referendums may take place in relation to laws concerning Kinghood and the
Royal Family, concerning the State budget, concerning amendment of the
Constitution and concerning the implementation of treaties or decisions of
international organisations. Laws enacted for the whole of the Kingdom (Rijkswetten) are also excluded, unless
they concern the approval of a treaty that will only apply to the Netherlands,
and not to Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles.
Meanwhile, two members of
Parliament have introduced a so-called legislative initiative, proposing to
remove the temporary character of the Law and make it permanent. Parliament has
not yet taken a decision on the proposal.
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or after
their adoption by Parliament?
As indicated above, the
Constitution does not contain any provision concerning referendums. The
Temporary Law on Referendums does not provide for any automatic submission to a
referendum. There must be a request by a certain number of persons entitled to
vote.
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
The Temporary Law
only provides for referendums at the request of persons entitled to vote.
b. If so, who may call a referendum? The
Head of State, the Government, Parliament, a given number of members of
Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
Neither the Head of State, nor
the Government or Parliament, nor any other authority may call for a
referendum. Special provincial and municipal regulations concerning regional
and local referendums may provide for referendums at the initiative of
provincial and municipal authorities. However, these referendums are not
covered by the Temporary Law (see Part II of the Questionnaire).
3. Referendums held at the
request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid?
How are voters’ signatures checked?
A national referendum will take
place if, after an introductory request of at least 40,000 persons entitled to
vote, the definitive request is supported by 600,000 persons entitled to vote
(Article 2 of the Temporary Law). They must sign the request in person, at the
city hall or town hall, where their identity will be checked (Article 45 of the
Temporary Law).
b. Can a request for a referendum
relate to a text already adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward
by popular initiative?
Apart from the tacit approval of
treaties, national referendums always relate to new laws that have been adopted
by Parliament and promulgated by the King, but have not yet entered into force.
The referendum is a consultative corrective referendum, which means that its
outcome is a not binding opinion that the law should either enter into force or
be withdrawn (Articles 5 and 115 of the Temporary Law). The Law does not
provide for a popular legislative initiative.
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
As indicated under I-B-2-a., only
the electorate may take the initiative for a national referendum. If the
requirements for the introductory and final requests have been met, and the
requests relate to a law to which the Temporary Law applies, the referendum has
to take place. No further authorization is required.
As said before, the Temporary Law
does not provide for any popular legislative initiative.
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a
counterproposal on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so?
If so, is a special majority required?
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
Whether a referendum will take
place, depends exclusively on whether a popular initiative is taken that
fulfils the requirements. Parliament cannot oppose it, nor take the initiative for
a counter-referendum. There is also no place for any Parliamentary opinion
concerning the contents or desirable outcome of the referendum.
If the referendum does not take
place due to lack of the required subscriptions of the request, or if the
outcome of the referendum is that the law should enter into force, a decision
on the entry into force will be taken by Royal Decree. If the outcome is that
the law should be withdrawn, the law will be reconsidered. This means that
Government will submit a proposal to Parliament either concerning the
withdrawal of the law, or concerning its entering into force. This way,
Parliament will decide on whether to respect the outcome of the consultative
referendum or to ignore it.
The referendum may only concern
laws already adopted by Parliament, not issues still to be regulated by law.
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted
to referendum
Are referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
Is a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional amendment?
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In
particular, is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European
Union or international organisations?
Amendments of the Constitution
are excluded from the Temporary Law on Referendums. The approval of treaties
may be subjected to a referendum, provided that the treaty will not also bind
Aruba or the Netherlands Antilles. Consequently, important issues of
international relations, if regulated in a treaty, may be subjected to a
referendum. However, laws that are exclusively adopted to implement a treaty or
a decision of an international organisation, may not be submitted to a
referendum, since this might create a situation in which the Netherlands
violates its international obligations.
With respect to the approval of
the Constitution of the European Union, a draft law was introduced by a number
of members of Parliament, which provides for a referendum. This would,
therefore, be an ad hoc referendum,
not covered by the Temporary Law. The proposal has been approved by the Second
Chamber and is pending before the First Chamber.
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain
matters automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
The Temporary Law applies to all
new laws, with the exception of the laws mentioned under A-2.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of an existing provision?
- a question of principle (for example: “are you in
favour of amending the constitution to introduce a presidential system of government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
The text submitted to the
referendum is the text of the law as adopted by Parliament and promulgated by
the King. The only issue submitted to referendum is whether the law should
enter into force or be withdrawn.
2. Do questions submitted
to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a specifically-worded draft amendment and a
generally-worded proposal or a question of principle must not be combined in
the same question);
b. unity of content (except in the case of total revision of
the Constitution or another piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic
connection between the various parts of each question put to the vote in order
to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or
reject as a whole provisions without an intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the question must not relate simultaneously
to the Constitution and subordinate legislation.
d. Does
the vote have to be on a single question or can it be on several different
ones?
e. Does
the question (or do the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
The referendum may only relate to
the text of the law as a whole - or to the approval of the whole of the treaty
- and only to one law - or treaty - at the time. The only issue submitted for a
vote is to either have the law enter into force or have it withdrawn (approval
or not of the treaty) (Article 115 of the Temporary Law).
E -
Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some of its rules;
- to other overriding legal rules.
These issues do not rise under
the Temporary Law, since the text submitted to referendum is the text approved
by Parliament, which means that Parliament is of the opinion that the law is
not contrary to international law or the Constitution. Laws that are
exclusively intended to implement a treaty or a decision of an international
organisation, may not be submitted to a referendum (Article 7 of the Temporary
Law). Thus it is guaranteed that the outcome of the referendum will not put the
Netherlands in a situation of violating its international obligations.
F -
Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities required to provide objective
information, for example by sending the text and an explanatory document to
voters?
The text of the law that will be
submitted to a referendum will be available at all city halls and town halls
during four weeks preceding the referendum. The mayor will publicly announce
this.
b. If an explanatory document is provided,
who draws it up? Can political parties take part in drafting it? Does the
explanatory document have to provide a balanced presentation of the
authorities’ views and their opponents’ views?
The Minister responsible for
having proposed the law that will be submitted to a referendum, in consultation
with the Prime Minister, will make a factual summary of the law and have that
sent to all voters at least two weeks before the referendum takes place.
(Article 114 of the Temporary Law)
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local
authorities allowed to campaign?
Campaigning in relation to the
referendum is not the exclusive right of the political parties; every voter and
any group of voters may organise a campaign. Public authorities may provide
information relating to the referendum. If the information includes an opinion,
it should expressly indicate that this is the case.
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
The Temporary Law does not
provide for a special role for the media. They are, of course, free to give
information and opinions concerning the referendum. Political parties may use
their broadcasting time on radio and t.v. also for campaigning in connection
with the referendum.
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters
and opponents?
See under d.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
It was the express choice of the
legislator not to include in the Temporary Law any provision concerning funding
of those who take the initiative for a referendum. However, debate in
Parliament reveals that it was also not the intention to expressly exclude such
funding. Starting point was that both the proponents and the opponents of the
referendum would carry their own expenses.
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
The collection of signatures is
not of any use under the Temporary Law, since every supporter of the
provisional and final request has to register in person at the city hall or
town hall.
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
Voting takes place on one day, in
accordance with the normal rules concerning voting laid down in the Law on
Voting.
b. If there is a large time-lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
Since the Temporary Law only
applies to the Netherlands and not to Aruba and the Netherlands Antilles, the
issue does not arise.
c. Is it
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
Voting is not compulsory under
the Law on Voting.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
In order for the negative outcome
of the referendum (i.e. the opinion
that the law should be withdrawn (the treaty should not be approved) to be
valid, it must have supported by a majority of the votes cast and, at the same
time, by at least 30% of the number of persons entitled to vote (Article 20 of
the Temporary Law).
G -
Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding
referendum)?
The Temporary Law only provides
for consultative referendums.
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
If the outcome is a positive one,
a decision will be taken to have the law enter into force (to approve the
treaty. If the outcome is a negative one, the decision will be put before
Parliament either to have the law enter into force or to withdraw the law (to
approve or not to approve the treaty).
3. Where a referendum deals with a text
that has already been adopted by an authority, is that referendum:
-suspensive: the text may not enter into force
unless it has been approved by the electors or unless a request to hold a
referendum has not been made within the time-limit established by the
Constitution or by law;
-resolutory: the text ceases to be in force
following a "no" vote or failure to secure a "yes" vote
within a certain time-limit after its adoption; or
-abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum
leads to the repeal of a provision in force?
If the term for the introductory
request for a referendum has passed without such a request having been made,
the law will enter into force at the moment provided by the law, which moment
may not be within six weeks after the law has been made public (Article 12 of
the Temporary Law). If the introductory request has been made and fulfils the requirements,
the provision in the law concerning its entry into law becomes obsolete
(Article 13 of the Temporary Law). If no final request follows, or if the
referendum has as its outcome that the law should enter into force, a new
decision on entry into force of the law will have to be made. If the outcome of
the referendum is that the law should be withdrawn, the Government has to
submit to Parliament a proposal concerning withdrawal or concerning entry into
force, leaving the choice to parliament (Article 15 of the Temporary Law).
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
If
a certain law may be submitted to a referendum, this means that every posterior
amendment of that law may also be submitted to a referendum.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
The Temporary Law will
automatically end on January 1, 2005. This ending cannot be submitted to a
referendum, because it requires no new law. However, a law that would shorten
or prolong its legal force, or change its temporary character into a permanent
character, would itself be covered by the Temporary Law.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
N.B. Although all
referendums require an initiative by voters, the procedure cannot be qualified
as a popular initiative in the sense that those who take the initiative may
formulate the questions submitted to a referendum.
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
Since every voter who supports a
request for a referendums has to register in person, no collection of votes
takes place. The introductory request has to be made within three weeks after
the Minister of the Interior has published his decision that the law concerned
may be subjected to a referendum. The Minister adopts and publishes his
decision within one week after promulgation of the law. In the case of the
approval of a treaty the decision is taken and published by the Minister of
External Affairs. The final request has to be made within six weeks after the
introductory request has been declared valid by final decision.
2. Who is entitled to collect
signatures?
No collection of signatures takes
place.
3. How are signatures
checked?
The identity of those who sign as
supporters of a request is checked at the city hall or town hall.
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct irregularities
resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems of formal
validity, obscure, misleading
or suggestion-making questions)
Since the referendum only
concerns the entry into force or withdrawal of the law (the approval or not of
a treaty) no questions have to be formulated.
J -
Judicial review
1. Is it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to
hold or not to hold a referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is
judicial review concerned in particular with the outcome of popular
initiatives?
Against the decision on whether
or not a law or the approval of a treaty may be submitted to a referendum an
appeal may be lodged to the Administrative Jurisdiction Division of the Council
of State within six days. The same holds good for decisions by the Chairman of
the Central Polling Station about the validity of introductory and final
requests, and about the outcome of referendums. (Article 144 of the Temporary
Law).
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
The Council of State may declare
the appeal against the decision that the law, or the approval of a treaty, may
be submitted to a referendum inadmissible because of non-fulfilment of a
procedural requirement, declare it not well-founded or declare it well-founded.
In the latter case the decision appealed against will be annulled on the ground
that it has been taken in violation of the law or of one or more general
principles of good administration (Article 8.77 of the General Administrative
Procedure Law).
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
See under 1.
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
An appeal may be lodged by all
those who have an interest to sue.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums have been held since the country has
had a Constitution? Specify what type of referendums were held (see above
I.C)?
Under the Temporary Law no
referendum has taken place so far.
2. On whose initiative has
each referendum been held?
---
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
---
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
---
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
---
6. Can any of the results
be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
----
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
---
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the
issues at stake?
---
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the national Constitution for local referendums?
The proposal to include a
provision in the Constitution, that was rejected, also concerned referendums at
regional and local level.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
The Temporary Law also applies to
provincial and municipal referendums concerning decisions of the provincial and
municipal authorities of general effect (Article 8 of the Temporary Law). The
required number of voters supporting an introductory request is one third of
the persons entitled to vote in a province, and for a final request it is 5%.
For the municipalities these figures differ depending on the size of the
municipality concerned.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
The provinces and municipalities
have the possibility to make regulations concerning regional and local
consultative referendums. However, these regulations may not apply to legal
acts with respect to which the Temporary Law provides for, or excludes the
possibility of a referendum (Article 166 of the Temporary Law). However,
Article 165 of the Temporary Law provides for inter-temporal law in this
respect.
4. On what matters is it
possible to call a referendum?
Article 8 of the Temporary Law
contains a detailed list of decisions by provincial and municipal authorities
that may be the submitted to a referendum, and decisions that are excluded from
a referendum. Submitted to a referendum may most decisions of a general binding
character, decisions to participate in private forms of cooperation, decisions
to join common public structures, decisions to change the name of the province
or municipality, decisions to change the boundaries of a municipality, etcetera. Article 8 also lists several
exceptions such as decisions which are exclusively meant to implement an
international treaty or decision of an international organisation, decisions on
matters which leave no margin of discretion to the authority concerned, and
decisions which form part of a zoning planning. In addition, the provincial and
municipal legislator may exclude other decisions from the possibility of a
referendum, such as decisions concerning the labour conditions of civil
servants, decisions concerning regional or local taxes etcetera.
As said before, the provinces and
municipalities may regulate that other decisions may also be subjected to a
referendum, provided that they are not excluded by the Temporary Law.
A1 -
At what level?
1. Federate states?
2. Provinces? Regions?
See under A-1 and A-2.
3. Lower levels?
Districts?
4. Municipalities?
See under A-1. and A-2.
5. On what matters?
See under A-4.
6. May national or federal
authorities intervene, and in what conditions?
There is no possibility of
intervention. However, the Temporary Law has precedence over provincial and
municipal regulations.
B -
What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
The provincial and municipal
referendums regulated in the Temporary Law are also exclusively of a
consultative corrective character. They also require an introductory and a
final request, and they take place before the regulation or decision concerned
has entered into force.
C -
Content
Reply to the same questions as in I-C.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be held on a proposal to secede from the State?
A
proposal of that kind is not included in the list of Article 8 of the Temporary
Law. The provincial and municipal regulations may provide that other decisions
may be subjected to a referendum; however, the power to propose to secede is
not provided for in the Provincial Law nor in the Municipal Law.
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
A municipal
decision to correct the boundaries of the municipality is covered by Article 8
of the Temporary Law. The change of the boundaries between two or more
municipalities is regulated by national law and may be submitted to a national
referendum.
- Are any other subjects permitted?
Article 8 contains an exhaustive
list of subjects. However, the provinces and municipalities may regulate that
other subjects may be submitted to a referendum, provided that such subjects
are not excluded in the Temporary Law.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum
(formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-D.
The text submitted to referendum
is the text adopted by the provincial or municipal authority.
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of
conformity with central-government rules).
The referendum may only relate to
the issue of the entry into force or withdrawal of the regulation or decision
concerned.
F - Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as in I-F.
The same applies as to national
referendums (I-F).
G - Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-G.
The same applies as to national
referendums (I-G).
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on
referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-H.
The same applies as to national
referendums (I-H).
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply to the same questions as in I-I.
The same applies as to national
referendums (I-I).
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate
distinction between judicial review at central-government level and at federate
or regional level.
The same applies as to national
referendums: direct appeal within six days to the Administrative Jurisdiction
Division of the Council of State.
K - Experiences of referendums
1. Have there been many
local referendums?
2. If so, at what level? Federate level? Provinces or
districts? Municipalities? Other levels? Specify what type of referendums were
held.
A considerable number of
municipalities have their own regulation on referendums. Referendums at the
local level are rather common, mainly of a consultative nature, at the initiative
of either voters or the municipal authorities So far, only in three
municipalities has there been a referendum in virtue of the Temporary Law.
The
Province of North-Holland is the only province with a regulation on
referendums. No provincial referendums have taken place so far.
III - The future of referendums
1. Is
the referendum system currently being reformed?
2. If
so, for what reason?
3. If
so, what is the general tendency of this reform?
As said before, the Temporary Law on Referendums will end on January 1,
2005. Unless the proposal by two members of Parliament to give the Law a
permanent character will be adopted, the situation thereafter will be that the
Netherlands has no law on referendums at the national level. In that situation
referendums at the national level will be possible only on the basis of a
special law, such as the law now proposed to hold a referendum in connection
with the approval of the Constitution for the European Union.
For referendums at the provincial and municipal level the ending of the
Temporary Law will mean that the restrictions laid down therein no longer
apply, while the subjects which may be submitted to provincial and municipal
referendums, regulated in the Temporary Law, may again be regulated in provincial
and municipal regulations.
POLOGNE / POLAND
I -
National referendums
A -
Legal basis
In the
polish Constitution there is provision made for referendum. (Article 90 p. 3,
Article 125, Article 235 p. 6). There are also: Nationwide Referendum Act 2003
(NRA), and Local Referendum Act 2000 (LRA).
B –
What type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory referendum is not required by
the Constitution. No texts are automatically submitted to referendum before or
after their adoption by Parliament.
2. Referendum can be called by Sejm (lower
chamber of the Parliament) or by President of the Republic with the consent of
the Senate.
3. Referendum can be held at the request of
part of the electorate. 500 000 of members of the electorate can call for a
referendum. The motion signed by 500 000 citizens is presented to parliament by
the plenipotentiary of sygnatories. To the motion is attached the list of the
signatures of the citizens supporting the idea of referendum. The decision of
the Sejm shall be taken by an absolute majority of votes in the presence of at
least half of the statutory number of deputies. In the case the Sejm does not
accept the request to call referendum Speaker of the Sejm shall inform the
movers. Referendum at the request of citizens can not be held on such a matters
like:
-
expenditures, revenues and taxes,
- matters
on the defence of the state,
- amnesty.
4. Sejm can call referendum on its own
initiative as well as at the request of the Senate, Government and citizens.
President
of the Republic can call referendum with the consent of the Senate given by an
absolute majority of votes taken in presence of at least half of the satatutory
number of senators.
5. Parliament has to express its agreement
for the referendum by voting (as mentioned above in p. 3). In such a situation
Parliament can oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a counterproposal
on the same matter.
C -
Content
Article
125 of the Constitution
states that nationwide referendum may be held in respect of matters of
particular importance to the state. No matters are automatically put to
referendum or generally excluded from referendums.
Article
235 of the Constitution
states that if a bill to amendt the Constitution relates to the provisions of chapter
I (the Republic), chapter II (the freedoms, rights and obligations of persons
and citizens) or chapter XII (amending the Constitution) the subjects entitled
to submit ammendments to the Constitution i.e. at least 1/5 of the statutory
number of deputies, the Senate or the President may require the holding of a
referendum. It is an confirmatory one.
Referendum
is possible but not is necessary for accession to the EU. In the polish
constitution there is a general rule in Article 90 stating that granting of
consent for ratification of an international agreement delegate to an
international organization or international institution the competence of
organs of State authority may also be passed by nationwide referendum . Any
resolution in respect of the choice of procedure for granting consent to
ratification (statute or referendum) shall be taken by the Sejm by an absolute
majority vote taken in the presence of at least half of the statutory number of
deputies.
Referendum
for granting consent for ratification of such agreement can be called by Sejm
or by President of the Republic with the consent of the Senate.
D -
Form of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
All forms
are possible. This questions however are not directly regulated by law. The
vote can be held on single question as well as can be held on several different
ones. Questions have to be clear and suggestion free.
E -
Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
The
Constitution does not containe direct provisions in this matters. The
substantive limits are taken into account by Sejm in the process of making
decision to hold or not to hold referendum.
F -
Campaigning, funding and voting
1. State’s Electoral Commission (SEC) is
the main authority responsible for the organization referendum. Article 11 of
the law on referendum states that SEC, among others, implements the supervisory
function during the process of preparation of the referendum and control the
observation of the rules in the process of carry out referend; explains the way
of voting in referendum. SEC is authorised to provide objective informations.
2. Article 59 NRA states that
expenditures concerning the preparation and carry out referendum are covered by
the state’s budget.
3. Article 37 NRA that political
parties, associations, fundations and other subjects are entitled to take part
in the referndal campaign.
The public
media are required to allocate equal time to all subjects entitled to take part
in the referendal campaign (Article 52 NRA).
Voting can
take place on 1 day or 2 days (Article 4 NRA). In Poland there is no large time
lag between different voting centres. It is impossible that results from some
voting centres will be known in other centres before the end of voting.
It is not
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote.
There is
no special quorum for referendum to be valid. There is however special quorum
needed for referendum to be binding. Article 125 p. 3 of the Constitution
states that if more than half of the number of those having the right to vote
have participated in it a result of nationwide referendum shall be binding.
Article 125 p. 4 of the Constitution regulates that the validity of the
referendums shall be determined by the Supreme Court. The procedure is regulated
by NRA (Articles 33-36) .
G -
Effects of referendums
1. In the light of the general rules on
referendum in polish law, electorate can be asked for an opinion or a decision.
The nationwide referendum may be held in respect of matters of particular importance
to the State (Article 125 p. 1 of the Constitution). Article 2 NRA states that
polish citizens in voting shall express their will how to decide on the
questions left to referendum. The written principles are of a very general
nature. The only factor making difference between consultative and binding
referendum , as has been explained above, is quorum.(Article 125 p.3).
2-3. This questions are not directly regulated
by law.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
Referendum
in polish law is not obligatory in any case. So it is possible that provision
agreed to or rejected in a referendum can be revised or adopted in the
legislative procedure without voting in referendum. For example the current
polish Constitution from 1997 has been ratified in referendum. But the
amendments to the Constitutions don’t need a form of referendum (exeptions are
mentioned in Article 235.6 of the Constitution, but even in this case
referendum is not obligatory, p. C above).
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
There is
no time limit for collecting signatures . The initiators of the request to
organize referendum are entitled to collect the signatures.
Speaker of
the Sejm after receiving the request with attached signatures, having doubts
concerning the correctness of signatures has the right to send the list of
signatures to SEC for verification.
J -
Judicial review
If the
number of signatures is smaller than required by law, in the term of 14 days,
on the decision of the Speaker of the Sejm , the number must be completed. In
the case this condition will not be met Speaker of the Sejm rejects to
accept(to receive) the motion with request on referendum. The plenipotentiary
of the signatories can appeal the decision of the Speaker to the Supreme Court.
The decision of the Supreme Court is a final one.
There is
no automatic judicial review on the decision to hold or not to hold a
referendum.
It is
possible in the framework of general rules regarding the Constitutional
Tribunal to make application to the Constitutional Tribunal. In such a case
there must be the controversies of a constitutional nature. Applicants have to
meet the conditions needed for making application to Constitutional Tribunal in
the light of the Constitution and Constitutional Tribunal Act.
In fact
the group of MP made such an application (april 2003) claiming the inconformity
of the Nationwide Referendum Act 2003 with the Constitution in the matters
concerning the provisions on referendum granting of consent for ratification of
the international agreements.
Constitutional
Tribunal in its judgment of 27th May 2003 (K.11/03) stated that the Nationwide
Referendum Act 2003 , insofar as relates to the applicant’s claims, conforms to
the Constitution. The judgment of the Tribunal did not touch the concrete
questions on referendum.
K -
Experience of referendums
The new
polish Constitution has entered into force in 1997 and had been accepted in
referendum. Referendum was obligatory and binding. Since the new Constitution
is in the force Poland has had one nationwide referendum on the polish accesion
to the EU, (june 2004).
II - Regional or local referendums
A -
Legal basis
Article
170 of the Constitution
reads as follow: “members of a self-governing community may decide, by means of
a referendum, matters concerning their community, including the dismissal of an
organ of local self-government established by direct election.” The principles
of and procedures for conducting a local referendum are specified by statute
“Local Referendum Act 2000 (LRA).
A1 -
At what level?
Referendum
can be held on different levels: regions, districts and municipalities.
B -
What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Referendum
can be called by the decision of the consitutive organ of unit of local
self-government taken by absolute majority of voices out of all statutory
members of the local constitutive organs.
Referendum
is held on the initiative of the constitutive organ of local self-governing
unit. It can be also held at the request of the members of a self-governing
community (10% inhabitans on district’s and municipal’s level and 5% on
regional level) Article 4 LRA. Such a motion on behalf of members of the local
community can be proposed by- the group of 15 citizens having the right to vote
and 5 citizens having the right for being elected; - local structure of the
political party; - other organizations. This subjects (entities) are called
“initiators of referendum”. The initiator of referendum informs the president
of the local units on the intention to make a referendum. In the term of 60
days initiator is obliged to collect demanded number of signatures.
After
receiving the request on referendum with attached questions, constitutive organ
of the self-governing unit take decision to hold the referendum, under the
condition that the results of referendum will not lead to the solutions
contrary to the law. (Article 17 LRA) Decision on conducting referendum must be
taken in the term of 30 days. (Article 18 LRA).
The
decision of the organ of local units rejected the motion of citizens to hold
referendum can be appealed to the administrative court in the term of 14 days.
The administrativer court shall make its judgment in term of 14 days. The
decision of the court replaced the decision of the organ of local unit.(Article
20 LRA)
C -
Content
LRA
provides that in the case to dismiss an organ of local self-government
established by direct election before the end of the period it has been
elected, the decision should be made in referendum called only at request of
the inhabitans of the self-governing unit. (Article 5 LRA).
D -
Form of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
See p. D
above.
E -
Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
See answer
p. B above.(Article 17 LRA),
F -
Campaigning and voting
See the
role of State’s Electoral Commission.
Campaigning
is not restricted to political parties. All initiators of referendum can take
party in referendal campaign.
The
provisions on funding are very restrictive. The costs of referendum are covered
from the budget of the local self-governing unit..
The
expenditures of the initiator of referendum are covered by its own
means.(Articles 42, 43 LRA).
Voting. -
the local referendum is valid if at least 30% of entitled members of local
community took part in the voting.(Article 55 LRA).
The result
of referendum is decisive if the proposal (question) is accepted by more than
half valid voices in referendum.
G -
Effects of referendums
In the
light of Article 170 of the Constitution (see p. A above) electorate is asked
for the decision.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
J -
Judicial review
Answers
have been given above.
K -
Experiences of referendums
There were
local referendums on different levels concerning the dismissal of an organ of
local self-government established by direct election.
III - The future of referendum
The
general principles concerning referendum were under discussion during the term
of constitution-making process (1991-1997). The results of the discussion are
put to the constitutional provisions (Article 125) and were aproved in
referendum. The only point, however is and still is controversial, i.e the very
restrictive quorum for binding result of the referendum: more than half of the
number of those having the right to vote have participated in it.
PORTUGAL
I - Référendums nationaux
A - Fondement juridique
Dès la reforme constitutionnelle de l’année 1989, la Constitution de la
République Portugaise (dorénavant: CR) prévoit le référendum national
(Article 115), en établissant les principes fondamentaux dans la matière. Ces
principes font, ensuite, l’objet de concrétisation et développement par une loi
organique (CR, Articles 164-b, 166-2) - aujourd’hui la Loi nº 15-A/98, du 3
avril (dorénavant: LRN).
B - Type de
référendum
1. Un cas - un seul cas - de
référendum obligatoire est prévu, portant sur la «régionalisation» du
pays. La création des «régions administratives» appartient à la loi (CR,
Article 255) et doit être simultanée, mais elle ne deviendra effective qu’après
un référendum ayant par objet, à la fois, la décision de «régionaliser», en
général, et la délimitation géographique de chacune des régions - la réponse
affirmative (au niveau national) à la première question conditionnant la
seconde (au niveau territorial correspondant): CR, Article 256; LRN, Articles
245-251.
2. Hors le cas indiqué, un
référendum national peut être organisé sous l’initiative, soit du Parlement
(«Assemblée de la République»), soit du Gouvernement (conformément la matière
appartient à la compétence d’un ou d’autre), mais seulement après décision du
Président de la République: l’accord de celui-ci et d’un de ces autres pouvoirs
est donc nécessaire: CR, Articles 115/1; Article 134/c.
3. a. L’initiative
populaire - d’au moins 75.000 citoyens électeurs - est aussi prévue, mais elle
n’a qu’une nature indirecte, puisque la demande des citoyens doit être
dirigée au Parlement et discutée et acceptée (ou non) par celui-ci: CR, 115/2;
LRN, Articles 16, 21.
L’authenticité de la
signature et de l’identité des électeurs peut être vérifiée, par
échantillonnage, à la demande du Parlement, par les autorités compétentes: LRN,
Article 17/1-2.
b. La demande des citoyens devra, soit envisager la matière d’un
texte normatif (mais pas le texte lui-même: v. infra, D.1) déjà en train
de procédure au Parlement, soit être accompagnée d’un texte d’une telle nature,
présenté par les demandeurs: LRN, Article 17/3-4.
4. Dans le cadre qui vient
d’être décrit, la question de la possibilité du Parlement de contrecarrer à une
initiative référendaire ne pourrait avoir de place qu’au cas où celle-ci
parviendrait du Gouvernement: mais rien n’est prévu á ce sujet par la Constitution
ou la loi.
C - Contenu
1. Seules les matières
relevant de la loi ordinaire (loi ou décret-loi) ou d’une convention
internationale peuvent être l’objet d’un référendum (CR, Article 115/3).
Ça vaut dire que le référendum est exclu en matière constitutionnelle
(révision ou réforme de la Constitution) :CR, Article 115/4/a; et, de
même, en matière de statut des régions autonomes (archipels d’Açores et
Madeira), aussi bien que de loi organique: CR, Article 115/4/c-d,
combiné aux Articles 161 et 164.
2. D’après ces principes un
référendum est possible concernant la participation à l’Union Européenne ou
l’adhésion à une organisation internationale.
3. La formule
constitutionnelle inclut, en principe, toutes les matières à caractère
législatif ou conventionnel; mais d’importantes exceptions s’ensuivent, qui
limitent beaucoup la portée du principe. Par exemple (et outre les indiquées
déjà): les matières financières (budget, impôts, emprunts) et toutes celles qui
rentrent dans la réserve législative absolue (ça veut dire, sans possibilité de
délégation) du Parlement: CR, Article 115/4/c.
D - La forme des
textes soumis au référendum
1. Seules peuvent être
soumises à un référendum des questions: «des questions d’un intérêt
national particulier» (CR., Article 115/3). Il est exclu, donc, que le
référendum puisse porter directement, soit sur un projet de texte
normatif, soit sur l’abrogation d’un texte.
La formule constitutionnelle couvre tantôt des questions de principe
que des questions plus précises (p.ex., l’avortement jusqu’aux 10
premières semaines).
2. Les questions doivent
respecter l’unité de la matière et ne peuvent pas aller au-delà de trois
demandes; celles-ci doivent être l’objet d’une formulation «objective, claire
et précise», ne pouvant contenir aucune suggestion ni aucune considération
préalable (CR, Article 115/6; LRN, Articles 6-7).
E - Limites matérielles du référendum
Le référendum est exclu au cas où une des alternatives de réponse soit
contraire à (ne soit pas admise par) la Constitution: cf. CR, Article 115/8.
F - Campagne/propagande/financement et votation
1. Campagne
et propagande
a. Tel que pour les actes électoraux, il incombe à une autorité
indépendante - la Commission Nationale pour les Élections (dorénavant, CNE)
la tâche d’élaborer et de fournir toute information objective sur le
référendum, nécessaire à l’éclaircissement des électeurs (LRN, Article 252).
b. A la participation dans la propagande (pour et contre) sont
admis, soit les partis politiques et coalitions de partis, qui en déclarent
l’intention auprès de la CNE, soit des groupes d’au moins 5000 citoyens
électeurs, qui s’y inscrivent (LRN, Articles 39-41).
Par contre, aux autorités
publiques - de quelque niveau qui soit - est défendue toute participation à la propagande
et exigée la neutralité et l’impartialité les plus strictes (LRN, Article 45).
c. Aussi bien les publications informatives dépendant (de
façon directe ou indirecte) d’une entité publique que celles détenues par des
entités privées - celles-ci dès que désirent insérer matériel de la campagne -
sont tenues au principe du traitement égal de tous les partis et groupes
participant à la propagande (LRN, Articles 54-55).
Le même principe vaut pour
toutes les chaînes de radio et de télévision. Mais celles-ci -
les unes et les autres - sont obligées, en plus, à accorder, pendant la période
de la campagne, à tous les partis et groupes y participant, des «temps
d’antenne», distribués selon des critères établis par la loi (LRN, Articles
57-62)
L’utilisation des media
par les partis et les groupes est gratuite, à l’État un devoir d’indemnité des
publications et des chaînes par une telle utilisation (LRN, Article 46/2;
Article 187).
2. Financement
a. Aucun financement publique en faveur (défaveur) d’un projet
est autorisé (cf. LRN, Article 71).
b. Rien n’est prévu par la loi, concernant le coût des récoltes
des signatures pour une initiative populaire.
3. Votation
a. Les
opérations électorales sont réalisés en un seul jour (LRN, Article 106).
b. Bien qu’il y ait un décalage horaire entre le territoire
continental du pays et l’Archipel d’Açores, il n’a pas de signification,
n’étant que d’une heure.
c. Le vote n’est pas obligatoire: il n’est conçu, en général,
par la Constitution que comme un «droit» et, en plus, un «devoir civique» (CR,
Article 49/2). Pour la situation concrète, cf. LRN, Article 107/1.
d. La question d’un quorum de participation ne vienne pas
précisément posée en termes de «validité» du référendum, mais plutôt de son
«efficacité»: cf. infra, G-1.
G - Les effets du
référendum
1. Le référendum est conçu
comme ayant un caractère décisionnel (CR, Article 115/1), mais à
condition que le nombre des citoyens participants dépasse la moitié du
nombre des citoyens inscrits au recensement (CR, Article 115/11).
2. Si la condition de l’effet
décisionnel («effet obligatoire») est remplie, et si la réponse à la
question fut affirmative, le Parlement ou le Gouvernement, selon le cas,
sont tenus à approuver, dans le délai maximum de 90 ou 60 jours, respectivement,
la convention internationale ou l’acte législatif correspondant (LRN, Article
41).
3. La question des modalités
possibles de l’effet d’un référendum sur un texte normatif ne se pose pas en
droit portugais: cf. supra, D-1.
H - Parallélisme
des formes et normes prévoyant le référendum
1. Un nouveau référendum n’est
pas absolument nécessaire pour dépasser une réponse négative (à effet
décisionnel) à la question soumise aux citoyens; mais, faute de lui, le
Parlement ou le Gouvernement, selon le cas, ne pourront approuver une
convention ou un texte législative de sens contraire à une telle réponse
qu’après une nouvelle élection parlementaire (LRN, Article 243).
2. La Constitution portugaise
en vigueur étant de source parlementaire et n’admettant des modifications que
par la même voie, celle-ci sera la seule voie possible pour réviser
(éventuellement, abroger) le régime constitutionnel du référendum. En
s’attenant à ce cadre constitutionnel, un référendum sur la matière n’est pas
possible (cf., d’ailleurs, supra, C-1).
I - Règles
particulières relatives à l’initiative populaire
La loi (LRN) ne contient aucune règle concernant la récolte des signatures.
Et de même pour ce qui est d’une possibilité de correction par le Parlement des
termes de la question (le Parlement accepte ou n’accepte pas la demande): cf. supra,
B-3.
En ce qui concerne la vérification des signatures, cf. également supra
B-3.
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
1. Aucun référendum ne peut
avoir lieu sans que la Cour Constitutionnelle - saisie obligatoirement par le
Président de la République, dès qu’il reçoit la proposition de référendum
approuvée par le Parlement ou le Gouvernement - vérifie au préalable; «la
constitutionnalité et la légalité» d’une telle proposition (CR, Article 115/8).
Le contrôle de la Cour porte, tantôt sur les exigences formelles
(cf. supra, D), que sur les limites matérielles du référendum
(cf. supra, C et E).
2. En ce qui concerne le
contrôle des résultats, des règles similaires à celles valables pour toute
élection politique sont applicables: il peut être introduit, donc, par les
partis ou groupes ayant participé à la campagne (ou leurs représentants), la
Cour Constitutionnelle étant aussi la juridiction compétente (LRN, Articles
172-176).
K - Les expériences
de référendum
1. Dès que il a été admis par
la Constitution, trois initiatives de référendum national on eu lieu, toutes
dans l’année 1998, l’une correspondant à un référendum obligatoire et les deux
autres provenant du Parlement:
- le référendum obligatoire a porté sur la création des régions
administratives (cf. supra, B-1): la participation a atteint 49,12% des
électeurs, le «non» ayant emporté avec 60,87%, contre 34,97% pour l’«oui», des
voix exprimées;
- des deux initiatives parlementaire, l’une a eu trait à la dépénalisation
de l’avortement jusqu’aux 10 premières semaines sur livre décision de la femme:
le «non» a aussi emporté par 50,07 %, contre 48,28% pour l’«oui», des voix
exprimées, la participation n’ayant atteint que 31,94% des électeurs. Le
référendum n’a pas eu, donc, d’effet décisionnel (cf. supra, G);
mais la majorité parlementaire a pris, quand même, le choix politique
d’accueillir l’indication populaire;
- l’autre initiative parlementaire
concernait le développement et l’approfondissement de l’Union Européenne, dans
le nouveau cadre du Traité d’Amsterdam: elle a toutefois échoué au contrôle
préventif devant la Cour Constitutionnelle, par «manque de clarté» de la
question soumise aux électeurs.
2. La
raison des résultats des référendums organisés ne fut essentiel et sûrement
déterminée que par la substance même la question posée: il n’y a aucun
fondement pour penser le contraire.
II -
Référendums régionaux et locaux
A - Fondement
juridique
1. Tant les référendums régionaux
(Article 232/2) que les référendums locaux (Article 240) sont prévus par
la Constitution, leurs régimes juridiques étant par la suite (comme celui du
référendum national) développés et définis par une loi organique (CR, Article
164-b).
2. Ça vaut dire qu’aucune
disposition d’une entité régionale ou locale ne peut intervenir dans la
matière.
A.1 - Niveau régional
1. Il s’agit du niveau des
«régions autonomes» d’Açores et Madeira (CR, Articles 225ss.).
2. Étant donné que la loi
organique portant sur le régime des référendums régionaux n’a pas été émise
jusqu’à présent, leur organisation n’est pas encore possible.
3. Toutefois - puisque la
Constitution, en admettant ces référendums, leur impose dès lors certaines
règles et les subordonne, en général, aux mêmes principes qu’elle établit pour
les référendums nationaux, «avec les adaptations nécessaires» (Article 232/2) -
on peut d’ores et déjà conclure que les éléments suivants, parmi d’autres,
devront forcément intégrer leur régime:
- le droit d’initiative du référendum est octroyé à l’Assemblée Législative
Régionale, et à elle seule, mais la décision appartient au Président de la
République: l’organisation du référendum n’est pas laissé en exclusif, donc,
aux autorités régionales;
- le référendum - à effet décisionnel - devra porter sur une «question
ayant un intérêt spécifique régional particulier». De toute sorte, donc, sur
une question, et pas sur un texte normatif;
- le référendum ne pourra porter que sur des matières appartenant à la
compétence législative des assemblées régionales: en plus des matières
constitutionnelles, statutaires et de loi organique, sont exclues, donc, toutes
celles qui relèvent de la compétence du législateur national ou d’une
convention internationale;
- ces indications (et il y aurait d’autres) suffisent, d’autre part, pour
conclure que le référendum ne pourra pas porter sur une éventuelle «sécession»
d’une région.
A.2 - Niveau local
1. Il s’agit du niveau des
«communautés locales» (CR, Articles 235ss.), à savoir: les «municipalités»
(noyau de la décentralisation administrative territoriale, au Portugal) et des
«communes» que les constituent.
2. Le référendum à ce niveau
est admis dès la 1ère révision de la Constitution, de l’année 1982.
Son régime juridique est contenu maintenant dans la Loi Organique nº 4/2000, du
24 août (dorénavant, LRL), qui est venue substituer un texte antérieur.
Note: n’étant pas encore concrétisé le régime
des référendums régionaux, on ne
s’occupera, dans la suite, que des référendums locaux.
B - Types de
référendum
1. Aucun cas de référendum
obligatoire n’est prévu.
2. La compétence pour décider
l’organisation d’un référendum est attribuée en exclusif aux assemblées de
chaque communauté locale (municipalité ou commune), le droit d’initiative
appartenant aux membres de l’assemblée, à l’exécutif local respectif et encore
à des groupes de citoyens électeurs (dont le nombre minimum et maximum sont
fixés par la loi, en fonction de la grandeur de chaque communauté locale): LRL,
Articles 10, 13, 23.
Aucune interférence d’une autorité centrale n’est donc admise dans cette
procédure (sauf le contrôle juridictionnel, dont il sera question infra,
J).
C - Contenu
1. Ne peuvent être l’objet
d’un référendum local que «des questions ayant un intérêt local particulier qui
doivent être décidées par les autorités municipales ou communales et relèvent
de leurs compétences, soit une compétence exclusive, soit partagée avec l’État
ou les régions autonomes» (LRL, Article 3/1).
2. En plus des matières
réservées en exclusif aux organes législatifs ou réglées par un acte législatif
ou réglementaire que les autorités locales son tenues d’observer, sont exclues
d’un référendum local, notamment, les questions budgétaires ou celles qui ont
déjà été l’objet d’une décision administrative ou judiciaire définitive: LRL,
Article 4.
3. Dans ce cadre - et puisque
la division territoriale du pays et la création de communautés locales sont
réservées au législateur - un référendum local portant sur les limites territoriales
de la communauté correspondante ne pourra avoir lieu (au mieux !) que pour
déterminer la position à prendre par les organes locaux dans la procédure
consultative que le législateur sera tenu d’entamer auprès d’eux, avant de
décider.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum
1. Le texte doit porter sur
une question: une question sur laquelle l’autorité locale devra prendre
une décision: LRL, Article 3. Le fait que la procédure pour la prise de cette
décision soit déjà entamée n’empêche pas, d’ailleurs, le recours à un
référendum (la procédure restant alors suspendue): LRL, Article 5.
2. Des exigences communes ou
identiques à celles du référendum national - concernant l’unité de la matière,
le nombre des demandes, la clarté du texte, etc. - vaillent aussi pour le
référendum local: LRL, Articles 6-7.
E - Limites matérielles
En plus - évidemment - des principes et règles constitutionnelles, ils
découlent déjà, et surtout, de ce qui a été dit supra, C.
F -
Campagne/propagande, financement et votation
Il est applicable tout ce qui vaut pour le référendum national - sauf le
droit à des «temps d’antenne» à la radio et la télévision, qui n’es pas prévu
pour les référendums locaux. Cf. LRL, Article 224 (CNE), Articles 37, 43
(participation à la campagne), Articles 44, 52, 53 (moyens de campagne),
Article 61 (financement), Articles 96-97 (votation).
G - Effets du
référendum
1. Aussi le référendum local
est conçu comme ayant un effet décisionnel – mais (encore de façon
semblable au référendum national) sous la condition que le nombre des votants
dépasse la moitié des citoyens électeurs concernés: LRL, Article 219.
2. Si l’effet décisionnel est
atteint, et si la réponse à la question exige l’émission d’un acte par l’organe
local compétent, celui-ci devra le pratiquer dans le délai de 60 jours: LRL,
Article 221.
H - Parallélisme
des formes
Le résultat d’un référendum local (une fois remplie la condition de l'effet
décisionnel) - et notamment, s’il est le cas, l’acte de l’organe local qui lui
a donné suite - ne peuvent être révoqués qu’au cours d’un nouveau mandat des
organes locaux: LRL, Article 222.
Le même principe vaut - au cas de réponse négative - pour l’organisation
d’un nouveau référendum sur la même question: LRL, Article 223.
I - Règles
particulières relatives à l’initiative populaire
Il vaut pour le référendum local, mutatis mutandis, ce qui a été dit
pour le référendum national, supra, I.H. Cf. LRL, Articles 15, 18,
notamment.
J - Contrôle
juridictionnel
Il vaut aussi ce qui a été dit pour le référendum national: cf. LRL,
Articles 25ss. (contrôle préventif, la Cour Constitutionnelle devant être
saisie par le président de l’assemblée locale en cause) et Articles 151-153
(contrôle des résultats).
K - Les
expériences de référendum
Dès qu’il est prévu, 22 initiatives d’organisation d’un référendum local
ont été délibérées, mais presque toutes - 20 - ont échoué au contrôle préventif
devant la Cour Constitutionnelle (soit en raison de la matière, soit par des
raisons de forme, parmi lesquelles il vaut souligner les cas où l’alternative
de réponse n’était pas simple - ça veut dire, «binaire»: - ainsi que l’exige la
nature même d’un référendum décisionnel: cf. LRL, Article 7 = LRN, Article 7 =
CR, Article 115/6).
En deux cas seulement, donc, le référendum a eu lieu: l’un d’eux (portant
sur la localisation d’un équipement sportif) dans une «commune» de très petite
dimension (927 électeurs), avec une forte participation (76,6%), le «non» ayant
emporté à une différence de 5 voix; l’autre (portant sur la démolition d’une
édification à éventuel intérêt municipal) au niveau d’une «municipalité» de
dimension plutôt petite (21.000 électeurs), avec une participation très faible
et loin d’arriver à l’effet décisionnel (36,2%), le «non» ayant aussi emporté
avec 54,5% des voix.
III -
Avenir du référendum
Aucune réforme n’est en cours (ou même envisagée) à l’heure actuelle.
FEDERATION
DE RUSSIE / RUSSIAN FEDERATION
A.1. La Constitution de la Fédération de Russie prévoit le référendum
dans les Articles 3.3, 32.2, 84-с, 92.3 et 135.3.
A.2. Le référendum national est
réglementé par la Loi constitutionnelle fédérale “Sur le référendum de la
Fédération de Russie” de 28 juin 2004 (nommée ci-dessous comme "la
Loi"). Sont soumises au référendum les questions attribuées par la
Constitution à la compétence de la Fédération de Russie, ainsi qu’à la
compétence conjointe de la FR et de ses sujets, sauf les questions suivantes:
1. la modification du statut
constitutionnel des sujets de la FR;
2. l'extinction avant terme ou la prorogation du mandat du
Président de la FR, de la Douma d’Etat de l’Assemblée fédérale, aussi bien que
l'organisation des élections anticipées du Président de la FR, des députés à la
Douma d’Etat ou le report de la date de réalisation de ces élections;
3. l'élection, la nomination ou l'extinction avant terme, la
suspension et la prorogation du mandat des personnes qui occupent les postes
d'Etat de la FR;
4. la composition des membres
des organes fédéraux du pouvoir d’Etat;
5. l'élection, l'extinction avant terme, la suspension ou la
prorogation du mandat des organes formés en vertu d’un traité international de
la FR, ou des fonctionnaires élus ou nommés en vertu d’un tel traité, ainsi que
la formation de tels organes ou la nomination de telles personnes, sauf clause
contraire du traité international;
6. l'adoption et la modification du budget fédéral, l'exécution
des engagements financiers de la FR;
7. l'établissement, la modification et la suppression des
impôts et taxes fédéraux, ainsi que les exemptions fiscales;
8. les mesures extraordinaires et urgentes pour assurer la
santé et la sécurité de la population;
9. l'amnistie et la grâce.
B.1. Il n’y a pas de référendum obligatoire, sauf les cas où il est prévu
par un traité international de la FR.
B.2. Le référendum peut être décidé
par l’Assemblée constitutionnelle (Article 135.3 de la Constitution) ou par le
Président de la FR (Article 84-c), s’il y a une initiative prévue par la loi
précitée.
a. L’initiative
peut venir des organes d’Etat fédéraux aux cas stipulés par un traité
internaional ou prévus par la Loi.
b.
Si le référendum est organisé en vertu d’un traité
international, l’initiative vient de l’organe d’Etat fédéral, auquel ce traité
attribue la compétence d’examiner la question correspondante. Conformément à
l’Article 11.1 de la Constitution, ce sont le Président de la FR, l’Assemblée
fédérale, le Gouvernement de la FR ou un tribunal de la FR. L’initiative
commune de ces entités est possible.
B.3. Le référendum peut être organisé
à la demande des électeurs.
a.
Le nombre des électeurs ne doit pas être moins de 2 millions.
A l'aide de son appareil administratif et d'autres personnes recrutées à ce
fin, la Commission centrale électorale vérifie, au moins, 40% du nombre total
exigé des signatures.
b. L’objet
de l’initiative populaire peut être un texte nouveau.
B.4. Chaque sujet du droit de
l’initiative agit indépendamment des autres.
B.5. Le parlement ne peut demander le
référendum qu’en cas où cela est stipulé par un traité international. La Loi ne
réglemente pas une possibilité de l'opposition de l'initiative populaire à
cette demande.
C.1. Le
référendum ne peut pas porter sur la question des amendements constitutionnels,
mais seulement sur une nouvelle Constitution de la FR dans son ensemble, comme
c’est prévu par l’Article 135.3 de la Constitution. Pour l’adhésion à l’Union européenne
ou à une organisation internationale, le référendum est admissible.
С.2. Les
réponses à ces questions sont données ci-dessus.
D.1. La Loi n’établit pas les
conditions formelles.
D.2. Selon la Loi, peuvent être
soumises au référendum plusieures questions qui ne sont pas liéés entre
elles-mêmes, ainsi que les versions alternatives des réponses. Le bulletin doit
expliquer, comment il doit être rempli. Les autres conditions indiquées dans ce
titre du questionnaire ne sont pas stipulées par la Loi.
E. La question soumise au
référendum ne doit pas être contraire à la Constitution de la FR, restreindre,
annuler ou réduire les droits et les libertés de l’homme et du citoyen
universellement reconnus, ainsi que les garanties constitutionnelles de leur
exercice.
F.1.
a. Si une nouvelle Constitution est soumise au suffrage
universel, la Commission centrale électorale (CCE) de la FR est tenue de
publier le projet constitutionnel dans les éditions de presse de l'Etat et sur
Internet. Si le texte d'un acte normatif est soumis au référendum, la CCE est
tenue de publier ce projet, au plus tard, 20 jours avant la votation.
b. Une note explicative n'est pas prévue par la Loi, mais
celle-ci réglemente les modalités d'explication aux citoyens de la législation
relative au référendum, le mode de sa réalisation et les réponses des
commissions électorales aux questions des électeurs.
c. Peuvent participer à la campagne de propagande les partis
politiques, les associations sociales et les citoyens, à l'exclusion des
autorités et des personnalités officielles, des associations religieuses et de
bienfaisance, des commissions de référendum, des étrangers et des apatrides.
d. Oui, les médias audiovisuelles et de la presse publics sont
tenus de réserver une place égale aux différents groupes de propagande, mais
ceux-ci ont le droit d'acheter, pour le compte de leurs propres fonds, le temps
d'antenne et la surface dans les éditions écrites.
e. Il est de même pour les médias privés, toutefois ils peuvent
refuser de publier quelle que ce soit propagande de référendum ou, s'ils
offrent cette possibilité, ils doivent assurer l'égalité à tous les groupes de
propagande.
F.2.
a. Non, les autorités de l'Etat sont interdites de participer à
la création des fonds de référendum des groupes d'initiative. Les fonds
budgétaires sont utilisés exclusivement pour le financement de l'organisation
et de la réalisation du référendum.
b. La récolte des signatures est financée par le fond du groupe
d'initiative respectif, mais la récompense des signatures proprement dites
n'est pas permise, bien que la rémunération du travail des récolteurs des
signatures est prévue. Il est interdit aux groupes d'initiative de faire usage
d'autres moyens financiers, outre leurs propres fonds référendaires.
F.3.
a. La votation est effectuée en un seul jour. Cependant, les
commissions électorales des sujets de la FR sont en droit d'autoriser le vote
anticipé (au plus tôt, 15 jours avant le vote général) dans les
circonscriptions qui sont peu accessibles ou trop lointains ou qui se trouvent
au bord des bâteaux navégant au jour du vote, aux stations polaires et, d'une
manière générale, partout en dehors du territoire national.
b. Les résultats du vote sont annoncés après la clôture
de tous les centres de vote et après le dépouillement général du scrutin.
c. La
participation au vote n'est pas obligatoire.
d. Pour que le référendum soit valable, la participation de la
majorité simple des personnes ayant le droit de vote est nécessaire.
G.1. La décision prise au moyen de
référendum est obligatoire.
G.2. En vertu des résultats du
référendum, la prise d'autres décisions est possible et doit avoir lieu dans le
délai de 3 mois.
G.3. Le référendum suspensif n'est pas
prévu par la Loi. L'avenir du texte soumis au référendum dépend du résultat de
la votation.
H.1. Une disposition adoptée par
référendum ne peut être annulée ou révisée que par un nouveau référendum, si
une autre procédure n'est pas établie par cette disposition.
H.2. Ce n'est possible que par
l'adoption d'une nouvelle Constitution.
I.1. Les signatures doivent être
récoltées dans le délai de 45 jours dès l'enregistrement du groupe d'initiative
pour l'organisation du référendum.
I.2. La récolte des signatures est
réalisée par un groupe d'initiative pour l'organisation du référendum, qui
comprend des groupes régionaux à former dans la plupart des sujets de la FR (un
tel sous-groupe peut être formé aussi par les citoyens résidant à l'étranger).
I.3. A l'aide de son appareil
administratif et d'autres personnes recrutées à ce fin, la Commission centrale
électorale vérifie, au moins, 40% du nombre total exigé des signatures.
I.4. La conformité de la formule du
référendum aux dispositions de la Loi est vérifiée par la Commission électorale
centrale de la FR.
J.1. Toutes les décisions des
commissions électorales peuvent faire l'objet du recours devant une
juridiction.
J.2. Ce n'est que le non-respect de
la Constitution de la FR, de la Loi fédérale et des autres lois peut servir de
fondement pour le rejet d'une initiative de réalisation du référendum.
J.3. Les résultats des référendums
peuvent faire l'objet d'un contrôle juridictionnel pour les mêmes motifs.
J.4. Une personne ou un organe
participant au référendum peut déposer une plainte.
K. Depuis l'entrée en vigueur de
la Constitution de 1993, les référendums nationaux n'ont jamais eu lieu.
II -
Référendums régionaux ou locaux
A.1. La Constitution de la FR ne
prévoit pas les référendums régionaux.
A.2. Le droit national, notamment la
Loi fédérale "Sur les garanties principales des droits électoraux et du
droit des citoyens de la FR à la participation au référendum" permet de
recourir aux référendums régionaux et locaux.
A.3. Un nombre considérable des
entités régionales et locales ont réglementé juridiquement le référendum.
A.4. En règle générale, un référendum
peut porter sur n'importe quelle question, sauf les questions budgétaires,
fiscales, d'emploi du personnel et quelques autres.
A.1.-1.5. Cf. le § 3 ci-dessus.
A.1.6. Les
possibilités légitimes de l'intervention des autorités supérieures sont
très restreintes.
B. La réglementation juridique
est, en général, analogue à celle à l'échélon fédéral. Pratiquement, il n'y a
pas de possibilités légitimes pour les autorités supérieures d'intervenir, si
les autorités inférieures respectent le droit national.
C. Le référendum portant sur la
sécession d'un sujet de la FR peut être organisé avec l'accord de ce dernier.
- Il peut porter sur une modification des frontières géographiques.
- Tout autre objet du référendum est possible.
D.-J. Les réponses sont analogues à
celles qu'on a données dans le Titre I.
K.1.-2. Les référendums régionaux et locaux ont été peu nombreux. Par exemple,
c'est par la voie de référendum qu'on a adopté en 2003 la Constitution de la
République Tchetchene.
III -
Avenir du référendum
1. Le 28 juin 2004, le Président de la FR a
signé la nouvelle loi constitutionnelle fédérale "Sur le référendum de la
Fédération de Russie", qui a introduit un nombre d'innovations
législatives importantes dans la réglementation juridique du référendum.
2.-3. En comparaison avec la loi
pré-existante du 10 octobre 1995, cette nouvelle loi contient une
réglementation plus détailée des modalités d'exercice de l'initiative du
référendum, par exemple:
- le nombre des sujets ayant le droit d'initiative est devenu plus large et
comprend désormais les organes fédéraux du pouvoir de l'Etat, si c'est prévu
par un traité international de la FR;
- les modalités de réalisation de l'initiative populaire sont devenues plus
compliquées;
- les modalités de la propagande qui précède la votation populaire sont
réglées plus concrètement;
- un vote réitératif est prévu au cas d'invalidation des résultats du vote
par suite d'un non-respect considérable de la loi.
Il y a encore d'autres innovations moins importantes.
ESPAGNE / SPAIN
I - National referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is
provision made for referendums in the Constitution ?
Yes:
A. Article 92 declares that “1. Political
decisions of special importance may be submitted to all citizens in a
consultative referendum. 2. The referendum shall be called by the King on the
Prime Minister’s proposal following authorisation by the Congress. 3. An
Organic Act shall lay down the terms and procedures for the different kinds of
referendum provided for in this Constitution”.
B. Article 168 (total revision of the
Constitution or partial revision affecting its basic political decisions): “3.
Once the amendment has been passed by the Cortes Generales, it shall be
submitted to ratification by referendum”.
C. Article 167 (partial revision of the
Constitution) “3. Once the amendment has been passed by the Cortes Generales,
it shall be submitted to ratification by referendum, if so requested by one
tenth of the members of either House within fifteen days after its passage”.
D. Article 152: The Statutes of Autonomy
drafted by the privileged procedure foreseen in Article 151.C (which includes
approval in referendum ”by the overall majority of electors in each province”
concerned, Article 151.1) “may be amended only by the procedure provided for
therein and a referendum of registered electors in the Self-governing
[Autonomous] Community”.
E. Article 149.1 “The State shall have
exclusive jurisdiction over the following matters: (…) 32) Authorisation of
popular consultations through the holding of referendums”.
F. Article 62: “It is incumbent upon the
king: (…) c) To call a referendum in the circumstances provided for in the
Constitution”.
2.
If not, does the law provide for
the use of referendums? On what matters?
Constitutional
provisions have been developed by the Organic Act 2/1980, of 18 january. In any
case, this Act declares that its provisions do not affect to “popular consults
which may be held by Local Councils, related to relevant matters of local
nature, in their respective territories, according to Legislation of Local Regime
and, in any case, guaranteeing the exclusive jurisdiction of the State for its
authorisation”. And the Act 7/1985, of Local Regime, says in its Article 71
that “according to the Laws of the State and of the Autonomous Community, when
the latter has jurisdiction over this matter, the Mayors, with the agreement of
the overall majority of the Local Council, and authorisation of the national
Government, may submit to popular consult those issues belonging to the local
jurisdiction and of local nature, which may be of special relevance for the
interests of the neighbours, with the exception of those relative to the Local
Treasure”.
Finally, some (not
all) Statutes of Autonomy foresee the jurisdiction of the respective
Communities over the system of (local) popular consults, respecting in all the
cases the jurisdiction of the State for its authorisation.
B - What
type of referendum may be used? Who decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
See paragraph A.
Is the referendum required by the Constitution in that it provides that
certain texts are automatically submitted to referendum after their
adoption by Parliament?
2. Referendums called by
an authority
a. Can
referendums be called by an authority?
b. If
so, who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the Government, Parliament,
a given number of members of Parliament, local and/or regional authorities?
See
paragraph A.
a. Can
a specified number of members of the electorate call for a referendum?
No.
If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the proposal
to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
b. Can
a request for a referendum relate to a text already adopted by Parliament?
Yes.
Can a new text be put forward by popular
initiative?
No.
Must the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of
more than one body?
For example:
If the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of
the Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
The
Head of the State may not reject the proposal , but of course the Parliament
may do it.
If the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does
Parliament - or do a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative putting forward an
alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
5. Role of Parliament
- Can Parliament oppose the
holding of a referendum by adopting a counterproposal on the same matter?
No. If so, what is the time limit
for doing so?
- Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as
the first proposal?
No.
- Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
- Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the
time limit is exceeded what are the consequences?
- If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded
proposal/a proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament
required to adopt a (new) piece of legislation?
C - Content
1. Types of act submitted
to referendum
Are referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
No.
Is a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional
amendment?
No
(see Article 167.C).
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called?
2. Matters to which
referendums may relate
Are referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain
matters automatically put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
D - Form
of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1. What
form may the text submitted to referendum take:
- a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional
amendment, legislative enactment or other measure?
- repeal of
an existing provision?
- a question of
principle (for example: “are you in favour of amending the constitution to
introduce a presidential system of government?”)?, or
- a concrete proposal, not
presented in the form of a specific provision and known as a “generally-worded
proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of amending the Constitution in
order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament from 300 to 200?”)?
Article
3.1 of the Organic Act 2/1980: The Decree which calls for the referendum “will
contain the whole text of the bill… or of the political question submitted to
the consult; will clearly establish the question or questions” which have to be
answered by the voters; and the date of the voting.
2. Do questions submitted
to referendum have to respect:
a. unity of form (a
specifically-worded draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal or a
question of principle must not be combined in the same question);
b. unity of content
(except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or another piece of
legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the various parts of
each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of suffrage (the
voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole provisions without an
intrinsic link);
c. unity of rank: the
question must not relate simultaneously to the Constitution and subordinate
legislation.
d. Does the vote have to be on a single
question or can it be on several different ones?
e. Does the question (or do the questions)
have to be clear and suggestion-free?
E -
Substantive limits on referendums (substantive validity)
Is a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
- to international law or some of its rules;
- to the Constitution or some of its rules;
- to other overriding legal rules.
F -
Campaigning, funding and voting
1. Campaigning
a. Are the authorities
required to provide objective information, for example by sending the text and
an explanatory document to voters?
No.
The Organic Act 2/1980 (Article 11.1) calls for the general electoral regime -
including provisions relative to the so-called “institutional campaign”.
Consequently, authorities may inform the citizens about the date of the voting,
the procedure for voting and the requirements for mail-voting, but with the
obvious limit of not influencing on the sense of the vote (Article 50.1 of the
Electoral Organic Act).
b. If an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can
political parties take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory document have
to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and their
opponents’ views?
c. Is campaigning for or against the
referendum text restricted to political parties? If not, who is entitled to
take part? Are national, regional or local authorities allowed to
campaign?
Freedom of beliefs
and of speech guarantees the possibility of any subject for taking part in the
campaign. But only parties, coalitions or electoral groupings –provided that
they have parliamentary representation, that is, which have seats in the
national or regional, or even provincial assemblies, depending on the scope of
the referendum- have the right to free propaganda in public mass media.
d. Are the public media required to allocate equal time to
supporters and opponents of the text?
No.
The campaign is made by political groups. And those which have parliamentary
representation have the right to freely present their opinions in public media.
The time guaranteed to each party depends on their electoral strength,
according to proportional criteria.
e. What about the private media? Are financial or other
conditions for radio and television advertising the same for supporters
and opponents?
According
to the Electoral Organic Act, political groups may spend no more than 20 % of
their campaign budget in paid publicity in private media. The fares for this
kind of propaganda cannot be higher than for commercial publicity, and
conditions related to inclusion, fares and treatment of this kind of publicity have
to be equal for all parties and/or groups.
2. Funding
a. Is use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal
submitted to referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period
immediately preceding the vote?
The
law does not allow the public funding of the electoral campaign. Nevertheless,
as it has been pointed out, it foresees that the public mass media must give to
political groups free time for campaigning. And, also very important, campaign
mailing receives also an special treatment.
b. Is privately-funded collection of signatures for popular
initiatives allowed, and if so on what conditions?
3. Voting
a. Does
voting take place on one day or over a number of days?
On
one day.
b. If there is a large time-lag between different voting
centres, is it possible for the results from some of them to be known before
voting closes in other centres?
No.
c. Is it
compulsory for all voters to cast a vote?
No.
d. Quorum: For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it
necessary for it to have won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a
minimum turnout required?
As
a rule, quorum is not required. The only exception is the -no longer possible-
referendum for the approval of an Statute of Autonomy following the privileged
way of Article 151 (which allowed a faster and initially more powerful access
to autonomy).
G -
Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is the electorate asked
for an opinion (consultative referendum) or a decision (binding referendum)?
Article
92 expressly refers to a consultative referendum; but in other cases
(logically: constitutional revision, approval and reform of Statutes of
autonomy) the result has to be binding.
2. Does the referendum
make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
No.
3. Is an existing provision or measure rejected in a
referendum regarded as thereby immediately repealed?
No.
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be
revised or adopted by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Yes.
2. Can a constitutional or legislative provision which allows
referendums be revised by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Yes.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
1. What is the time-limit
for collecting signatures?
2. Who is entitled to
collect signatures?
3. How are signatures
checked?
4. Is there an authority which has the power to correct
irregularities resulting from the content of the question? (Examples: problems
of formal validity, obscure, misleading or suggestion-making questions)
J -
Judicial review
1. Is it possible to
appeal to a court against a decision to hold or not to hold a referendum?
Not
against the (political) decision.
Or is there automatic judicial review? Is judicial review concerned in
particular with the outcome of popular initiatives?
2. If judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the
court rule against the holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of
form or content, unclear questions, etc.)?
If
the referendum does not fulfil the legal requirements set up by the Organic
Act, judicial appeal should be possible.
3. Are the results of
referendums subject to judicial review?
Yes,
following the procedures established by the electoral law.
4. Who may lodge an
appeal?
All
interested subjects (parties, institutions).
K -
Experiences of referendums
1. How many referendums
have been held since the country has had a Constitution?
At
the national level, just one, on the belonging to the NATO (1986). At regional
- or autonomous - level, five: two in Andalucia, and one in the Basque Country,
Catalonia and Galicia (for approving their respective Statutes).
2. On whose initiative has
each referendum been held?
Government.
3. Have any
referendums been invalid because of a low turnout?
No.
4. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted yes?
In
all of them.
5. In how
many referendums has the electorate voted no?
None.
6. Can any of the results
be largely accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
No.
7. Can any of the positive results be accounted for by the
popularity of the person putting the question?
May
be - possibly - the national one: the Socialist Prime Minister, Felipe
González, led his party in the campaign in favour of staying at the NATO, when
three years before they had won an overwhelming electoral majority (49 % of the
votes, 60 % of the seats) with the slogan “NATO: de entrada, no”.
8. Can any of the negative results be accounted for by an
unpopular government? Or by general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the
issues at stake?
II -
Local referendums
A -
Legal basis
1. Is there provision in
the national Constitution for local referendums?
No.
2. If there are no
constitutional provisions, does national law allow local referendums?
Yes.
3. Have the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of
body adopted provisions for holding referendums?
Yes.
4. On what matters is it
possible to call a referendum?
Article
71 of the Act 7/1985, of Local Regime: “according to the Laws of the State and
of the Autonomous Community, when the latter has jurisdiction over this matter,
the Mayors, with the agreement of the overall majority of the Local Council,
and authorisation of the national Government, may submit to popular consult
those issues belonging to the local jurisdiction and of local nature, which may
be of special relevance for the interests of the neighbours, with the exception
of those relative to the Local Treasure”.
A1 -
At what level?
1. Federate states?
2. Provinces? Regions?
Yes.
3. Lower levels?
Districts?
4. Municipalities?
Yes.
5. On what matters?
B -
What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutatis mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
C -
Content
Reply to the same questions as in I-C.
In particular:
- Can a referendum be held on a proposal
to secede from the State?
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
- Are any other subjects permitted?
D - Form
of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-D.
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
Reply to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of
conformity with central-government rules).
F - Campaigning and voting
Reply to the same questions as in I-F.
G - Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-G.
H -
Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-H.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply to the same questions as in I-I.
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate distinction
between judicial review at central-government level and at federate or regional
level.
K - Experiences of
referendums
1. Have there been many
local referendums?
2. If so, at what level? Federate level? Provinces or
districts? Municipalities? Other levels?
III -
The future of referendums
1.
Is the referendum system currently
being reformed?
No.
2.
If so, for what reason?
SWITZERLAND
/ SUISSE
I
- Référendums nationaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Oui.
2. ---
B - Quel type de référendum? Qui décide?
1. Oui, voir l’Article 140 de la Constitution, qui mentionne
les textes qui sont soumis automatiquement au référendum après leur adoption
par le Parlement.
2.
a. Article 141 de la Constitution
b. Référendum peut être organisé à la demande
de huit cantons.
3.
a. Article 141 de la
Constitution : 50'000 citoyens peuvent demander un référendum sur les
actes mentionnés à l’Article 141 de la Constitution.
b. Le référendum porte toujours sur une
loi déjà adoptée par le Parlement.
Une initiative populaire peut proposer un nouveau texte tendant à la
révision totale de la Constitution (Article 138 Cst.), à la révision partielle
de la Constitution (Article 139 Cst.), ou à l’adoption d’une loi (Article 139.a
Cst.). 100'000 signatures sont nécessaires.
4.
- Le
référendum n’a pas à être approuvé par une autorité, sauf la question du
contrôle de la validité des signatures.
- Les
initiatives doivent en revanche être examinées quant à leur validité par le
Parlement fédéral (Article 139 par. 2 Cst.).
- En
cas d’initiative tendant à la révision partielle, le Parlement peut lui opposer
un contre-projet (Article 139 par. 3 Cst.).
- Non, le Parlement ne peut pas
s’opposer à l’organisation d’un référendum.
- Le
contre-projet n’est possible qu’en cas d’initiative populaire tendant à une
révision partielle de la Constitution (Article 139 par. 3 Cst.).
- Oui,
dans la dernière hypothèse ci-dessous, il peut également recommander de voter
oui ou recommander de voter non.
- 4
ans.
- L’hypothèse
de l’initiative non formulée (constitutionnelle ou législative) est envisagée à
l’Article 139.a Cst.
C - Contenu
1. Types d’actes soumis au référendum
- Non (voir Articles 140 et 141 Cst.).
- Oui (voir Article 140 Cst.).
- Union
européenne : Article 140 par. 1er let. b. (organisations
supranationales) ; référendum obligatoire. Autres organisations
internationales : Article 141 par. 1er let. d, ch. 2 =
référendum facultatif.
2. Toutes ces matières sont indiquées aux Articles 140 et 141
Cst.
D - La forme du texte soumis au référendum (la
validité formelle)
1. Forme possible du texte soumis au
référendum
- Oui, projet rédigé seulement pour la
Constitution (Article 139 Cst.).
- Oui, Article 165 Cst.
- Oui, Articles 139.a par. 5 Cst. et 193
par. 3 Cst.
- Oui, Article 139.a Cst. (initiative
populaire générale).
2.
a. Oui (Articles 139 par. 2 Cst. et 194
par. 3 Cst.).
b. Oui (Articles 139 par. 2 Cst. et 194
par. 2 Cst.).
c. Oui.
d. Une seule.
e. Oui.
E - Limites matérielles du référendum
- Seulement
aux règles impératives de droit international (Articles 139 al. 2 et 139.a al.
2 Cst.).
- Non.
F - Campagne / propagande / financement et votation
1. Campagne et propagande
a. Oui.
b. Les autorités (Conseil
fédéral). Les partis politiques ne participent pas officiellement à la
rédaction de cette notice. Oui, la notice explicative doit présenter les divers
points de vue de manière équilibrée.
c. Tout groupement ou
association intéressé peut participer à la campagne. Les autorités peuvent
aussi faire campagne.
d. Oui.
e. Normalement oui.
2. Financement
a. Non.
b. Pas officiellement, mais elle n’est pas
non plus interdite.
3. Votation
a. Un seul jour (le
dimanche), mais de plus en plus par correspondance, sur une période de trois
semaines. Le vote électronique commence à faire son apparition.
b. Cette question ne se pose pas en
Suisse.
c. Non, sauf dans un canton.
d. Non.
G - Les effets du référendum
1. Le référendum est décisionnel.
2. Dans certains cas : Articles 139.a par. 5 Cst. et 193
Cst.
3.
- Le plus
souvent le référendum a un effet suspensif.
- L’effet
est résolutoire ou abrogatif dans le cas des lois fédérales urgentes (Article
165 Cst.).
H - Parallélisme des formes et normes prévoyant le
référendum
1. Non.
2. Non.
I - Règles particulières relatives à l’initiative
populaire
1. 18 mois (Articles 139 et 139.a Cst.).
2. Les citoyens, mais dans la pratique les partis politiques.
3. Par la Chancellerie fédérale.
4. Oui, mais avant le début de la récolte des signatures.
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
1. Pas pour les initiatives au niveau fédéral ; oui pour
les initiatives au niveau cantonal.
2. Au niveau fédéral, les motifs de
non-validité d’une initiative sont mentionnés à l’Article 139 al. 2 Cst.
3. Au niveau fédéral, non. Au niveau cantonal, oui.
4. Tout électeur.
K - Les expériences de référendum
1. Plus de cent.
2. Le plus souvent le peuple, sauf dans les cas où le
référendum est obligatoire.
3. Non.
4. et 5. Impossibles de le dire.
8. Très
difficile à dire.
II
- Référendums régionaux ou locaux
A - Quel fondement juridique?
1. Seulement pour les Constitutions cantonales (Article 51
Cst.).
2. ---.
3. Oui.
4. Constitution, lois, voire accords entre les cantons.
A1 - A quel niveau?
5. Constitution, lois et certaines dépenses (référendum
financier).
6. Non.
B - Quel est le type de référendum? Qui décide?
Les réponses sont différentes selon les cantons. Il existe 26
réglementations différentes.
C - Contenu
- La
sécession n’est pas expressément prévue par la Constitution. Elle n’est pas non
plus expressément interdite.
- Oui, cela est prévu à l’Article 53 Cst., en
particulier aux par. 2 et 3.
D - Forme
Mêmes réponses, 26 réglementations différentes.
E - Limites matérielles
Tout le droit supérieur, à savoir le droit fédéral et le droit
international.
F - Propagande
Mêmes réponses.
G - Effets
Mêmes réponses. Le référendum consultatif existe dans certains cantons.
H - Parallélisme
Mêmes réponses.
I - Règles particulières
Mêmes réponses.
J - Contrôle juridictionnel
Oui, il existe une voie de droit spéciale, le recours de droit public pour
violation des droits politiques cantonaux (Article 85 de la loi fédérale sur
les droits politiques).
K - Les expériences
1. Oui, très nombreux.
2. Aux niveaux des cantons et des communes.
III
- Avenir du référendum
1. Oui, réforme des droits populaires en général
2. Une réforme d’ensemble
3. Difficile à dire pour l’instant
“L’EX-REPUBLIQUE
YOUGOSLAVE DE MACEDOINE”/
“THE FORMER YUGOSLAV
REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA”
I - National referendums
A - Legal basis
1. Is
provision made for referendums in the Constitution?
Yes, Provision for referendums are made in Article
2, Article 73 and Article 120 paragraph 3 of the Constitution of the Republic
of Macedonia (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia
No.52/91,1/92,31/98, 91/2001).
2. If not, does the law provide
fot the use of referendums? On what matters?
B - What type of referendum may be used? Who
decides?
1. Mandatory referendums
Is the referendum required
by the Constitution in that it provides that certain texts are automatically
submitted to referendum before or after their adoption by Parliament?
There are two such
cases required by the Constitution: the first is referendum for adopting
proposal for changing the borders of the Republic, and the second is referendum
for adopting proposal for joinng or abondoning a union or community with other
states.
The first referendum
is regulated in Article 74 and the second in Article 120. The two referendums
are further regulated by the Law on referendum and civil initiative in Articles
12, 13 and 14.
2. Referendums called by an authority
a. Can referendums be called by an authority?
b. If so who may call a referendum? The Head of State, the
Government, Parliament, a given number of members of Prliament, local and/or
regional authorities?
A. Yes, referendums are called by an authority.
B. According to the Law, the referendums are called by the
Parliament (Article 28, 29, 30, 31, 32 and 33). Proposal for legislative
referendum may be submitted by the Government, any member of the Parliament and
at least 10.000 citizens (Article 71 paragraph 1 of the Constitution, and
Article 17 of the Law for referendum and civil initiative).
The local authorities (the
Municipality Council) may also call referendum for questions under their
authority and in the units of the local self-government (Article 21 of the Law
on Local Self-Government).
3. Referendums
held at the request of part of the electorate
a. Can a specified number of members of the electorate call for
a referendum? If so, what percentage of the electorate is required for the
proposal to be valid? How are voters’ signatures checked?
b. Can a request for a referendum relate to a text already
adopted by Parliament? Can a new text be put forward by popular initiative?
A. Yes, According to Article 17 of the Law for referendum and
civil initiative proposal for announcing a legislative referendum may be
submitted by at least 10,000 voters.
The procedure for collecting
and checking signatures is regulated by the Law on procedure for collecting
signatures of voters, for announcing referendum and submission of proposal for
amending Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia (Official Gazette of the
Republic of Macedonia). 16/96). According to Article 7 of this Law, signatures
are given on specially prescribed form. Signatures of the voters are collected
directly by the initiator. Each of the voters is obliged to identify himself
and to provide information about his/her name, name of the parents, last name,
sex, date of birth, unique citizens number, address, municipality, date of
signing. Signature and stamp of the official clerk of the Ministry of Justice
are guaranty that this person has signed in front of the official of the
Ministry.
B. Yes, The Law provides opportunity for additional referendum
for re-estimation of laws and decisions passed by the Assembly by the electors
or for giving the opinion of the electors for other issues decided by the
Assembly (Article 5 of the Law on referendum and civil initiative).
A new text for law or a
decision can be put forward by popular initiative according to Article 9 of the
Law on referendum and citizens initiative.
4.
Procedures involving more than one
authority
Must
the decision to submit a text to popular vote have the approval of more than
one body?
For
example:
If
the referendum is instigated by the Head of State, is a proposal of the
Government or of one or both houses of Parliament required? Can the Head of
State or the head of the Government reject the proposal?
If
the referendum is requested by part of the electorate, does Parliament - or do
a number of members of Parliament - have to agree?
Can a referendum be based on a popular initiative
putting forward an alternative proposal to the one before Parliament?
No, the Assembly decides
autonomously according to the Constitution and the Law. The Assembly decides on issuing notice of a
referendum concerning specific matters within its sphere of competence by a
majority vote of the total number of Representatives.
According to Article 21
of the Law for referendum and civil initiative, the Assembly may reject the
proposal for proposing a legislative referendum; if the proposer does not act
as stated in Article 19 paragraph 3 of this Law. The Assembly shall reject the
proposal for announcing a legislative referendum, if it estimates that the
content of the proposal is not in accordance with the Constitution and the Law
for referendum and civil initiative.
The Assembly is obliged
to announce a legislative referendum, when the proposal is submitted by at
least 150,000 voters, on issues that are under the authority of the Assembly,
in accordance with the provisions of the Law for referendum and civil
initiative (Article 22 of this Law)
5. Role of Parliament
-
Can Parliament oppose the holding of a referendum by adopting a counterproposal
on the same matter? If so, what is the time limit for doing so? If so, is a
special majority required?
-
Can it submit a counterproposal to popular vote at the same time as the first
proposal?
-
Is it entitled only to give its opinion?
-
Is there a time limit for Parliament to give its opinion, and if the time limit
is exceeded what are the consequences?
-
If the referendum is on a question of principle/a generally-worded proposal/a
proposal to abrogate (see following paragraph), is Parliament required to adopt
a (new) piece of legislation?
The Assembly shall be
obliged to decide within 30 days of submitting the proposal for announcing a
legislative referendum. The decision for announcing a legislative referendum
shall be passed with majority of votes out of the total number of Members of Parliament.
(Article 20 of the Law for referendum and civil initiative).
The Assembly shall be
obliged to pass a law, if on a legislative (previous) referendum the voters
decided for passing a law. The Assembly shall not pass a law, if on a
legislative (previous) referendum the voters decided against passing a law, or
against the method of regulating certain issue, which would be contrary to the
results of the referendum, nor it shall repeat the referendum on the same issue
one year after the referendum.
The Assembly shall be
obliged within 60 days from holding the legislative (additional) referendum to
regulate the issue or the law that has been decided about on the referendum, in
accordance with the results from the referendum. (Article 24 and 25 of the Law
for referendum and citizen initiave).
C - Content
1.
Types of act submitted to
referendum
Are
referendums held only on proposals for constitutional amendments?
Is
a referendum mandatory in the case of a constitutional amendment?
On what other types of measure can a referendum be called? In particular,
is referendum necessary or possible for accession to the European Union or
international organizations?
According to
Article 120 of Constitution and Article 3 of the Law for referendum and civil
initiative referendum is obligatory for association in or dissociation from a
union or community with other states.
A decision of association
or dissociation concerning membership in international organizations is adopted
by the Assembly by a majority vote of the total number of Representatives of
the Assembly and proposed by the President of the Republic, the Government or
at least 40 Representatives of the Assembly (Article 121 of the Constitution). The decision of association in or dissociation from a union
or community is adopted if the majority of the total number of voters upholds
it in a referendum in the Republic. On the base of this, the decision for accession to
the European Union necessarily requires referendum.
Referendum may be announced for the need
of ratifying international agreements. The provisions of the Law on referendum
and civil initiative, related to legislative referendum, shall accordingly be
applied to the referendum for ratifying international agreements.
2. Matters to which referendums may relate
Are
referendums reserved for particular matters? Are certain matters automatically
put to a referendum or excluded from referendums?
Referendum may be announced also for
other issues that are under the authority of the Assembly (Articles 26 and 27
paragraphs of the Law for referendum and civil initiative). For issues of
broader significance to the citizens and the Republic a consultative referendum
may be announced. The decision made on the consultative referendum shall not
oblige the Assembly.
Referendum may not be
announced for issues related to the Budget of the Republic and the final
closing account of the Budget, for public fees, for the reserves of the
Republic, for the issues related to elections, appointments and dismissals and for
amnesty (Articles 6 and 7 of the Law for referendum and civil initiative).
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
1. What form may the text submitted to
referendum take:
-
a specifically-worded draft of a constitutional amendment, legislative
enactment or other measure?
-
repeal of an existing provision?
-
a question of principle (for example: “are you in favour of amending the
constitution to introduce a presidential system of government?”)?, or
-
a concrete proposal, not presented in the form of a specific provision and
known as a “generally-worded proposal” (for example: “Are you in favour of
amending the Constitution in order to reduce the number of seats in Parliament
from 300 to 200?”)?
The decision for announcing a referendum
shall establish the following: the type of referendum, the decision for which
it will be decided, the text of the question that will be put on referendum,
the day of announcing the referendum and the day of its holding.
The decision for
announcing referendum shall be published in the Official Gazette of the
Republic of Macedonia.
The text of the
decision upon which it will be decided on the referendum shall also be
announced in the media.
The citizens shall be
informed about the referendum through a public appeal and putting posters on
perceptible places.
The decision for
announcement of the referendum and the text of the question put on referendum
shall be post in the polling stations.
2. Do
questions submitted to referendum have to respect:
a. unity
of form (a specifically-worded draft amendment and a generally-worded proposal
or a question of principle must not be combined in the same question);
b. unity
of content (except in the case of total revision of the Constitution or another
piece of legislation, there must be an intrinsic connection between the various
parts of each question put to the vote in order to guarantee freedom of
suffrage (the voter must not be expected to accept or reject as a whole
provisions without an intrinsic link);
c. unity
of rank: the question must not relate simultaneously to the Constitution and
subordinate legislation.
d. Does
the vote have to be on a single question or can it be on several different
ones?
e. Does the question (or do
the questions) have to be clear and suggestion-free?
The ballot shall contain
the question put on referendum and instructions on the way of voting.
If it is voted for more
issues, each issue shall be voted for on a separate ballot.
The question on the
ballot must be formulated precisely and unambiguously, so that the citizen on
the referendum can answer with “FOR” or “AGAINST. (Article 46 paragraphs 2 and
3 of the Law for referendum and civil initiative).
E - Substantive limits on
referendums (substantive validity)
Is
a referendum prohibited if the text put forward is contrary:
-
to international law or some of its rules;
-
to the Constitution or some of its rules;
-
to other overriding legal rules.
The Assembly shall reject the
proposal for announcing a legislative referendum, if it estimates that the
contents of the proposal are not in accordance with the Constitution of the
Republic of Macedonia and with the Law for referendum and civil initiative.
(Article 21 paragraph 2 of the Law).
According to the Article
118 of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia, the international
agreements ratified in accordance with the Constitution are part of the
internal legal order and cannot be changed by law.
F - Campaigning, funding and voting
1.
Campaigning
a. Are
the authorities required to provide objective information, for example by
sending the text and an explanatory document to voters?
b. If
an explanatory document is provided, who draws it up? Can political parties
take part in drafting it? Does the explanatory
document have to provide a balanced presentation of the authorities’ views and
their opponents’ views?
c. Is
campaigning for or against the referendum text restricted to political parties?
If not, who is entitled to take part? Are national, regional or local authorities
allowed to campaign?
d. Are
the public media required to allocate equal time to supporters and opponents of
the text?
e.
What about the private
media? Are financial or other conditions for radio and television advertising
the same for supporters and opponents.
The provisions from the
Law on Election of representatives in the Assembly of the Republic of
Macedonia, shall be applied for the conduct and the way of voting on the
referendum, unless otherwise determined by the Law for referendum and civil
initiative (Article 41 paragraph 2 of the Law).
The citizens shall be
informed about the referendum through a public appeal and putting posters on
perceptible places. (Article 33 of the Law for referendum and civil initiative)
The public propaganda on the referendum shall end no later than 48 hours prior
to the day of voting. (Article 42 of the Law for referendum and civil
initiative).
According to the Articles
51, 53 and 54, of the Law on election of the representatives in the Assembly of
Republic of Macedonia, public media are obligate to provide under equal
conditions equal access on their programs in the presentations to supporters
and opponents of the text of the referendum. The duration of the
presentation, methods of advertising and terms for the use of time, or the
space in the media for the presentation shall be determined by a decision on
the rules for equal media presentation. The decision on the rules for equal
media presentation shall be reached by the Assembly, upon a proposal by the
Broadcasting Council. The public media, whose founder is the Assembly, in
co-operation with the State Election Commission have an obligation without
compensation to inform the citizens of the way and technique of voting.
2. Funding
a. Is
use of public funds to campaign for or against a proposal submitted to
referendum allowed? To what extent? Is it prohibited in the period immediately
preceding the vote?
b. Is
privately-funded collection of signatures for popular initiatives allowed, and
if so on what conditions?
The means for the conduct
of the referendum shall be provided from the budget of the Republic of
Macedonia.
For the activities, acts,
submissions and other documents related to the conducting of a referendum tax
shall not be paid and all activities in the procedure shall be exempt from
paying all kinds of taxes (Article 11 and Article 59 of the Law for referendum
and civil initiative).
3.
Voting
a. Does voting take place on
one day or over a number of days?
b. If
there is a large time-lag between different voting centres, is it possible for
the results from some of them to be known before voting closes in other
centres?
c. Is it compulsory for all
voters to cast a vote?
d. Quorum:
For the result of the referendum to be valid, is it necessary for it to have
won a given percentage of registered voters? Or is a minimum turnout required?
According to Article 31
of the Law on referendum and civil initiative, Sunday or other non-working day
shall be determined as day for holding a referendum. The referendum shall be
conducted from 7.00 until 19.00.
Two or more referendums
may be held in the same day.
The decision for announcing a referendum
shall be announced in the media no later than 15 days before the day of holding
the referendum.
The text of the decision
upon which it will be decided on the referendum shall also be announced in the
media.
The citizens shall be informed about the
referendum through a public appeal and putting posters on perceptible places
The voting take places in
one day. There is no time lag between different voting centers.
According to Article 22
paragraph 2 of the Constitution, the right to vote is equal, universal and
direct, and is exercised at free elections by secret ballot.
The voting on the
referendum shall be secret.
The citizen cannot be
called for on responsibility for voting on a referendum.
Each citizen shall have a
right to only one vote on the referendum.
The citizen may vote only
in person.
The citizen who is
illiterate or due to physical disability cannot vote in the way determined by
the Law on referendum and civil initiative or other law, shall have a right to
bring a person who will help him/her during the voting.
The electorate board
shall assist the illiterate citizen in the voting.
The decision for a legislative
referendum shall be considered adopted, if majority of the voters that voted,
voted for that, if more than half of the total number of voters registered in
the Voters’ List voted. Decision reached on a legislative referendum shall be
compulsory. (Article 73 of the Constitution and Article 23 of the Law for
referendum and civil initiative).
G - Effects of referendums
1. What are the effects of referendums? Is
the electorate asked for an opinion (consul ative
referendum) or a decision (binding referendum)?
The decision reached on a
legislative referendum shall be compulsory.
The Assembly shall be
obliged to pass a law, if on a legislative (previous) referendum the voters
decided for passing a law.
The Assembly shall not
pass a law, if on a legislative (previous) referendum the voters decided
against passing a law, or against the method of regulating certain issue, which
would be contrary to the results of the referendum, nor it shall repeat the
referendum on the same issue before the expiration of one year from the
referendum.
The Assembly shall be obliged within 60
days from holding the legislative (additional) referendum to regulate the issue
or the law that has been decided about on the referendum, in accordance with
the results from the referendum.
2. Does
the referendum make it necessary to take other decisions (see item B.5)?
Please see answer under item B 5.
3. Where
a referendum deals with a text that has already been adopted by an authority,
is that referendum:
-
suspensive: the text may not enter into force unless it has been approved by
the electors or unless a request to hold a referendum has not been made within
the time-limit established by the Constitution or by law;
-
resolutory: the text ceases to be in force following a "no" vote or
failure to secure a "yes" vote within a certain time-limit after its
adoption; or
-
abrogative: the acceptance of the referendum leads to the repeal of a provision
in force?
The Parliament
is obliged to regulate the issue or the Law that has been on referendum
according to the results of the referendum, within 60 days after the
realization of the referendum.
H - Parallelism of
procedures and rules on referendums
1. Can
a provision agreed to or rejected in a referendum be revised or adopted by a
procedure which does not allow a referendum?
No.
2. Can
a constitutional or legislative provision which allows referendums be revised
by a procedure which does not allow a referendum?
Yes.
I - Specific rules on popular initiatives
1.
What is the time-limit for
collecting signatures?
According to Article 7 of
the Law for procedure of collecting the signature of voters for proposing
adoption of law, announce the referendum and for submission of proposal for
changes of the Constitution of the Republic of Macedonia (Official Gazette of
the Republic of Macedonia No.16/96), and Article 66 of the Law on referendum
and civil initiative, the deadline for collecting signatures for submitting a
proposal for approaching towards amendment of the Constitution shall be six
moths following the day of starting the collection of signatures. The deadline
for collecting signatures for proposing of passing a law and reaching decisions
and resolving other issues that are under the authority of the Assembly shall be
three months following the day of starting the collection of signature.
2.
Who is entitled to collect
signatures?
The signatures
are collected by the initiator affront of the authorized official of the
Ministry of Justice.
3. How are signatures checked?
According to Article 7 of
the above mention Law, within the three days after the submission of the
initiative, the signatures of the voters are hand over in the Departments for
state administration of the Ministry of Justice as competent bodies for evidention
of right to vote.
The collection of signatures
starts with putting on signature on the form from Article 6 of the law, from
the first signed voter. Each of the voters is obliged to identify himself and
to provide dates about his/her name, name of the parents, last name, sex, date
of birth, unique citizens number, address, municipality, date of signing,
signature ans stamp of the official clerk. Signature and stamp of the official
clerk is the guaranty that the person has signed infront of the official of the
Ministry.
4. Is
there an authority which has the power to correct irregularities resulting from
the content of the question? (Examples: problems of formal validity, obscure,
misleading or suggestion-making questions)
No, there is no such authority.
J - Judicial review
1. Is
it possible to appeal to a court against a decision to hold or not to hold a
referendum? Or is there automatic judicial review? Is judicial review concerned
in particular with the outcome of popular initiatives?
The only possibility is to appeal
affront of the Constitutional Court on the base of violation of the freedoms
and rights of the individual and citizen relating to the freedom of conviction,
conscience, thought and public expression of thought, political
association and activity as well as to the
prohibition of discrimination among citizens on the ground of sex, race,
religion or national, social or political affiliation.
The Constitutional Court of the
Republic of Macedonia decides on the conformity of laws with the Constitution;
decides on the conformity of collective agreements and other regulations with
the Constitution and laws; protects the freedoms and rights of the individual
and citizen relating to the freedom of conviction, conscience, thought and public
expression of thought, political association
and activity as well as to the prohibition of
discrimination among citizens on the ground of sex, race, religion or national,
social or political affiliation; decides on conflicts of competency among
holders of legislative, executive and judicial offices; decides on conflicts of
competency among Republic bodies and units of local self-government.
Anyone can submit an initiative
for initiating constitutionality of law and constitutionality and legality of a
regulation or other common act assessment procedure.
The Constitutional court may
itself initiate constitutionality of a law, that is constitutionality and
legality of a regulation or other common act assessment procedure. During the
investigation of the constitutionality of a law that is the constitutionality
and the legality of a regulation or other common act, the Constitutional court
may also assess the constitutionality and the legality of the regulation or
other common act, which are not denied with the initiative.
If
judicial review exists, under what circumstances may the court rule against the
holding of a referendum (failure to respect unity of form or content, unclear
questions, etc.)?
2. Are the results of referendums subject
to judicial review?
Only on the base of
protection of the right to vote: irregularities in the work of the election
bodies. Each citizen shall have a right to submit a complaint for
irregularities in the procedure for voting in the polling stations and the work
of the electoral board to the electoral commission within 72 hours of the day
of holding the referendum.
The electoral commission
shall be obliged to reach a decision within 24 hours of the receipt of the
complaint.
Against the decision of
the electoral commission an appeal may be submitted to the Appellate Court,
which local authority is for the area of the electoral unit.
The Appellate Court shall
be obliged to reach a decision on the appeal within 48 hours.
Each citizen shall have a right to
submit a complain for irregularities in the work of the electoral commissions
to the State Election Commissions within 72 hours of the day of holding the
elections.
The State Election
Commission shall be obliged to reach a decision within 48 hours of the receipt
of the complaint.
Against the decision of
the State Election Commission an appeal may be submitted to the Supreme Court
of the Republic of Macedonia.
The Supreme Court of the Republic of
Macedonia shall be obliged to reach a decision on the appeal within 48 hours of
the receipt of the appeal ( Articles 61 and 62 of the Law for referendum and
civil initiative).
3. Who may lodge an appeal?
Each citizen shall have a
right to submit a complaint for irregularities in the procedure for voting in
the polling stations and the work of the electoral board to the electoral
commission.
Against the decision of
the electoral commission an appeal may be submitted to the Appellate Court.
Each citizen shall have a right
to submit a complaint for irregularities in the work of the electoral
commissions to the State Election Commissions. Against the decision of
the State Election Commission an appeal may be submitted to the Supreme Court
of the Republic of Macedonia (Articles 61 and 62 of the Law for
referendum and civil initiative).
K - Experiences of
referendums
1. How
many referendums have been held since the country has had a Constitution?
Specify what type of referendums were held (see above I.C)?
2.
On whose initiative has each
referendum been held?
3.
Have any referendums been invalid
because of a low turnout?
4.
In how many referendums has the
electorate voted yes?
5.
In how many referendums has the
electorate voted no?
6.
Can any of the results be largely
accounted for by factors unrelated to the question?
7. Can
any of the positive results be accounted for by the popularity of the person
putting the question?
8. Can
any of the negative results be accounted for by an unpopular government? Or by
general discontent? Or by a misunderstanding of the issues at stake?
On September 8, 1991 a
referendum was held for the independence of the Republic of Macedonia from the
Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia. The question of the referendum was
“are you for a sovereign and independent Macedonia with a right to became part
of a union of sovereign states of Yugoslavia”. The turnout was 72% and 95 % of
the electorate was in favour.
On June 4, 1996, with the
Conclusion No.08-1901/11, Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia did not
accepted the citizens initiative supported by 150 000 signatures of citizens
for predate parliamentarian elections.
II - Regional or local referendums
A - Legal basis
1.
Is there provision in the national Constitution for
local referendums?
Article 2 of the Constitution
stipulates in general that the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia exercise
their authority through democratically elected representatives, through
referendum and through other forms of direct expression. Other than that, the
Constitution does not dictate any specific case for local referendums.
2. If
there are no constitutional provisions, does national law allow local
referendums?
Law of
local self-government (Official Gazette of the Republic of Macedonia No. 5/02)
and Law for referendum and civil initiative (Official Gazette of the Republic
of Macedonia No. 16/96).
3. Have
the federate, regional, autonomous or other types of body adopted provisions
for holding referendums?
Yes, provision for
holding referendums are adopted by the authorities of the local self-government
(in their Statutes).
4. On what matters is it possible to call
a referendum?
The citizens shall
directly participate in the decision-making process on issues of local
importance through citizen's initiative, citizen 's gatherings and referendum,
in a manner and procedure determined by law (Article 25 of the Law of local
self-government)
Through a referendum the
citizens may decide on issues from under the competency of the municipality, as
well as other issues of local importance. The council shall be obliged to issue
a notice of a referendum at the request of at least 20% of the voters of the
municipality. The council may issue a notice of a referendum on issues within
its authority, at its own initiative.
The decision adopted on
the referendum shall be binding for the council. (Article 28 of the Law of
local self-government).
A1 - At what level?
1. Federate
states?
No.
2. Provinces?
Regions?
No.
3.
Lower levels? Districts?
No.
4.
Municipalities?
Yes.
The citizens shall
directly participate in the decision-making process on issues of local
importance through civil initiative, citizens' gatherings and referendum, in a
manner and procedure determined by law.
5.
On what matters?
Referendum may be
announced in the units of the local self-government for issues that have local
significance and which are under the authority of the units of the local
self-government, particularly in the fields of public services, urban
and rural planning, environmental protection, local economic development, local
finances, communal activities, culture, sport, social security and child care,
education, health care and other fields determined by law.
6.
May national or federal
authorities intervene, and in what conditions?
Yes, the Ministry of
Local self-government is the State body authorized to audit the legality and
the constitutionality of the work of the units of local self-government and its
bodies.
The Mayor shall be obliged, within 10 days from the day of
their publishing, to submit the municipal regulations to the Ministry of
Local self-government.
In case the Ministry considers that the regulation is not in accordance with
the Constitution and law, within 45 days from the day of submission, it shall
adopt a resolution for withholding the implementation of the regulation, giving
explanation for the reasons for the withholding.
The resolution shall be published in the “Official Gazette
of the Republic of Macedonia”.
The Ministry of Local self-government shall be obliged to raise an
initiative in front of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Macedonia
for the assessment of the constitutionality
and legality of the withheld regulation, within 30 days from the day of the
publication of the resolution referred to in paragraph 1 of this Article.
If the procedure is not initiated
within the determined deadline, the validity of the resolution for withholding
of the application of the and the withheld regulation shall become valid (Art 71 of the
Law on local-self government).
B - What type of referendum can be held? Who decides?
Reply, mutates mutandis, to the same questions as in I-B (stating in
particular which federate, regional or local authorities can intervene).
In units of local
self-government, citizens directly and through representatives participate in
decision-making on issues of local relevance particularly in the fields of
public services, urban and rural planning, environmental protection, local
economic development, local finances, communal activities, culture, sport,
social security and child care, education, health care and other fields
determined by law (Article 115 of the Constitution of the Republic of
Macedonia).
Through a referendum the
citizens may decide on issues from under the competency of the municipality, as
well as other issues of local importance.
The council shall be
obliged to issue a notice of a referendum at the request of at least 20% of the
voters of the municipality.
The council may issue a
notice of a referendum on issues within its authority, at its own initiative.
C -
Content
Reply
to the same questions as in I-C.
In
particular:
-
Can a referendum be held on a proposal to secede from the State?
- Can it relate to geographical boundaries?
- Are any other subjects permitted?
At local level referendum may be organized on issues of local relevance
particularly in the fields of public services, urban and rural planning,
environmental protection, local economic development, local finances, communal
activities, culture, sport, social security and child care, education, health
care and other issues determined by law on local self-government.
D - Form of the text submitted to referendum (formal validity)
Reply
to the same questions as in I-D.
E - Substantive limits on referendums
(substantive validity)
Reply
to the same questions as in I-E (particularly the question of conformity with
central-government rules).
The decision for
announcing a referendum shall establish the following: the type of referendum,
the decision for which it will be decided, the text of the question that will
be put on referendum, the day of announcing the referendum and the day of its
holding.
The ballot shall contain
the question put on referendum and instructions on the way of voting.
If it is voted for more
issues, each issue shall be voted for on a separate ballot.
The question on the
ballot must be formulated precisely and unambiguously, so that the citizen on
the referendum can answer with “FOR” or “AGAINST.
All rules for local
referendums are in full conformity with central – government rules.
F - Campaigning and voting
Reply
to the same questions as in I-F.
See answer under I- F.
The expenses for execution of the direct
participation of the citizens in the decision-making process shall be covered
from the municipal budge
G -
Effects of referendums
Reply to the same questions as in I-G.
The decision adopted on the referendum
shall be binding for the council.
H - Parallelism of procedures and rules on referendums
Reply
to the same questions as in I-H.
See answer under I-H.
I -
Specific rules on popular initiatives
Reply
to the same questions as in I-I.
The citizens shall have
the right to propose to the council to enact a certain act or to decide upon a
certain issue within its authority.
Civil initiative shall
not be raised for personnel and financial issues.
Upon the citizens
proposal, the council shall be obliged to discuss if it is supported by at
least 10% of the voters in the municipality, that is of the neighbourhood
self-government to which a certain issue refers.
The council shall be
obliged to hold the discussion at the latest 90 days after the raising of the
initiative and to inform the citizens on its decision.
Another form of direct
participation of the citizens in the decision-making process in the municipalities
is citizens’ gathering.
Citizens’ gathering may
be convened for the territory of the entire municipality or for the territory
of the neighborhood self-government.
The citizens’ gathering
shall be convened by the mayor of the municipality upon his/her own initiative,
at the request of the council or at the request of at least 10% of the voters
in the municipality, that is in the neighborhood self-government that a certain
issue relates to.
The municipality organs
shall be obliged within 90 days to review the conclusions made at the citizens'
gathering and to take them into account when making decisions and determining
measures on issues they relate to, and to inform the citizens on their
decision.
J -
Judicial review
Reply to the same questions as in I-J, making the appropriate distinction
between judicial review at central-government level and at federate or regional
level.
See answer under I-J.
K -
Experiences of referendums
1.
Have there been many local
referendums?
Yes.
2. If
so, at what level? Federate level? Provinces or districts? Municipalities?
Other levels? Specify what type of referendums were held.
At the level of the Municipalities.
Most of the referendums at the municipalities are legislative, for
passing laws, (previous referendum).
III - The future of referendums
1.
Is the referendum system
currently being reformed?
2. If so, for what reason?
3. If so, what is the general tendency of this reform?
Proposal for adoption of new Draft Law
for referendum and other form on direct citizen's expression is in process of
preparation. The intention of the draft law is realization of the purpose, in
unique law text to incorporated forms, ways and procedure for realization of
direct democracy as one of the fundamental rights of citizens, guaranteed by
the Constitution. The draft law proposes regulation of right of referendum and
civil initiative on local level, in accordance with Article 25 of the Law of
local self-government.
TURQUIE / TURKEY
B. Under Article 175 of the Constitution,
constitutional referendums are mandatory in one case, and optional in two
cases. If a constitutional amendment is adopted by at least three-fifths but
less than two-thirds majority of the total number of members of the Grand
National Assembly and is not returned to the Assembly by the President of the
Republic for reconsideration, a constitutional referendum is mandatory. A
constitutional amendment adopted by the Assembly by a two-thirds majority can
either be referred back to the Assembly for reconsideration by the President or
submitted to a referendum by him. In this case, referendum is optional and
depends entirely on the discretion of the president. A third possibility where
a constitutional referendum is also optional, materializes when the Assembly
adopts a constitutional amendment by a two-thirds majority upon the referral by
the President for reconsideration. Here again, the President is entirely free
to submit or not to submit an amendment to referendum.
It is thus clear
that in optional referendums, the President of the Republic is the sole
authority to initiate a constitutional referendum process. This is one of the
constitutional prerogatives of the President which he/she can exercise alone,
i.e. without the counter-signature of the Council of Ministers. In Turkish
constitutional law, neither the government, nor the parliament, nor a certain
proportion of the electorate can initiate a referendum process, nor can
obstruct it if the president so decides.
C. Referendums are held only on proposals
for constitutional amendments.
D. Only a speficially-worded
draft of a constitutional amendment can be submitted to a referendum, not a
question of principle.
The Grand National Assembly, in adopting
the laws amending the Constitution, also decides on which provisions shall be
submitted to referendum together and which shall be submitted individually.
E. There is no substantive
limts on referendums.
F.
3 a. Voting takes place on one day.
b. No.
c. Yes
d. There is no specific quorum. The adoption of a constitutional
amendment requires the approval of more than half of the valid votes cast.
G. The effects of referendums
are immediately binding.
I. There is no room for
popular iniative.
J. There is no judicial review
on the President’s decision to hold a referendum. Irregularities in the voting
process may be reviewed by the Supreme Board of Elections.
K. There have been only two
instances when a constitutional amendment was submitted to a referendum (in
1987 and 1988).
II. There is no room for
regional or local referendums.
