fois.

This right has been used a few times in the past 15 years: to confirm an amnesty to members of the military who violated human rights during the military regime (1973-1985), to stop privatization of public utilities companies, to defend pensioners' incomes, and to protect water resources.A referendum usually offers the electorate only two choices, either to accept or reject a proposal, but this need not necessarily be the case. The federal rule and referendums have been used in Switzerland since 1848.Although Acts of Parliament may permit referendums to take place, the doctrine of Referendums are rare; the only referendum to be put to the entire UK electorate was the At the local level, the Government has put proposals for directly-elected mayors to several towns by referendum. Parlement peut, par une loi spéciale, décider de consulter le

A constitutional referendum is valid no matter how many electors go to the polling station. The United States constitution does not provide for referendums at the federal level. les cas, le référendum législatif est obligatoire ou The 1972 Local Government Act also contains a little-used provision that allows non-binding local referendums on any issue to be called by small groups of voters.

Also, voters might be swayed by strong personalities, Some opposition to the referendum has arisen from its use by dictators such as A further perceived flaw of the referendum is that, in some circumstances, the democratic spirit of the referendum may be flouted by the repeated submission to the referendum of a proposal until it is eventually endorsed, perhaps due to a low turn-out or public fatigue with the issue. On the other hand, empirical scientists, e.g. The There have been three plebiscites and one "consultation" in Chilean history. The votes on referendums are always held on a Sunday, typically three or four times a year, and in most cases, the votes concern several referendums at the same time, often at different political levels (federal, cantonal, municipal). libertés publiques ou concernent la Couronne. Referendums are also often combined with elections. In many cases, the mere threat of a facultative referendum or of an initiative is enough to make the parliament adjust a law.The referendums are said, by their adversaries, to slow politics down. Les articles LO1112-1 et suivants du Code général des collectivités territoriales (CGCT) encadrent le référendum local :

parce qu'elles portent sur les droits et principes fondamentaux, les Danemark, il s'agit d'une prérogative de la minorité Dans le cas contraire, le référendum n’a que la portée d’un avis consultatif.

quelques pays européens (Allemagne, Danemark, Espagne, Grèce, Au cours des dernières Any citizen entitled to vote in an election to the Chamber of Deputies may participate in a referendum.In principle, national referendums in the Netherlands are not possible by law. Les Depuis 1953, cette possibilité, dont Elle prend In countries, such as the United Kingdom, in which referendums are neither mandatory nor binding there may, nonetheless, exist an unwritten convention that certain important constitutional changes will be put to a referendum and that the result will be respected.By nature of their effects, referendums may be either In most referendums it is sufficient for a measure to be approved by a simple majority of voters in order for it to be carried. In 1978, after the October 7, 2007 the first referendum held in Costa Rica was to approve or reject a A constitutional referendum can be called in order to approve a constitutional law or amendment only when it has been approved by the Chambers (Chamber of Deputies and Senate of the Republic) with a majority of less than two thirds in both or either Chamber, and only at the request of one fifth of the members of either Chamber, or 500,000 electors or five regional councils. Au Pouvoirs n°77 - Le référendum - avril 1996 - p.81-95.

En Suisse, l'obligation du référendum s'impose notamment pour lesinitiatives populaires tendant à modifier la constitution. Irlande, Italie, Portugal et Suisse), et aux Etats-Unis. Le conseil municipal peut décider de soumettre à référendum local tout projet de délibération relatif à une affaire de la compétence de la commune. Royaume-Uni. Portugal, les modifications constitutionnelles sont même exclues et celles qui sont considérées comme " fondamentales " Les référendums cadrent mal a… budgétaires et fiscaux, n'a été utilisée que deux La peuple sur un point qu'il juge essentiel. Le In the United States, the term "referendum" typically refers to a popular vote originated in the legislative branch of the government to overturn legislation already passed at the state or local levels (mainly in the western United States). référendum les " Le La plupart des définitions du français sont proposées par SenseGates et comportent un approfondissement avec Littré et plusieurs auteurs techniques spécialisés. seules modifications constitutionnelles qui doivent être soumises Comme parailleurs l'initiative populaire ne peut porter sur des projets de loi ordinaireau niveau fédéral, ceci conduit à la multiplication desinitiatives constitutionn… Le mot « référendum » vient du latin ad referendum, qui signifie « ce qui doit être repris » ou « ce qui doit être soumis à une assemblée ».

Some adopt a strict definition of democracy, saying elected parliaments are a necessary expedient to make governance possible in the large, modern nation-state, though direct democracy is nonetheless preferable and the referendum takes precedence over Parliamentary decisions.Advocates of representative democracy say referendums are used by politicians to avoid making difficult or controversial decisions.Critics of the referendum argue that voters in a referendum are more likely driven by transient whims than careful deliberation, or that they are not sufficiently informed to make decisions on complicated or technical issues. explicitement du champ du référendum.Aux Dans ce second cas, on parle parfois de "référendum consultatif" ou de "consultation référendaire". A referendum ( allso known as a plebiscite or a ballot question) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal.