“Good use of the referendum first implies a good subject” | EUROtoday

LWhen his needs for the brand new yr, the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, formulated the want that the French sliced ​​decisive topics. While the referendum fell into shame when the French rejected the European Constitutional Treaty, very precisely twenty years in the past, in 2005, the Prime Minister, François Bayrou, has simply revived the concept, on the theme of the discount of deficits.

Undoubtedly, in a mature democracy, the folks deserves to rule instantly on sure questions at common intervals. Between 1958 and 2005, the French have been consulted by the referendum on the sustained fee of 1 each 5 years on common. Today, a legislative referendum seems all of the extra opportune as, for lack of majority within the Assembly to undertake the legal guidelines, the representatives of the folks have problem exercising nationwide sovereignty.

Nevertheless, referendum observe in France suffers from two fundamental pitfalls: first, an unsuitable or equivocal topic; Then, the acclaimed dimension of the referendum in France, which usually interprets right into a vote for or towards the President of the Republic. If these dangers exist, their realization just isn’t inevitable, nonetheless, as evidenced by the wholesome practices of referendums in different democracies.

Expand the sphere of session

Good use of the referendum first implies a very good topic. It is a query of avoiding complicated and technical themes whose points are a number of and for which it’s troublesome to point out pedagogy, like a whole treaty, of an institutional reform (such because the introduction of proportional to the legislative elections) or the discount of deficits. Not solely ought to the topic curiosity public opinion, nevertheless it should be easy, clear and name a binary alternative: sure or no.

Social points thus look like indicated, whether or not it’s energetic assist to die or using social networks. The enlargement of the European Union (to Ukraine, for instance) or the principles for buying nationality – a query on which the Italians will rule in June – are additionally related topics for a referendum session, each by their significance, their sensitivity and their circumscribed character.

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