Parliamentary elections were held in Latvia on 5 and 6 June 1993, the first after independence was restored in 1991. Latvian Way emerged as the largest party in the Saeima, winning 36 of the 100 seats. A total of 23 parties participated in the elections, although only eight received 4% or more of votes and won seats. Voter turnout was 91.2%, the highest in the country's history. Only 66–75% of Latvian residents were citizens and qualified to vote, with the majority of those not able to vote being Russian.
An abrogative referendum on the divorce law was held in Italy on 12 May 1974. Voters were asked whether they wanted to repeal a government law passed three years earlier allowing divorce for the first time in modern Italian history. Those voting "yes" wanted to outlaw divorce as had been the case before the law came into effect, and those voting "no" wanted to retain the law and their newly gained right to divorce. The referendum was defeated by margin of 59.26% to 40.74% on a voter turnout of 87.72% out of 37 million eligible voters, thus allowing the divorce laws to remain in force.
Riga Cathedral formally The Cathedral Church of Saint Mary, is the Evangelical Lutheran cathedral in Riga, Latvia. It is the seat of the Archbishop of Riga.
St James's Cathedral is the Roman Catholic cathedral of Riga in Latvia. The cathedral is dedicated to Saint James the Greater. The building is part of the Old Riga UNESCO World Heritage Site and lies directly opposite the House of the Livonian Noble Corporation, the meeting place of Latvia's parliament the Saeima.
A constitutional referendum was held in Russia on 12 December 1993. The new constitution was approved by 58.4% of voters, and came into force on 25 December.
A constitutional referendum was held in Greece on 15 November 1968. Voters were asked whether they wished to ratify a new constitution prepared by the dictatorial regime. It was approved by 92.1% of voters, with a voter turnout of 77.7%.
A referendum was held in France on 20 and 21 December 1851. Voters were asked whether they approved of the continuation of the authority of Louis Napoléon Bonaparte and to delegate the powers required to produce a new constitution. It was approved by 92% of voters with an 81.7% turnout.
Parliamentary elections were held in Belarus on 14 May 1995 to elect the thirteenth Supreme Council. The elections took place alongside a multi-question referendum, although several further rounds of voting were required on 28 May, 29 November and 10 December. The majority of candidates elected were independents, although 62 seats remained unfilled due to insufficient voter turnout. A total of 2,348 candidates and 22 parties contested the election, around a thousand of which were independents. After the planned two rounds, only 119 of the 260 seats had been filled due to turnouts being too low in some areas. As this was well short of the 174 needed for a quorum, an additional two rounds were necessary. By the fourth round a quorum was reached, and although further rounds of voting were planned for 1996 to fill the remaining seats, following the constitutional amendments made following the referendum and the subsequent formation of a new National Assembly, they were not held.
A referendum on revoking some medical and tuition fees was held in Hungary on 9 March 2008. The proposals would cancel government reforms which introduced doctor visit fees paid per visitation and medical fees paid per number of days spent in hospital as well as tuition fees in higher education. All three were supported by a majority of voters. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány stated that the fees would be abolished on 1 April 2008 following the referendum, but that the government had no funds available to replace the income lost for the higher educations institutions and health institutions due to the abolishment of the fees.
A referendum on European Union membership was held in Latvia on 20 September 2003. Latvia was the last of the states which would join the EU in 2004 to hold a referendum on the issue. Just over two-thirds of voters voted Yes and Latvia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
A referendum on joining the European Union was held in Hungary on 12 April 2003. The proposal was approved by 83.8% of voters, with a voter turnout of 45.6%. Hungary subsequently joined the EU on 1 May 2004.
Five referendums were held in Switzerland during 2005. The first two were held on 5 June on Switzerland joining the Schengen Area and whether registered partnerships for same-sex couples should be introduced. Both questions were approved. The third was held on 25 September on a federal resolution on extending the agreement on free movement of people to new members of the European Union, and was also approved. The final two were held on 27 November on a popular initiative "for food from an agriculture free of genetic modification" and on a labour law related to the opening times of shops in public transport hubs. Both were approved.
A constitutional referendum was held in Poland on 25 May 1997. Voters were asked whether they approved of a new constitution. It was narrowly approved, with 53.5% voting in favour. Voter turnout was just 42.9%. Although the 1995 Referendum Act stated that a 50% turnout was required to validate the referendum, the Supreme Court ruled on 15 July that the constitution could be introduced.
A referendum to expropriate the property of the former ruling houses was held in Germany on 20 June 1926. Although a majority of those who voted voted in favour, the voter turnout of 39% was too low for the proposal to pass into law.
A referendum on the transfer of Riga Cathedral to the Lutheran Church was held in Latvia on 5 and 6 September 1931. Following a 1923 referendum the Lutheran Church had been forced to share the cathedral with the Roman Catholic Church. The referendum was passed by a large margin, and despite a voter turnout of only 32%, the government decided to proceed with the legislation. The outcome of the referendum led to an increase in the popularity of civic parties in the parliamentary elections in October.
An independence referendum was held in the Latvian SSR on 3 March 1991, alongside a similar referendum in the Estonian SSR the same day. Known as the "Popular Survey about the independence of the Republic of Latvia", voters were asked "are you in favour of a democratic and independent Republic of Latvia". It was approved by 74.9% of voters, with a turnout of 87.6%. Latvian Republic civilians registered in Soviet Army units also had the right to vote in this poll.
A referendum on state pensions was held in Latvia on 13 November 1999. A bill amending the state pension law had been passed by the Saeima on 5 August. It proposed equalising the retirement age of 60 for men and 57.5 for women at 62 by 2006, as well as beginning to withhold pensions from pensioners earning more than double the state pension the following year and withholding payments to all pensioners earning an income by 2005.
An independence referendum was held in Lithuania on 9 February 1991, eleven months after independence from the Soviet Union had been declared on 11 March 1990. Just over 93% of those voting voted in favour of independence, while the number of eligible voters voting "yes" was 76.5%, far exceeding the threshold of 50%. Independence was subsequently achieved in August 1991. The independence of the Republic of Lithuania was re-recognized by the United States on 2 September 1991 and by the Soviet Union on 6 September 1991.
A constitutional referendum on the "Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia" was held on 18 February 2012. Proposed amendments included Articles 4, 18, 21, 101 and 104 of the Constitution of Latvia by adding the condition about Russian as the second official language, as well as prescribing two working languages — Latvian and Russian — for self-government institutions. The referendum's question was "Do you support the adoption of the Draft Law "Amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Latvia" that provides for the Russian language the status of the second official language?"
Three referendums were held in Switzerland during 1919. The first two were held on 4 May on amending the constitution to add article 24ter on shipping, and on a constitutional amendment to impose a war tax. Both proposals were approved by a majority of voters and cantons. The third was held on 10 August on temporary amendments to article 73 of the constitution, and was also approved in spite of low turnout.
