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A double referendum was held in Italy on 11 June 1978. [1] Voters were asked whether they approved of the repealing of laws on political party financing and public order. [2] Both proposals were rejected. [2]
The Reale Law was approved by the Parliament in 1975 and defined the powers and engagement of the Italian police during riots or simple street protests. The referendum was called by the Radical Party and supported by two extreme opposition parties, the Italian Social Movement on the right side, and Proletarian Democracy on the left, together with the Italian Liberal Party, while all other parties, including the Italian Communist Party, supported retaining the law.
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 7,400,619 | 23.54 |
 No | 24,038,806 | 76.46 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,050,263 | – |
| Total | 33,489,688 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 41,248,657 | 81.19 |
| Source: Ministry of the Interior | ||
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, following the positions of all the parties of the so-called Constitutional Arch.
The other question concerned the party funding Piccoli Law was the subject of one question. The new law was passed by the Parliament in 1974, establishing public funding of the parliamentary parties in an attempt to stop the funding of parties big industrial groups and interests. The referendum was called by the Radical Party and was supported by Proletarian Democracy and the Italian Socialist Party, whilst the remainder of the political spectrum were against its abolishment.
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 13,691,900 | 43.59 |
| No | 17,718,478 | 56.41 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 2,078,312 | – |
| Total | 33,488,690 | 100 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 41,248,657 | 81.19 |
| Source: Ministry of the Interior | ||
The referendum was rejected by the Italian electors, but the percentage was considerably smaller than the expected result considering the parliamentary positions.
Referendums in the United Kingdom are occasionally held at a national, regional or local level. Historically, national referendums are rare due to the long-standing principle of parliamentary sovereignty. There is no constitutional requirement to hold a national referendum for any purpose or on any issue however the UK Parliament is free to legislate through an Act of Parliament for a referendum to be held on any question at any time.
The Radical Party was a liberal and libertarian political party in Italy.
A referendum, in the Italian legal system is a request directed to the whole electorate to express their view on a determined question. It is the main instrument of direct democracy in Italy.
Bulgaria elects on the national level a head of state—the president—and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term directly by the people. The National Assembly has 240 members elected for a four-year term by proportional representation in multi-seat constituencies with a 4% threshold. Bulgaria has a multi-party system in which often no one party has a chance of gaining power alone and parties must work with each to form governments.
In Australia, referendums are public votes held on important issues where the electorate may approve or reject a certain proposal. In contemporary usage, polls conducted on non-constitutional issues are known as plebiscites, with the term referendum being reserved solely for votes on constitutional changes, which is legally required to make a change to the Constitution of Australia.
A four-part referendum was held in Russia on 25 April 1993. Voters were asked questions on confidence in President Boris Yeltsin, support for the government's socio-economic policies and early elections for both the presidency and parliament. The referendum was initiated by the Congress of People's Deputies, which stipulated that Yeltsin would need to obtain 50% of the electorate, rather than 50% of valid votes. However, the Constitutional Court ruled that the president required only a simple majority on two issues: confidence in him, and economic and social policy; though he would still need the support of more than half the electorate in order to call new parliamentary and presidential elections.
A four-question referendum was held in Belarus on 14 May 1995, alongside parliamentary elections. The four issues were the possibility of giving the Russian language equal status with Belarusian, whether new national symbols should be adopted, whether there should be economic integration with Russia and changes to the constitution that would allow early elections if Parliament systematically violated the constitution. According to official results, all four were approved by at least three-quarters of voters, with a turnout of 64.8%.
A seven-question referendum was held in Belarus on 24 November 1996. Four questions were put forward by President Alexander Lukashenko on changing the date of the country's independence day, amending the constitution, changing laws on the sale of land and the abolition of the death penalty. The Supreme Council put forward three questions on constitutional amendments by the Communist and Agrarian factions, local elections and the national finances.
Referendums are held only occasionally by the Government of New Zealand. Referendums may be government-initiated or held in accordance with the Electoral Act 1993 or the Citizens Initiated Referenda Act 1993. Nineteen referendums have been held so far ; fourteen were government-led, and five were indicative citizen initiatives.
The 1976 Italian general election was held in Italy on 20 June 1976. It was the first election after the voting age was lowered to 18.
A referendum on the order law was held in Luxembourg on 6 June 1937. Voters were asked whether they approved of the new law, which would have banned any political party that sought to change the constitution or national legislation by violence or threats. The law would have resulted in the dissolution of the Communist Party, and became known as the Maulkuerfgesetz.
A five-part referendum was held in Italy on 17 and 18 May 1981. The proposals included repealing laws on public order, life sentences, gun licences, and abortion. All were rejected by voters, with no proposal receiving more than 32% of the vote.
A referendum to restore the sliding wage scale was held in Italy on 9 June 1985.
An abrogative referendum on the electoral law was held in Italy on 9 June 1991. Voters were asked whether the clause of the law on the number of preference votes should be scrapped. The result was 95.6% in favour, with a turnout of 65.1%.
A four-part referendum was held in Switzerland on 11 May 1884. All four were rejected by voters.
Five referendums were held in Switzerland in 1891. The first was held on 15 March on a federal law on federal officials who had become unemployable due to disability, and was rejected by 79.4% of voters. The second was held on 5 July on a constitutional amendment, and was approved by 60.3% of voters. Two referendums were held on 18 October, one on revising article 39 of the federal constitution and one on a federal law on Swiss tariffs; both were approved. The last was held on 6 December on the question of whether the federal government should purchase the Swiss Central Railway, but was rejected by 68.9% of voters.
Nine referendums were held in Switzerland in 1975. The first was held on 2 March on an amendment to the Swiss Federal Constitution on the article on the economic cycle. Although it was approved by a majority of voters, it did not receive the support of a majority of cantons, so was rejected. The next five were held on 8 June on protecting currency (approved), financing the national road network (approved), amending the general tariff (rejected), increasing taxes the following year (approved) and restricting federal expenditure (approved). The final three were held on 7 December on a constitutional amendment on the right to residence and welfare benefits (approved), a constitutional amendment on water management (approved) and a federal law on the import and export of agricultural goods (approved).
Eight referendums were held in Switzerland during 2002. The first two were held on 3 March on popular initiatives for Switzerland to join the United Nations and to reduce working hours. UN membership was approved, whilst the shorter working hours proposal was rejected. The next two were held on 2 June on amending the penal code regarding abortion, which was approved, and a popular initiative "for mother and child", which was rejected.
Fifteen referendums were held in Switzerland during 2000. The first five were held on 12 March on reforming the judiciary and four popular initiatives; "for speeding up direct democracy ", "for a just representation of women in federal authorities", "for the protection of men against manipulations in procreation technology" and one to reduce motorised road by 50%. Whilst the judiciary reform was approved, all four popular initiatives were rejected. The next referendum was held on 21 May to authorise sectoral agreements between Switzerland and the European Union, and was approved by around two-thirds of voters.
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This article summarises referendum laws and practice in various countries.
