CODE OF GOOD PRACTICE ON REFERENDUMS

published on 04 May 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS


INTRODUCTION    4
GUIDELINES ON THE HOLDING OF REFERENDUMS    5
Adopted by the Council for Democratic Elections    5
at its 18th meeting    5
(Venice, 12 October 2006)    5
and the Venice Commission    5
at its 68th plenary session    5
(Venice, 13-14 October 2006)    5
I.    Referendums and Europe’s electoral heritage    5
1.    Universal suffrage    5
1.1. Rule and exceptions    5
1.2. Electoral registers    5
2.    Equal suffrage    6
2.1. Equal voting rights    6
2.2. Equality of opportunity    6
2.3. Equality and national minorities    7
3.    Free suffrage    7
3.1. Freedom of voters to form an opinion    7
3.2. Freedom of voters to express their wishes and action to combat fraud    8
4.    Secret suffrage    9
II.    Conditions for implementing these principles    9
1.    Respect for fundamental rights    9
2.    Regulatory levels and stability of referendum law    9
3.    Procedural guarantees    9
3.1. Organisation of the referendum by an impartial body    9
3.2. Observation of the referendum    10
3.3. An effective system of appeal    10
3.4. Funding    11
III.      Specific rules    11
1.     The rule of law    11
2.      The procedural validity of texts submitted to a referendum    11
3.     The substantive validity of texts submitted to a referendum    12
4.     Specific rules applicable to referendums held at the request of a section of the electorate and to popular initiatives (where they are provided for in the Constitution)    12
5.      Parallelism in procedures and rules governing the referendum    13
6.      Opinion of Parliament    13
7.      Quorum    13
8.      Effects of referendums    14
DRAFT EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM    15
GENERAL REMARKS    15
I.    Referendums and Europe’s electoral heritage    15
1.    Universal suffrage    15
1.1. Rule and exceptions    15
2.    Equal suffrage    16
2.2. Equality of opportunity    16
2.3. Equality and national minorities    16
3.    Free suffrage    16
3.1. Freedom of voters to form an opinion    16
3.2. Freedom of voters to express their wishes    17
II.    Conditions for implementing these principles    18
2.    Regulatory levels and stability of referendum law    18
3.    Procedural guarantees    18
3.1    Organisation of the referendum by an impartial body    18
3.2    An effective system of appeal    18
3.3. Funding    19
III.    Specific rules    19
1.    The rule of law    19
2.    The procedural validity of texts submitted to a referendum    19
3.    The substantive validity of texts submitted to a referendum    20
4.     Specific rules applicable to referendums held at the request of a section of the electorate and to popular initiatives (where they are provided for in the Constitution)    21
5.    Parallelism in procedures and rules governing the referendum    21
6.     Opinion of Parliament    22
7.    Quorum    22
8.    Effects of referendums    23