Slovak political reform referendum, 2010
Encyclopedia
A referendum on political reform was held in Slovakia
on 18 September 2010, following a successful petition started as a civil activity along with foundation of the classical liberal
Freedom and Solidarity
(SaS), which later became the third-largest party in the National Council
. 401,126 signatures were collected, with 386,000 found valid.
The referendum failed to meet the turnout
threshold required under the Constitution of Slovakia
, with only 22.8% of the electorate voting: far below the 50% required. Large majorities voted in favour of all six proposals, with between 70% and 95% supporting each proposal.
The latter four demands had already been included in the new coalition agreement of the government formed after the 2010 election
, which includes SaS.
of 50% or more was required for the referendum to be valid. Only one referendum in Slovak history has ever crossed this threshold: the 2003 vote on EU membership
(51.5% turnout).
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
on 18 September 2010, following a successful petition started as a civil activity along with foundation of the classical liberal
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
Freedom and Solidarity
Freedom and Solidarity
Freedom and Solidarity , abbreviated to SaS, is a centre-right classical liberal political party in Slovakia. The party was established in 2009 and is led by its founder, the economist Richard Sulík, who designed Slovakia's flat tax system...
(SaS), which later became the third-largest party in the National Council
National Council of the Slovak Republic
The National Council of the Slovak Republic , abbreviated to NR SR, is the national parliament of Slovakia. It is unicameral, and consists of 150 MPs, who are elected by universal suffrage under proportional representation every four years....
. 401,126 signatures were collected, with 386,000 found valid.
The referendum failed to meet the turnout
Turnout
Turnout may refer to:* Turnout , a rotation of the leg which comes from the hips, causing the knee and foot to turn outward, away from the center of the body* Turnout , a British film...
threshold required under the Constitution of Slovakia
Constitution of Slovakia
The Constitution of Slovakia, officially Constitution of the Slovak Republic is the current constitution of Slovakia. It was passed by the Slovak National Council on 1 September 1992 and signed on 3 September 1992 in the Knights Hall of the Bratislava Castle...
, with only 22.8% of the electorate voting: far below the 50% required. Large majorities voted in favour of all six proposals, with between 70% and 95% supporting each proposal.
Referendum
The referendum asked six questions, which had been promoted collectively by SaS as 'Referendum 2009' under their plan to hold such a referendum in 2009:- to abolish the television licenceTelevision licenceA television licence is an official licence required in many countries for the reception of television broadcasts...
(question 1); - to limit parliamentary immunityParliamentary immunityParliamentary immunity, also known as legislative immunity, is a system in which members of the parliament or legislature are granted partial immunity from prosecution. Before prosecuting, it is necessary that the immunity be removed, usually by a superior court of justice or by the parliament itself...
(question 2); - to lower the number of MPs from 150 to 100 by 2014 (question 3);
- to set a maximum price for limousines used by the government at €40,000 (question 4);
- to introduce electronic votingElectronic votingElectronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
via the internet (question 5); and - to change the Press Code by removing politicians' automatic right of replyRight of replyThe right of reply is the right to defend oneself against public criticism in the same venue where it was published.In Europe there have been proposals for a legally enforceable right of reply that applies to all media, including newspapers, magazines, and other print media, along with radio,...
(question 6).
The latter four demands had already been included in the new coalition agreement of the government formed after the 2010 election
Slovak parliamentary election, 2010
A parliamentary election took place in Slovakia on 12 June 2010. The elections were contested by eighteen parties, six of which passed the 5% threshold for sitting in parliament...
, which includes SaS.
Election
A turnoutVoter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
of 50% or more was required for the referendum to be valid. Only one referendum in Slovak history has ever crossed this threshold: the 2003 vote on EU membership
Slovak European Union membership referendum, 2003
The 2003 Slovak European Union referendum took place on 16–17 May 2003 to decide whether Slovakia should join the European Union . Over 90% of those who voted supported membership and Slovakia joined the EU on 1 May 2004.-Results:-External links:*...
(51.5% turnout).