Changes to Referendum Rules Finally?
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No referendum on fiscal matters and human rights
The proposal, which was filed by MPs of DL, SDS, SD, SLS and DeSUS, would set a minimum 35% turnout for the outcome of a referendum to be valid and change the rules to call it. A referendum could only be called by 40,000 voters or a regular majority of MPs, while a third of MPs and the National Council would be stripped of the power. Another major change in the proposal is that referendums could no longer be held on legislation dealing with fiscal matters and human rights. The Constitution Commission, which also decided to hold a public presentation of opinions within one month, appointed Matej Avbelj, Janez Čebulj, Igor Kaučič, Janez Pogorelec, Ciril Ribičič, Lojze Ude and Tone Jerovšek to the expert commission charged with drawing up the opinion.
Will the political support be strong enough?
The decision that parliament should initiate the procedure for changing the Constitution was backed by all parliamentary parties except the junior coalition New Slovenia (NSi), which opposed the requirement for a minimum turnout. According to Matej Tonin, Head of the NSi deputy group, "each referendum should count". "Quorum will only encourage individuals to convince voters to stay at home," he noted, adding that his party would file a bill that would tighten the terms for initiating referendum proceedings. The party proposes that the number of voter signatures needed to initiate proceedings for a referendum is raised from 2,500 to 10,000 and that the signatures be verified by the respective administrative unit. The opposition Positive Slovenia (PS) meanwhile does not agree with the provision that a referendum cannot be called on fiscal matters, while PS Deputy, Maša Kociper, noted that the party would also like to see the minimum turnout set higher. PS hopes that the amendments will be made to the proposal during the parliamentary procedure. While the junior coalition Citizens' List (DL) stands firmly behind the proposal, stressing that referendums have often been used for political gain over recent years, Jože Tanko of the ruling Democrats (SDS) disagreed, noting that a referendum was a constitutional right. While the coalition People's Party (SLS) also expressed some reservations over the validity threshold, no opposition was voiced by the opposition Social Democrats (SD) or the coalition Pensioners' Party (DeSUS).