citizens' initiative and referendum
NEWS, BULLETINS, REPORTS
Direct democracy in FRG - trends 2001
"Last year several German Lands reformed their practice of direct democracy... (e.g.) The Rheinland Palatinates halved the "hurdle" for a "people's proposal" (Volksbegehren) from twenty down to ten percent and introduced the citizens' initiative. Simultaneously they made the referendum rules more rigorous. A quorum was introduced, where there had been none, so that validity can be achieved only if a quarter or more of citizens vote." (Basis-info 12-2001/Recht)
-----------------It's generally unknown outside of the Federal Republic that, during the last 20 years, elements of direct democracy have come to play a much greater role in public life. This wave of citizens' participation in running some of their own affairs is still moving and swelling, in the Laender, cities, towns and districts.
A good account, in german and english, can be found at the Goethe Institute's website, and in print.
Direct democracy is gaining ground again in Germany. Since the beginning of the 1990s, the petition and referendum system at local and state government level has become embodied in law across the country. German citizens have since then made ever greater use of this instrument, which enables them ...
www.goethe.de/kug/ges/pok/thm/en18482.htmDie direkte Demokratie in Deutschland befindet sich weiter auf dem Vormarsch. Seit Beginn der 90er Jahre sind Bürger- bzw. Volksbegehren auf Kommunal- und Landesebene flächen-deckend verankert. Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger machen seitdem immer öfter Gebrauch von diesen Instrumenten, die ihnen ...
www.goethe.de/kug/ges/pok/thm/de18482.htm
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