Prague, Feb 10 (CTK) – The Transparency International (TI) corruption watchdog proposes that the minimum turnout in a referendum to be valid be lowered since the current conditions are hard to meet mainly in big towns, Radim Bures, programme director of the TI Czech Republic, told reporters on Wednesday.
According to the IT data, in 2014, when the general, Senate and local elections were held, a record number of 47 local referenda took place, but only 24 were valid due to a low turnout.
Tereza Zbezkova, who headed the TI team assessing referenda in 2014, said the low turnout had often been caused by the municipalities’ obstructions.
Bures noted that TI expected municipal authorities not to welcome the possibility of referenda, but it was surprised that they had developed very sophisticated methods to frustrate the preparation of referenda.
He cited experience of their organisers.
They say the municipal authorities, for instance, chose an unsuitable date for a referendum and did not inform the inhabitants about it sufficiently.
Some municipalities also “stole” the referendum from the organisers as they held its own with the same or similar questions, but on another day. Besides, the questions asked by municipal authorities in referenda are often confusing or unclearly formulated, the organisers say.
Moreover, even if the result of a plebiscite is valid and binding, some towns and villages do not follow it and remain passive.
TI organised a round-table debate on referendum issues with representatives of the Interior Ministry, the Supreme Administrative Court, the Association of Towns and Villages and the Association of Local Self-Rules on Wednesday.
TI submitted several legislative proposals to secure that the questions and date of a referendum be respected in accordance with its organisers’ proposal, along with measures to prevent the municipalities’ inactivity in the case of a binding referendum.
TI also proposed that the minimum turnout be lowered. At present a referendum is invalid if the turnout is under 35 percent.
Bures points out it is difficult or almost impossible to achieve this quorum, mainly in big towns.
He told CTK that he could imagine that the minimum turnout be lowered to 25 percent in large towns. At the same time, he mentioned the fears some participants in Wednesday’s debate expressed saying if the quorum were too low, small groups with their partial interests might succeed in a referendum.
He added that the TI’s proposal was just the beginning of a discussion on the issue.
