Popular referendum

The abrogative referendum or canceling referendum is a special form of the referendum and an instrument of direct democracy. It is initiated by the population and this allows the removal of a simple law or other legal right or easy to obtain (eg, a treaty ). For a successful referendum abrogatives the collection of a certain number of signatures entitled to vote is required.

The abrogative referendum plays mainly in Italy and some Latin American countries an important role in Germany and Austria, it is, however, unknown. In Switzerland, there is usually only the suspensive referendum, although a referendum possibility abrogativer way is with so-called urgent federal laws whose validity exceeds one year. As emergency federal acts occur in Switzerland immediately after adoption by the Parliament in force and can not be postponed, and instead are offset by a abrogatives referendum again.

Etymology

The German word referendum is a foreign word from Latin and is composed of the prefix " re" ( = " back " ) and the verb " ferre " (= " carry" or " carry " ) together. The pre- position abrogativ derives from the Latin verb " abrogare " (= " deny " or " cancel " ) from.

In a abrogativem referendum to decide on the "lifting " is one of the elected representative (parliamentary or government ) is adopted law or policy subject to the sovereign (the people ) " carried back " or " returned ".