Encyclopedia > Czech referendum on the European Constitution
After the No's in France and Netherlands the Czech government announced that the proposed referendum would not be held. The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE), commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ...
Image File history File links X_mark. ...
Image File history File links Yes_check. ...
Image File history File links X_mark. ...
Image File history File links Yes_check. ...
The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE), commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ...
The Czech Republic was expected to hold a referendum in 2006 to decide whether it should ratify the proposed Constitution of the European Union. A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ...
Ratification is the process of adopting an international treaty, or a constitution or other nationally binding document (such as an amendment to a constitution) by the agreement of multiple subnational entities. ...
The constitutional treaty as signed in Rome on 29 October 2004 The Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe (TCE), commonly referred to as the European Constitution, is an international treaty intended to create a constitution for the European Union. ...
While the opposition has argued for the vote to be brought forward to late 2005, it may take place alongside parliamentary elections in 2006, making the Czech Republic among the last countries to hold a referendum on the Constitution. Commentators have suggested that the reason for this is that by the time of the Czech referendum most countries are expected to have approved the Constitution, and Czech voters will follow their lead. The three parties of the governing coalition are strongly in favour of European integration, and will campaign in support of the Constitution, but President Václav Klaus is an outspoken eurosceptic, and refused to sign the constitutional treaty in October 2004 (most countries, however, did not send their head of state to sign). As in many if not most member states, apathy surrounds the Constitution in the Czech Republic, and most are unfamiliar with its contents. The referendum is expected to be legally binding on the government. This is a list of presidents of the Czech Republic. ...
Václav Klaus (born 19 June 1941) is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister of the Czech Republic. ...
Euroscepticism is scepticism about, or disagreement with, the purposes of the European Union, sometimes coupled with a wish to preserve national sovereignty. ...
Queen Elizabeth II, is the Head of State in many Commonwealth countries including the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Jamaica, New Zealand, the Bahamas and many more, as well as crown colonies and overseas territories of the United Kingdom. ...
Referendum bill
On March 9, 2005, the Czech government approved a bill that would permit referenda to be called on fundamental issues relating to the country's internal and foreign policy, and be called by any of the following: March 9 is the 68th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (69th in Leap years). ...
2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
- A petition containing atleast half a million signatures of Czech citizens.
- Two thirds of the members in either chamber of the bicameral Czech parliament.
- The government itself.
It is as yet uncertain whether the bill will pass. The opposition Civic Democratic Party has objected to the idea of referenda becoming a usual part of the Czech political system, and has instead motioned its own bill on a one-off referendum on the European Constitution. In government, bicameralism is the practice of having two legislative or parliamentary chambers. ...
The Civic Democratic Party (Czech: ObÄanská demokratická strana - abbreviation: ODS) is the strongest right-wing political party in the Czech Republic. ...
If both bills fail to gather enough support, then it's quite possible that no referendum will be held and the matter of the ratification will be decided by the Czech parliament instead (where supporters of constitution do no have sufficient number of votes to accept the constitution, as of middle of 2005).
External links - BBC: Czechs delay constitution vote 28 October 2004
- Radio.cz: Czech government approves referendum bill
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