Frequency of national referendums management in Poland and Italy – comparative remarks

Abstract

The aim of this article is to compare constitutional and statutory regulations concerning the institution of a national referendum in the constitutions of the Republic of Poland and the Italian Republic. The analysis highlights significant differences between these regulations. The Italian model of conducting a referendum assumes that a citizens' request to hold a referendum is binding and that the referendum concerns the repeal of a law in whole or in part. Meanwhile, in the Polish model of referendum management, a citizens' request is not binding on the Sejm, and the referendum itself is a preliminary vote on matters of particular importance to the state, which may only take the form of a law. It seems that these differences have a decisive impact on the frequency of national referendums and the perception of this institution in these countries.