Ukraine is pursuing the path of establishing the principles of the rule of law and democracy. The transformation processes currently underway in society and the State call for carving out an optimal mechanism for making legitimate political and legal decisions which would embody both the wisdom of the people’s will and the professionalism of public authorities. This becomes an ever more pressing need in connection with the drafting and adoption of the new law on the All-Ukrainian referendum which has been initiated by the President of Ukraine and is a component of his election program. Whether the All-Ukrainian referendum in today’s context of Ukrainian constitutionalism can become an effective mechanism for democratic legitimation of power is not just a rhetorical question. It requires an in-depth analysis by constitutional scholars and experienced experts in the public law domain.

The article aims at studying the world experience of national referendums in the context of political regimes with different levels of democracy, and at demonstrating the impact of political institutions on legal processes under conditions of modern constitutionalism, with due regard for the domestic experience.

It is proved that high-quality legislative regulation is an essential but insufficient condition for effective functioning of the referendum. The democratic nature of political institutions and their legitimacy are the factors that impart real-life substance to formal procedures. The level of citizens’ trust in public authorities, in particular those directly involved in the referendum process (the President, the Parliament, the constitutional jurisdiction body), ensures democratic legitimacy to political decisions made by nationwide vote.

The author concludes that the nation-wide referendum is an important form of direct people’s power which sometimes becomes a dangerous tool for destabilization of the rule of law, especially where there is a transformation of a political regime. It is an effective mechanism for democratic legitimation, provided that a balance is achieved between, inter alia, the will of the majority and the rights of the minority; direct and representative democracy; and national-level and regional interests. It is established that any form of direct people’s power, including a referendum, reflects the real will of the people only subject to legitimacy and lawfulness of political institutions which consistently adhere to the values of constitutionalism: priority of human dignity and fundamental rights, proportionate allocation of functions of public authorities, independence of justice, restriction of the will of the majority and protection of the rights of the minority. This is what draws a distinction line between well-established democracies and authoritarian-populist regimes.

Bibliography

Edited and translated books

1. Butler David and Ranney Austin (ed), Referendums around the world: the growing use of direct democracy (AEI Press 1994) (in English).

2. Ardan F, Francija: gosudarstvennaja sistema [France: State System] (Filippov L per, Juridicheskaja literatura 1994) (in Russian).

3. David R ta Zhoffre-Spinozi K, Osnovnye pravovye sistemy sovremennosti [The Main Legal Systems of our Time] (Tumanov V per s fr, Mezhdunarodnye otnoshenija 1999) (in Russian).

 4. LeDiuk L, Uchasnytska demokratiia: referendumy u teorii ta na praktytsi [Participatory Democracy: Referendums in Theory and in Practice] (Tkachuk R perekl z anhl, Tsentr Osvitnikh initsiatyv 2002) (in Ukrainian).

5. Mjuller J-V, Chto takoe populizm? [What is Populism?] (per s angl, Izdatel’skij dom Vysshej shkoly jekonomiki 2018) (in Russian).

6. Shajo A, Samoogranichenie vlasti (kratkij kurs konstitucionalizma) [Self-Restraint of Power (a Short Course on Constitutionalism)] (per s veng, Jurist 2001) (in Russian).

Journal articles

7. Batory A, ‘Populists in Government? Hungary’s “System of National Cooperation”’ [2016] 23:2 Democratization 283–303 (in English).

8. Uitz R, ‘Can you tell when an illiberal democracy is in the making? An appeal to comparative constitutional scholarship from Hungary’ [2015] 13 (1) International Journal of Constitutional Law 286 (in English).

9. Masych V, ‘Referendum yak instrument zvorotnoho zviazku: svitovi tendentsii ta Ukraina’ [‘Referendum as a Feedback Tool: Global Trends and Ukraine’] (2011) 52 Derzhava i pravo 680–3 (in Ukrainian).

10. Matveeva T, ‘Referendumy – obraz zhizni shvejcarcev’ [‘Referendums are a Way of Life for the Swiss’] (1995) 1 Mezhdunarodnaja zhizn’ 85–92 (in Russian).

11. Onishchuk M, ‘Typolohiia referendnoi demokratii: shveitsarska, frantsuzka ta amerykanska modeli referendnoi demokratii’ [‘Typology of Referendum Democracy: Swiss, French and American Models of Referendum Democracy’] (2010) 1 Visnyk Luhanskoho derzhavnoho universytetu vnutrishnikh sprav imeni E. O. Didorenka 5–15 (in Ukrainian).

12. Rechytskyi V, ‘Do pytannia pro konstytutsiino-pravovi harantii narodnoho suverenitetu v Ukraini’ [‘On the Question of Constitutional and Legal Guarantees of People’s Sovereignty in Ukraine’] (2016) 4 Visnyk Konstytutsiinoho Sudu Ukrainy 177 (in Ukrainian).

Theses

13. Fedorenko V, ‘Konstytutsiino-pravovi osnovy vseukrainskoho referendumu: problemy teorii ta praktyky’ [‘Constitutional and Legal bases of the All-Ukrainian Referendum: Problems of Theory and Practice’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 1999) (in Ukrainian).

Websites

14. Kaltwasser C R, ‘Populism vs. Constitutionalism? Comparative Perspectives on Contemporary Western Europe, Latin America, and the United States’ (The Foundation for Law, Justice and Society 2013) <https://www.fljs.org/files/publications/Kaltwasser. pdf> (accessed: 17.07.2020) (in English).

15. The World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2020 <https://worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/documents/WJP-ROLI-2020-Online_0.pdf> (accessed: 17.07.2020) (in English).

16. ‘Otsinka hromadianamy diialnosti vlady, riven doviry do sotsialnykh instytutiv ta politykiv, elektoralni oriientatsii hromadian (liutyi 2020 r. sotsiolohiia)’ [‘Citizens’ Assessment of Government Activities, Level of Trust in Social Institutions and Politicians, Electoral Orientations of Citizens (February 2020 Sociology)’] (Razumkov Tsentr, 24.02.2020) <http://razumkov.org.ua/napriamky/sotsiologichni-doslidzhennia/otsinkagromadianamydiialnosti-vlady-riven-doviry-do-sotsialnykh-instytutiv-ta-politykivelektoralnioriientatsii-gromadian-liutyi-2020r> (accessed: 17.07.2020) (in Ukrainian).