The people’s power is exercised through elections, referendum, and other forms of direct democracy. Implementation of the people’s sovereignty depends on the effectiveness of legal regulation of direct democracy. This necessitates theoretical research, study of foreign experience as regards organizing and holding of referendums, and development of an efficient model to ensure the functioning of this institution. Absence of such a law deprives the people of the opportunity to use the right enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine to participate in administration of the affairs of the State via the All-Ukrainian and local referendums.

The article aims at formulating applied recommendations for improving the legal regulation of the powers granted to referendum administration bodies by comprehending the current practice of the Central Election Commission (CEC), district and precinct referendum commissions.

The article looks back into the practice of organization of the All-Ukrainian referendum in Ukraine in 1991 and 2000 and analyzes CEC’s decisions on registration of initiative groups and refusal to register them for the period from 2000 till today. A surge in activity as regards the All-Ukrainian referendum was observed in 2005–2006. At that time, 109 initiative groups were registered which were focused on holding of the All-Ukrainian referendum on the people’s initiative. In 2001, CEC adopted 13 resolutions refusing to register initiative groups of the All-Ukrainian referendum, in 2005 – 15, in 2006 – 137, in 2007 – 11, in 2008 – 8, in 2009 – 17, in 2010 – 3, in 2011 – 20. The overwhelming majority of CEC’s resolutions on refusing to register initiative groups of the All-Ukrainian referendum were adopted on the grounds of non-compliance of submitted documents with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine “On the All-Ukrainian and Local Referendums”. The most common violations included: participation of persons under the age of 18 in meetings of Ukrainian citizens held with the aim of forming an initiative group of the All-Ukrainian referendum on the people’s initiative, incorrect execution of documents, and late submission of documents to the Central Election Commission. At the same time, there were cases when CEC made absolutely opposite decisions in quite similar situations. Such an operation practice of the referendum administration body may not be regarded as acceptable, since it can lead to misuse and restriction of citizens’ right to initiate the All-Ukrainian referendum.

It is quite frequent that mutually exclusive questions are put to the All-Ukrainian referendum, and such a practice is inconsistent with the requirements of the Venice Commission’s Code of Good Practice on Referendums, according to which questions submitted to a referendum must respect procedural validity in three aspects: unity of form, unity of content, and unity of hierarchical level. It is proposed that CEC be vested, at the legislative level, with authority to check the questions suggested for submission to the All-Ukrainian referendum for their procedural and substantive validity.

At the present stage of State-building, the following is necessary for implementation of the people’s power: a) appropriate quality of the regulatory framework for the process of initiating a referendum, its preparation and holding; b) the procedure should be determined for introducing referendum initiatives, registration of initiative groups, and verification of constitutionality of the questions put to a referendum; c) conditions should be created for comprehensive public discussion of the content of the questions submitted to a referendum and the implications of their adoption (approval); d) exercise of control over campaigning and financing of campaigns; e) proper monitoring, counting of votes and determination of the referendum results; f) objective and impartial consideration by courts of cases involving disputes about organization of referendums.

Bibliography

Authored books

1. Cronin Th, Direct Democracy: The Politics of the Initiative, Referendum and Recall (Harvard University Press 1989) (in English).

2. Derevianko S, Polityko-pravovi zasady referendumiv v Ukraini [Political and Legal Principles of Referendums in Ukraine] (Misto NV 2011) (in Ukrainian).

3. Onishchuk M, Referendna demokratiia: problemy konstytutsiinoi teorii ta praktyky [Referendum Democracy: Problems of Constitutional Theory and Practice] (Vyd-vo Yevropeiskoho universytety 2009) (in Ukrainian).

4. Pohorilko V ta Fedorenko V, Referendumy v Ukraini: istoriia ta suchasnist [Referendums in Ukraine: History and Contemporaneity] (In-t derzhavy i prava NAN Ukrainy 2000) (in Ukrainian).

Edited and translated books

5. Pavlenko I and others, Rozvytok form bezposerednoi demokratii v Ukraini: analiz dotsilnosti ta perspektyv zastosuvannia: analititychna dopovid [Development of Forms of Direct Democracy in Ukraine: Analysis of Expediency and Prospects of Application: Analytical Report] (NISD 2019) (in Ukrainian).

6. Priamaia demokratyia v stranakh myra v kartakh, dyahrammakh y tablytsakh: spravochnyk, t І: Vvedenie i obshhij svodnyj obzor [The direct democracy in the worlds countries in maps, diagrams and tables: the guide in 10 volumes] (Kuftyrev P obshh red, 2019) <http://uidd.com.ua/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/001.pdf> (accessed: 19.07.2020) (in Russian).

7. Yevropeiskyi demokratychnyi dorobok u haluzi vyborchoho prava: Materialy Venetsianskoi Komisii, Parlamentskoi Asamblei, Komitetu Ministriv, Konhresu mistsevykh i rehionalnykh vlad Rady Yevropy [European democratic achievements in the field of suffrage: Proceedings of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly, the Committee of Ministers, the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe] (per z anhl, Kliuchkovskyi Yu red, 2009) (in Ukrainian).

Journal articles

8. Detlef J, ‘Storsved A Legitimacy Through Referendum? The Neartly Successful DominoStrategy of the EU Referendums in Ausrtia, Finland, Sweden and Norway’ [1995] 18 (4) West European Policy 30 (in English).

9. Morel L, ‘Party Attitudes Towards Referendum in Western Europe’ [1994] 16 (3) Western European Politics 230 (in English).

10. Dashkovska O, ‘Referendum yak instytut bezposerednoi demokratii: dosvid zarubizhnykh krain’ [‘The Referendum as an Institution of Direct Democracy: the Experience of Foreign Countries’] (2010) 1 Visnyk Akademii pravovykh nauk Ukrainy 235–40 (in Ukrainian).

11. Fedorenko V, ‘Rishennia vseukrainskoho referendumu ta yikh yurydychna pryroda: problemy konstytutsiinoi teorii ta praktyky’ [‘Decisions of an All-Ukrainian Referendum and Their Legal Nature: Problems of Constitutional Theory and Practice’] [2010] 4 (26) Vybory i demokratiia 4–9 (in Ukrainian).

12. Melnychenko V, ‘Pravove rehuliuvannia vseukrainskoho referendumu za narodnoiu initsiatyvoiu i rozvytok narodovladdia’ [‘Legal Regulation of an All-Ukrainian Referendum on the People’s Initiative and the Development of Democracy’] (2019) 10 Pravo Ukrainy 121 (in Ukrainian).

13. Petryshyn O, ‘Narodovladdia yak fundament demokratychnoi, pravovoi, sotsialnoi derzhavy’ [‘The Democracy as the Foundation of a Democratic, Legal, social State’] (2009) 4 Visnyk Akademii pravovykh nauk Ukrainy 25 (in Ukrainian).

14. Shapoval V, ‘Referendum yak forma bezposerednoi demokratii’ [The Referendum as a Form of Direct Democracy’] [2005] 3 (5) Vybory i demokratiia 4–21 (in Ukrainian).

15. Shveda Yu, ‘Referendum yak politychnyi instytut v umovakh suchasnoi demokratii’ [‘The Referendum as a Political Institution in a Modern Democracy’] (2007) 4 Politychnyi menedzhment 116 (in Ukrainian).

16. Vinnykova N, ‘Perevahy ta ryzyky referendnoi demokratii (ievropeiskyi dosvid’ [‘Benefits and Risks Reference Democracy (European Experience)’] [2017] 2 (33) Visnyk Natsionalnoho universytetu “Iurydychna akademiia Ukrainy imeni Yaroslava Mudroho”. Seriia: Politolohiia 313–7 (in Ukrainian).

17. Vodnik V, ‘Rol referendumiv u zdiisnenni vlady’ [‘The Role of Referendums in the Exercise of Power’] [2020] 2 (45) Visnyk NIuU imeni Yaroslava Mudroho 154–66 (in Ukrainian).

18. Yanchuk A, ‘Poniattia referendnoho protsesu’ [‘The Idea of the Referendum Process’] (2006) 31 Derzhava i pravo. Yuryd. i polit. nauky: zb. nauk. pr. 98-103 (in Ukrainian).

Theses

19. Bilan S, ‘Konstytutsiino-pravovi zasady referendumu, yak formy priamoi demokratii’ [‘Constitutional and Legal Principles of the Referendum as a Form of Direct Democracy’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 2017) (in Ukrainian).

20. Bondar M, ‘Konstytutsiinyi referendum: teoriia ta praktyka’ [‘The Constitutional Referendum: Theory and Practice’] (dys kand yuryd nauk, 2017) (in Ukrainian). 21. Lohachova V, ‘Konstytutsiino-pravovi zasady hromadskoho kontroliu v provedenni vyboriv ta referendumiv v Ukraini’ [‘Constitutional and Legal Principles of public Control in the Conduct of Elections and Referendums in Ukraine’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 2016) (in Ukrainian).

22. Onishchuk M, ‘Konstytutsiini osnovy referendnoi demokratii v Ukraini’ [‘Constitutional Foundations of Referendum Democracy in Ukraine’] (dys kand yuryd nauk, 2010) (in Ukrainian). 23. Plakhotnik O, ‘Konstytutsiine pravo hromadian braty uchast u vseukrainskykh ta mistsevykh referendumakh i yoho zabezpechennia v Ukraini’ [‘The constitutional Right of Citizens to Participate in All-Ukrainian and Local Referendums and its Provision in Ukraine’] (dys kand yuryd nauk, 2010) (in Ukrainian).

24. Riabchenko T, ‘Referendum yak forma bezposerednoi pravotvorchosti ukrainskoho narodu (teoretychni aspekty)’ [‘Referendum as a Form of Direct Lawmaking of the Ukrainian People (Theoretical Aspects)’] (avtoref dys kand yuryd nauk, 2015) (in Ukrainian).