Low turnout in Slovakia’s referendum jeopardizes its validity

22 Jan. () –

The referendum held this Saturday in Slovakia to decide whether to amend the Constitution to allow or not the early calling of elections has registered a low participation that endangers its viability.

According to the first preliminary data after the end of the vote this Saturday night, only a quarter of the citizens with the right to vote have participated.

For the referendum to be valid and binding, it requires the participation of at least 50 percent of the citizens with the right to vote.

In this vote, the Slovaks had to decide whether to reform their Constitution to include the right to early elections, as is customary in other countries of the European Union, since their current law does not allow the dissolution of Parliament before the end of the mandate. four years old.

The referendum has been proposed by the opposition from the left wing of the Slovak political spectrum after a petition signed by 400,000 voters.

In this sense, the referendum will only be valid if at least 50 percent of the people entitled to vote participate, although this level of participation has never been reached — beyond the referendum on accession to the European Union 20 years ago. years–.

Bratislava is currently governed by a three-party conservative coalition, which no longer has a parliamentary majority. In the event of new elections, according to all polls, it risks total defeat, which is why the ruling parties tried to prevent the vote from taking place until the end. The next appointment with the polls would not be until 2024.