The Netherlands in the Face of the Problem of Direct Democracy – the Case of the Constitution for Europe
- Year of publication: 2011
- Source: Show
- Pages: 157-179
- DOI Address: https://doi.org/10.15804/athena.2011.29.09
- PDF: apsp/29/apsp2909.pdf
The dutch political system clearly favors representative democracy over direct democracy. Popular vote in 2005 on the ratification of the Constitution for Europe was the first (and the last) a nationwide referendum in the Netherlands. The decision to adopt the Constitutional Treaty by referendum was dictated by various factors, but mainly resulted from the belief that voters agree with the politicians about the need for a Constitution for Europe. Meanwhile the Dutch rejected the treaty in referendum. The purpose of this article is to show the reasons for the rejection of the Constitutional Treaty of the European Union, as well as to make an attempt to answer whether the outcome of the referendum was the result of voters’ attitudes towards Europe, or rather the attitudes towards political parties and government.