Referendum. A Manifestation of Freedom or Enslavement

Direct democracy is experiencing a renaissance in many countries, especially those that have undergone political transformation in the past. It is indisputable that the referendum serves as a direct expression by the public of its will and is an element of social mediation. On this ground, several issues arise that require clarification. The first – why during the introduction of the referendum in the constitutions that were being legislated (or restored – vide Latvia ) in the second half of the 1990s, while widely declaring a desire to refer to direct democracy, the referendum as a form of decision-making was used reluctantly. The second – what is the reason for the current willingness of those in power to resort to holding a referendum. The third – to what extent the results of the referendum represent a true expression of the public's will. In this material we aim to outline the elements and phenomena that should be taken into account when investigating the creation of a contemporary image of this institution. We do this by referring to the referendum practices of the last thirty years, mainly based on the experience of Poland and Latvia, as well as Lithuania and Estonia.