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Referendum and plebiscite; information
Referendums and petitions for referendums are instruments of direct democracy.
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Procedure details
Description
According to the Bavarian Constitution, Bavaria is a representative democracy in which the will of the people is exercised by the parliament elected by them. However, this parliamentary-representative system is supplemented by the following elements of direct democracy, to which the Bavarian constitution also attaches great importance:
- popular legislation, according to which a bill can be introduced by means of a popular petition and, if necessary, a legislative resolution can be passed on it by means of a referendum (with a simple majority); laws amending the constitution can also be passed by means of popular legislation, but they require not only a majority of those voting, but also the approval of at least a quarter of those eligible to vote (qualified majority, also known as a quorum),
- the mandatory constitutional referendum, according to which every resolution of parliament to amend the constitution must be submitted to the people for a decision. The corresponding resolution of the state parliament requires a two-thirds majority of the (statutory) number of members; with 203 members in the current legislative period (including a total of 23 overhang and compensatory mandates), at least 136 votes are therefore required; a simple majority of valid votes is sufficient for approval in the subsequent referendum, regardless of how many eligible voters participate in the referendum,
- the dismissal of the Landtag by referendum at the request of one million citizens entitled to vote.
Detailed information on all general questions relating to referendums and referendums, including the legal basis, can be found on the websites of the Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, for Sport and Integration and the State Election Commissioner at the Bavarian State Statistical Office.
Legal bases
Related links
Related issues
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Bundestag election; informationMembers of the German Bundestag are elected every four years.
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Citizens' petitions and referendum in the district; implementation
The "citizens' petition and referendum" instruments introduced in Bavaria in 1995 enable citizens to make their own direct decisions on many district issues.
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Citizens' petitions and referendum in the municipality; implementation
The "citizens' petition and referendum" instruments introduced in Bavaria in 1995 enable citizens to decide directly on many municipal matters.
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Mayoral and municipal council elections; implementation
The first mayor and the municipal council members are generally elected for 6 years. Depending on the size of the municipality, between 8 and 80 municipal councillors are elected.
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Referendum; provision of registration listsIn the case of referendums, municipalities must keep the registration lists ready for signatures by voters.
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Election assistant; appointment
As honorary members of the electoral and postal ballot boards, electoral assistants are responsible for the proper conduct of elections and votes and for determining and establishing the results.
Status: 28.02.2025
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bayerisches Staatsministerium des Innern, für Sport und Integration
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