2011 Latvian parliamentary dissolution referendum
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Are you in favor of dismissing the 10th Saeima? | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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A referendum on whether the Saeima should be dissolved early was held in Latvia on 23 July 2011.[1] President Valdis Zatlers used his parliamentary dissolution power for the first time in the history of Latvia.[2] A "yes/no" vote was held and the referendum passed with 94.3% support.
Background
President Valdis Zatlers called the referendum under the power given to him by the constitution on 28 May 2011.[2] Zatlers called the referendum in response to the Saeima's refusal to sanction a search at the home of MP Ainārs Šlesers, leader of Latvia's First Party/Latvian Way and a former cabinet minister.[3] According to the current legal procedure, the referendum on the Saeima's dissolution had to take place no later than two months after the President's decree.[4]
The Constitution of Latvia foresaw that if the people had not supported Zatlers' decision, he would have had to resign from the presidency. This could have created a judicial conundrum, however, since Zatlers' current term expired on 7 July and the Saeima held a presidential election (in which Zatlers was also a candidate) on 2 June.[5] As Zatlers was not reelected, however, this conundrum was avoided.
Opinion polls
Polls indicated that the referendum would pass by a strong margin.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
 Yes
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650,518 | 94.30 |
| No | 37,829 | 5.48 |
| Invalid or blank votes | 1,476 | 0.21 |
| Total votes | 689,823 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | 1,542,593 | 44.73 |
| Source: CVK | ||
| Referendum results (excluding invalid votes) | |
|---|---|
| Yes 650,518 (94.5%) |
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| ▲ 50% | |
References
- ^ Referendums par Zatlera ierosinājumu atlaist Saeimu notiks 23.jūlijā Delfi, 20 May 2011
- ^ a b Zatlers nolemj rosināt Saeimas atlaišanu Delfi, 28 May 2011
- ^ Latvia to Vote on Dissolving Parliament Amid Corruption Probe Bloomberg, 29 May 2011
- ^ Saeimas atlaišanas procesa juridiskā analīze Archived 2011-09-26 at the Wayback Machine Office of the President, 29 May 2011
- ^ Zatlers ir Latvijas vēsturē pirmais Saeimas atlaišanas ierosinātājs Delfi, 28 May 2011
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