Przegląd Politologiczny, 2010, nr 1

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Demokracja bezpośrednia w Polsce – fikcja czy rzeczywistość?
(Wydział Nauk Politycznych i Dziennikarstwa UAM, 2010) Rachwał, Marcin
It is virtually impossible for a modern democracy to properly function without civic society. Direct democracy involves citizens in public life, thus facilitating the emergence of civic society. Voting in referenda and taking advantage of other forms of direct execution of power provides an opportunity to create a society that cooperates with the authorities in solving numerous public issues. A question can be asked in this context: How are the opportunities generated by exercising direct democracy being utilized in Poland? The research has corroborated the sad pattern that all authorities, which are the nation’s representation after all, are not inclined to vest decision-making directly with this nation. The mechanisms of direct democracy in Poland, in practice, do not give the people (the sovereign in Poland) an opportunity to actually exercise their power. Legal provisions concerning referenda and people’s initiative at a national level allow the political elite to completely control the application of these mechanisms.