REFERENDUM AS AN INSTITUTION OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION IN THE POST-SOVIET SPACE

Abstract

Purpose. To analyze the relevance of referendum as an institution of political participation in the post-So‐ viet space.

Methods. To achieve this purpose, the author uses a combination of systemic and institutional politological methods, also referring to the description of the functional significance of political institutions, the referendum in particular. The history of the post-Soviet referendums is covered, the discursive context of their arrangement is analyzed and the managerial consequences are assessed.

Results. In the course of the research, a number of intermediate conclusions have been drawn. At the same time, there is no internal request for competitive referendums, which features its historical origins. In the Soviet era, key political decisions, such as the adoption of the Constitution, the adjustment to government system, changes of the territorial structure, were taken by the national parliament and were not plebiscitary. The problem of of the referendum perception is also associated with the specific political cul‐ ture. The current experience of holding referendums as an institution of political participation in the coun‐ tries of the post-Soviet space is summarized and provided in the table, which includes both quantitative indicators, by subjects, and regulatory conditions for plebiscites implementation.

Scientific novelty lies in the systematization of factors determining the attitude to referendums, and regulatory-managerial basis to hold them. The article provides systematized information and a comparative research, while most of similar studies have either regulatory or historical focus.