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Referendum questions are always put to the voters in the following form: "Do you approve of the Bill submitted to the French people by the President of the Republic and concerning . . . ?" The result is decided by a simple majority of votes cast, and facilities for postal and proxy voting are available.
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Votes are counted by polling stations and are announced for each département and for the nation as a whole; from these the figures for each parliamentary constituency may be deduced. Published results include the number of eligible voters, of valid votes cast, and of yes and no votes. From these figures the number of abstentions and of blank or spoiled votes can also be deduced.
Italy
The Constitution provides, under Article 138, for referenda on constitutional laws or amendments to the Constitution. These must be requested within three months of the publication of the laws or amendments by one-fifth of the members of either Chamber or not less than 500,000 electors or five regional councils. Under Article 75, the two last may also call a referendum for the partial or total abrogation of existing legislation, except fiscal and budget laws, pardons and amnesties and laws authorising the ratification of international treaties. A referendum cannot be held on a constitutional law which has been approved during a second reading by two-thirds of the members of each Chamber. Referenda on the abrogation of legislation may not be held outside the Parlia- mentary session or in the first year of Parliament's life.
The publicity campaign begins formally thirty days before polling day. The promoters of the referendum (recognised as one group only) and Parliamentary parties are entitled to the same facilities as parties participating in an electoral campaign. No ceilings are imposed on campaign expenditure and the State bears the administrative cost. The Italian Parliament voted approximately £20m for the 1974 Divorce referendum, for a population of 55 million.
The question put is formulated differently according to whether the referen- dum is on a constitutional question or the abrogation of legislation, but both require only a Yes or No answer. The issue is decided by a simple majority of valid votes providing that a majority of the electorate has voted. There is no postal vote in Italy.
Votes are counted by constituencies, and the result is declared by the Central Office for the Referendum, which states whether the law concerned has received a greater number of valid affirmative or negative votes. In the 1974 referendum on the Divorce Law, results were available down to commune level.
New Zealand
New Zealand subscribes to the doctrine of Parliamentary sovereignty but, under Article 189 of the Electoral Act of 1956, certain provisions of that Act may only be amended by a 75 per cent. majority of the House of Representatives or by referendum. From time to time referenda have also been held on popular issues, as in 1949 when the electorate was consulted on licensing hours, betting regulations and conscription.
Only two referenda have been held since the Electoral Act of 1956. In the double referendum held in September 1967 a proposal to extend the Parlia- mentary term was put to the electorate as required by the 1956 Act, together with a popular issue, the extension of licensing hours. Both were conducted in
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