The Czech government coalition of ANO, Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) and the Motorists reached agreement yesterday that a referendum held under the new law would require the approval of at least 35% of all eligible voters to be valid and binding, Chamber of Deputies and SPD leader Tomio Okamura told reporters after the meeting.
The coalition leaders had already previously agreed on the other parameters of the constitutional bill on general referendums.
“We have finally reached an agreement on the referendum,” said Okamura. The vote will be valid and binding if at least 35% of eligible voters approve the question.
According to Okamura, the set quorum is a compromise. SPD had demanded the lowest possible threshold, but did not want to prolong the discussion in the coalition council.
The coalition will now send the bill to the legislature, where it will also be reviewed by the Chamber of Deputies’ constitutional committee. Okamura said he expects time to be available to discuss the parameters of the referendum during the second reading in the lower house.
Representatives of the coalition parties have agreed on ways to prevent the opposition from blocking sessions in the Chamber of Deputies, Okamura also said after the meeting, adding that he would make use of the options provided by the current rules of procedure, rather than further expanding the rules as had been debated in the second reading. He declined to present the planned steps.
The adoption of the constitutional bill requires the approval of a three-fifth majority of all 200 deputies and a three-fifths majority of senators present. In the Chamber of Deputies, the cabinet would thus need 120 votes to pass the bill, whereas the government parties have 108 votes together.
The law on general referendums is to enable nationwide referenda and to specify the issues that may be decided in this manner. In its policy statement, the government indicated that the Czech Republic’s EU and NATO membership would not be subject to a referendum. Prime Minister Andrej Babis (ANO) previously mentioned euthanasia and children’s right to use social media as possible topics for a referendum.
