Why Ariel Sharon lost the Likud party poll
Introduction Contrary to expectations raised by both opinion polls and conventional wisdom, Ariel Sharon failed to secure popular endorsement for his unilateral disengagement from Gaza plan on 2 May 2004. Sharon's scheme was rejected by 59.5 per cent of Likud Party members, with 39.7 per cent supporting it. Just over half of the registered party members participated in the ballot. This report explains why Sharon opted to consult his party members and seeks to explain the resounding rejection of his plan.
Are Voters to Blame? Voter Competence and Elite Maneuvers in Referendums
The history of referendums is one of triumph and tragedy. For some, referendums were the platform from which new and important political freedoms were launched. For others, referendums ended important freedoms or were critical in the dismantling of democracy itself.
Norway and Europe: 1972 and Now
The Norwegian electorate's rejection of European Union (EU) membership in November 1994 is seen here in the context of a struggle lasting 30 years or so within that country over its relations with the European integration process. The membership application by Norway to the EU is placed in the context of previous unfulfilled attempts to join the European Communities (EC), especially that terminated by a referendum in 1972. Relations with the EC since then are described, especially their culmination in the European Economic Area (EM) agreement. The negotiations with the EU are covered, as is the 1994 referendum campaign and its outcome. In the end, the 1994 vote, like that in 1972, reopened the old territorial and cultural cleavages in Norway.