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.
Referendums on European Integration
Referendums have received increasing attention after the recent round of votes on the Maastricht treaty and the widening process of the European Union. Despite this increased interest in these instruments of decision making, scholarship has not provided us with insights into the relationship between the institutional characteristics and voter's decision. The authors provide a theoretical argument on how the voter's choice is affected by the nature of the referendum. Relevant factors are whether the referendum is required, whether the people's decision has a binding character, or which government coalition is presently in power. These institutional features mediate the impact of political factors, above all partisanship, on voting behavior. The authors test their theoretical arguments on the basis of empirical material from 14 referendums on European integration and find consistent support for their theoretical contentions.
Ireland: the referendum as a conservative device?
The referendum plays a significant part in the political process in the Republic of Ireland. If referendums are not as frequent as in Switzerland or Italy, they nonetheless occur more often than in most countries. We shall examine the constitutional basis for the holding of referendums in Ireland, outline the history of referendums, examine voting patterns and draw some conclusions about the role that the referendum has played.