Slovakia

Abstract

The chapter discusses the constitutional arrangements of direct democracy in the Slovak Republic. Even though constitutionally permissible avenues to exercise direct democracy have been available since the inception of the republic in 1993, in practice almost nothing has been achieved in this domain. The Slovak constitutional model has proved to be ineffective due to various factors. The chapter clarifies several important obstacles that contributed to the current stalemate. It also articulates a warning that the smooth functioning of direct democracy under the existing constitutional setting could prove dangerous. Therefore, any reform of this field should be treated carefully, taking into consideration the democratic foundations of the republic.