An attempt to loosen tight restrictions on in vitro fertilization (IVF) in Italy failed yesterday when barely half the required electorate turned out to vote.
"Although I understand arguments about privacy and security, if that is what the electorate require of their elected officials I think that is what will have to happen".
In his book Geniocracy, Raël outlined his plan for a peaceful worldwide political union that, while democratic, would require members of the electorate to meet a minimum standard of intelligence.
A healthy democracy requires an informed electorate.
Correction: Jean-Bertrand Aristide ReprintsBut on day three, when it became clear that the number of signatures would easily exceed the 2.4m (20% of the electorate) required, Mr Chávez denounced the exercise as a "mega-fraud".
In theory, the Senate should represent the regions and in this way differ from the lower chamber, but in practice the only real difference between them lies in the minimum age required for the electorate and the candidates: 18 and 25 years, respectively, for deputies and 25 and 40 for senators.
In 1979 the Labour Party government, supported by the SNP and Plaid Cymru as well as the Liberal Party, held referenda that would have devolved power, but they were rejected by voters in both Wales and Scotland (a majority of voters in Scotland actually favoured devolution, but the proportion did not exceed the two-fifths of the electorate required for passage).
We hate to even approach the premise, but here goes. 1) Having a republic requires an informed electorate.
A healthy democracy requires an educated electorate that shares basic truths and values -- or at least is willing to sit down and listen to one another with an open mind, with mutual respect and civility.
Some are predicting a close race for the "safe" Alice Springs electorate, which would require a huge swing against the Country Liberal party to be claimed by Labor's Dale Wakefield.
