Public participation and direct democracy
Giving citizens a say outside of elections.
If we take the last two most mediatised examples of public participation and direct democracy - the 2021 water act referendum and the cancelled referendum on the Krško 2 nuclear power plant - we can clearly see how the public should have a say beyond just elections but also how referenda will often not represent a vote on a given topic, but rather a judgement on the government.
Public participation and direct democracy can be a powerful tool in the right hands and with an objective debate.
Volt Slovenija proposes:
Municipal level
Participatory budgeting, which was introduced on a voluntary basis in 2018, should become mandatory at the municipal level, which would empower citizens and ensure transparency regarding the use of portions of municipal budgets.
Citizen assemblies and quality referendums
Introduce citizen assemblies on specific topics similar to the french assembly on climate or the Irish assemblies on constitutional reforms with randomly selected citizens representing the population and working together with experts to formulate demands or recommendations for the government.
Introduce a national platform similar to vTaiwan that allows open consultation between citizens and governments and helps in building rational consensus on national topics.
(04-2026)