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CORRUPTION AND TRANSPARENCY

preferences on issues to government officials. Governments often have meetings to gather input from citizens. In some countries, governments allow the citizens to vote directly on issues through referendums . For instance, Ireland has conducted referendums on issues such as the legalization of divorce and same-sex marriage. Openness requires freedom of expression, which is the right of citizens to express their ideas and opinions orally or in writing,

REFERENDUMS AND MINORITY RIGHTS

Referendums allow people to vote directly on a particular issue. For instance, on March 23, 2003, the government of Slovenia held a joint referendum. It asked its citizens whether or not the country should join the European Union (EU), a political, economic, and cultural organization of European countries. The government also asked citizens if Slovenia should become part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance of European and North American nations, including the United States. A large majority of voters (89.6 percent) cast ballots in favor of joining the EU, while 66 percent voted in favor of NATO membership. Slovenia subsequently became a member of both organizations. One disadvantage of referendums is that they may undermine minority rights. Since referendums are decided by the will of the majority, minority groups may be outvoted. In 2004, Slovenia held a referendum on restoring rights to approximately 20,000 people who lived in Slovenia when the country became independent in 1991, but who did not gain Slovenian citizenship. This small group of people were known as Izbrisani, or the “Erased,” because they had their rights taken away. In the April referendum, 96 percent of Slovenian voters voted against restoring rights to the Izbrisani, leaving them without citizenship or basic rights.

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