On Saturday, 16 May, after three days of voting, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoIA) declared the results of the three referendums that opened on 13 May. Somewhat surprisingly, all three referendums failed to reach the two-thirds supermajority required to pass, and thus, none of them shall become law. This is despite the Constitutional Fixes Act (I) and Clear Sessions Acts both receiving majority support, and the former of those simply being grammatical fixes and codification of existing practices.
The bills’ detractors, and, perhaps, the architects of the Constitution of Alexandria might defend these results by saying that this is the intended effect of a supermajority threshold; that changes to a foundational document such as our Constitution necessitate overwhelming support. However, the bills’ supporters are sure to be aggrieved by the results, as, in the cases of the bills receiving majority support, the minority opinion has won, and the democratic will of the people has been negated. The outcome of these referendums are bound to open up a dialogue into supermajoritarian requirements for constitutional amendments, and the implications for democracy and stability that they invoke.
The Royal Screamer will keep readers up-to-date with future referendums and re-proposals of the aforementioned legislation.