The GONG nongovernmental organisation on Monday called on residents of Pula to go to a referendum next Sunday to decide on the development of their city and the future purpose of the Lungomare promenade, urging politicians to change the Referendum Act to enable development of democracy at the local level.

“If the law had been changed ten years ago, since when GONG has been insisting on this topic, we would not be witnessing the failure of referendum initiatives today and citizens would be able to make decisions on the development of their communities that would be binding on local authorities,” the NGO said.

Recalling a referendum on the construction of a golf resort on Mt Srdj in Dubrovnik, GONG said that another important local referendum would be held in conditions of a bad and restrictive law, which sets major obstacles by prescribing that the turnout should be 50% of all registered voters for a referendum decision to be valid, which in practice prevents local democracy.

Also, in force are completely inconsistent and illogical rules in relation to nation-wide referenda, where decisions are made by a majority of voters taking part in the referendum, without any conditions as to what that majority is in relation to the total number of voters, the NGO says.

GONG, which has been advocating for years a reform of the referendum legislation and a much lower, 25% turnout quota for local referenda, calls on Pula residents not to stay home but take part in the referendum next Sunday and decide about their city’s future.

It also recalls having reacted last week to a campaign by the Hotel Valkane investor calling on Pula residents not to participate in the referendum on the Lungomare promenade.

That kind of fight against the use of democratic instruments, aimed at taking advantage of existing legislative shortcomings on referenda, is a demonstration of terrible cynicism towards the notion of democracy, GONG says.