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Democracy International
www.democracy-international.org

[Project] Call to construct an international ideological and political space

"This is a call to construct an international political and ideological space on the basis of the Integral Revolution. You can read the call in the sections of this web page or download it as a single document in PDF format via the following link."

To learn more about this project, click HERE

[Argentina] n Buenos Aires, the Communes, participatory form of municipal governance, regain his power

Buenos Aires

The Court of Appeals of Buenos Aires annulled a decree signed by the mayor Mauricio Macri in 2011 in which he created the Citizen Care Units (UAC) thereby abolishing the former division of the city into Communes. The Court responded well to a complaint promoted by a group of citizens against the division of the Argentine capital on 17 UACs directly controlled by the municipal authority and which, in your opinion, would be an obstacle to active participation of citizens in their city. According to the Court: "The Constitution of the City of Buenos Aires states Participatory Democracy, in regulating Communes. Communes The aim is to decentralize government functions city (...) the creation of UACs alters this process." . The decision is not yet final, and the city can still appeal to a higher court, but the decision to suspend with immediate effect the division of the city into the UACs and reactive Communes in Buenos Aires.

At least temporarily, become the communes receiving skills in the areas of relationships with people, equipment maintenance public places (such as streets and avenues), decisions regarding green spaces and control over public spaces (streets and walks). Buenos Aires thus recovers its original form of participatory municipal management matrix and the mayor, elected by the Republican party Propuesta sees thus foiled its efforts to recover for the control of Argentine partidocracia municipality.

source:
http://www.argentinaindependent.com/tag/participative-democracy/

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (4)

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (3)

[Italy] Interview from +D to Matteo Salani (M5S)

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (2)

[ECI] The European Citizens 'Initiatives", or ECI

 The European Citizens 'Initiatives', or ECI are very poorly known. And with good reason: created by european legislators with draconian requirements, intentionally designed to hinder its practical application, the ECIS were never materialized. Until today.

Indeed, winning the high bar that was imposed by Brussels Representative eurocracy eight hundred thousand (!) europeans are about to materialize the first ECI European Union arguing that "Water is a Human Right." Now missing "only" 200 thousand signatures to the high level required by Brussels.

The petition has grown very significantly in 2013 and aims to make access to quality water and sanitation services are regarded as a human right and which are placed outside the rules of the European Internal Market.

The ECI is now particularly urgent now that the European Commission is proposing legislation that aims to allow member states to privatize public services such as the distribution of water in what in the jargon is called internal eurocracy as "Policy Concessions."

The problem is that under the draconian rules of the European ECI after such an initiative to be formally presented to European Union citizens have only one year to collect a million signatures. And that this term ends April 1 this year!

Urge therefore to sign this ECI!! http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0526-28.htm

Source:
http://www.epsu.org/a/8598

[Italy] Conference "Participative Democracy" (Lisbon) with Matteo Salani (1)

[Brazil] The Participative Democracy tool named "National Conferences"

One of the most interesting participatory tools in Brazil and adopted since the last term of President Lula is the delivery of part of the democratic control directly to citizens in the form of "National Conferences".
The National Conferences are joint meetings between representatives of the State and Civil Society seek and build consensus on a certain policy. In fact, this format was not an invention of Lula da Silva but a reissue of a model used in Brazil for the first time in 1940 by President Getulio Vargas when he opened the first dedicated to the topic then Public Health. Not being your "inventor", Lula, certainly had the great merit of developing this tool Participatory Democracy: from 115 National Conferences nothing more or less than 74 were made during the eight year term of Lula da Silva.
The current model involves the convening by one of the ministers of the Government through an "Administrative Act" and after a series of meetings and discussions between citizens Crusaders and their agents and representatives of the Federal Government and States are presented recommendations to the Federal Government. If approved, the resolutions of the National Conferences become federal decrees signed by the President. In the eight years of Lula Administration over six million Brazilians participated in National Conferences, giving a great example of active citizenship to all democratic nations of the world. The themes were as comprehensive as Gender Equality, the Domestic Abuse or Violence in rural areas.
The National Conferences today represent a form of Direct Democracy and brought to the political segments of the population that have traditionally been alienated from her, either due to low levels of education, either by traditional low female representation in Congress in Brasilia.
The National Conferences are part of what is now the Dilma administration calls the "National System of Participation" and has the potential to grow, increasingly involving citizens in political decision-making at local, state and federal. Today, in its current state, has a lot of influence over important legislation produced this great country Lusophone and the application model of Participatory Budgeting in Porto Alegre are putting the country at the forefront of developing participatory forms that contribute to the regeneration of Democracy .
Source:http://www.bostonreview.net/BR38.1/leonardo_avritzer_brazil_direct_democracy.php

[Tools] Referendums

Referendums are perhaps the most important, effective and full instrument Active Citizenship to dispose of citizens. Through referendums, citizens gain the ability to constitute, revoke, or altered a law.
The word "referendum" comes from the Latin "referendu" ("for approval") has become a participatory instrument present in virtually all democratic systems of developed countries.
A referendum may be mandatory or optional. In the first case, the constitution stipulates that in cases where this data should be convened in the second it occurs only as a certain organ of the State decides to convene or when - the most advanced countries in front of participatory democracy - there is a petition complaining popular its realization. In Portugal and Brazil, the model is optional referendum. For a country like Switzerland, is mandatory.
The Swiss case is exemplary in this respect: the first referendums were summoned here in the fifteenth century, in the cantons of Valais and Grisons to adopt decisions taken at cantonal assemblies. Supreme expression of the participatory character of Switzerland is also the fact that all their constitutions - with the sole exception of 1801 - were all approved in a referendum.
In Switzerland, participation in popular assemblies (Landsgemeiden) of cantons is required leading to a penalty for failure. If the convening of a referendum on changes to the constitution of cases is practically mandatory, so even if legislation is completely mandatory: all changes to the constitution - whether federal or cantonal - must be countersigned. In the ordinary laws of the use of the referendum mechanism is even more common being countersigned most laws on taxation, the European Economic Area, national security, traffic, quality of life and immigrants, etc..
In the U.S., the referendums are an important part of the democratic exercise, practically since the time of independence. But currently, the referendum is rarely used at national or federal being used primarily within the states or local authorities. The themes that are required are typically fiscal, voting rights, public safety, public education and new technologies.
Conclusion:Referenda are probably the most important and useful tool that is available to anyone who wants to implement a revolution in these participatory democratic systems blocked and paralyzed today. People to return a portion of the powers and freedoms that have chosen to relocate to elected representatives and - often - disregard or forget this basic duty of representation. They have costs, certainly in time and financial order, but the Swiss example proves that the term obtains savings and efficiency gains in the quality of decisions. Thorough and well worth its widespread use and amplified the scale and effects, assuming effectively as the main weapon in this regeneration of democracy that imposes itself today as necessary and imperative.
Main Source:
http://www.conteudojuridico.com.br/artigo,o-referendo-e-sua-importancia-na-democracia-participativa,41970.html