Volksinitiative
citizens' initiative; mechanism allowing voters to propose legislation directly
noun FOLKS-i-ni-tsia-ti-fe Rare
Usage Note
Volksinitiative is a direct democratic instrument in several German Länder (not at federal level). A sufficient number of signatures forces parliament to debate the proposal. A successful Volksinitiative can lead to the more demanding Volksbegehren. Plural: Volksinitiativen.
Examples
"Mit einer Volksinitiative können Bürger ein Thema auf die Parlamentsagenda setzen."
Natural Translation
With a citizens' initiative voters can place a topic on the parliamentary agenda.
Literal Translation
With a citizens' initiative citizens can set a topic on the parliament agenda.
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