Dataset on local referendums in France (1995-2021)

The history of local referendums in France reveals how the tool has been excluded from representative government. Nevertheless, the decision-making referendum was introduced with the law of 16 July 1971 only for the question of municipal merger and with the definition of an approval quorum in order to be valid. If the 1990s showed its inclusion in the French political system with the definition of local consultations and local initiatives, the decision-making referendum was legalized in 2003 with a very restrictive framework requiring a minimum turnout of 50%. Apart from a few marginal uses, the practice has even declined since 2003. This is a database on local referendums in France between 1995 and 2021 with indications on the turnout, the approval rate and the size of the municipality.