Shutterstock
Around 75,000 New Zealanders have been sentenced for a cannabis-related offence since 1975. With the drug more popular than ever, is it time we let the evidence guide our decisions?
In Perpignan, January 12, 2018.
Raymond Roig/AFP
It’s unlikely that a two-month informal national debate will solve France’s crisis of political communication.
The Brexit fallout shows why referenda shouldn’t be considered lightly.
Shutterstock
Referenda have their place in democracy, but can also be misused.
Michael Tubi/Shutterstock
Why a No Deal option shouldn’t be on the ballot in any second referendum.
Discussions on a citizens’ assembly in Cluj, Romania in June 2018.
Tudor Brabatan of Declic
The EU urgently needs to improve the link between its citizens and its institutions.
Protestors call for a vote on the final deal.
PA/Jane Barlow
Both Leavers and Remainers are unhappy with the UK’s exit plan – but can their dispute ever be resolved satisfactorily?
shutterstock.
Recent elections in Turkey, Hungary and Russia raise a fundamental question about democracy. Can it give autocracy a mandate?
Shutterstock
Islanders currently stand as independent candidates, but this special system could be about to disappear.
From God’s mouth to a ballot box near you.
EPA/Aaron Ufumeli
Many African elections are less than ideal. But is the rest of the world really that much better?
A mural of Savita Halappanavar, who died from pregnancy complications after being refused an abortion.
EPA
The end of the 8th amendment is on the horizon.
PA/Brian Lawless
The UN has repeatedly criticised Ireland’s laws. It’s time to change the Constitution.
PA/Niall Carson
What is Ireland voting on and why?
A sign at a candlelit vigil tells the story of a country sliding further into authoritarianism.
DAI KUROKAWA/EPA
If the referendum goes President Pierre Nkrunziza’s way, it will also be a further blow to ordinary Burundians, who live in a state of hardship and adversity.
PA/Tom Honan
This vote should be about the morality of letting women suffer.
Beverly Yuen Thompson/Flickr
Winning an independence referendum is the simple bit – It’s no easy trick to assert yourself on the world stage.
In courting the right, President Lenin Moreno (L) has broken with his powerful predecessor, Rafael Correa, unleashing a very public Twitter feud.
Mariana Bazo/Reuters
Ecuador’s president, Lenin Moreno, has been flirting with conservatives. Beyond irking his base, it has also lead to mass resignations and Twitter battles with his powerful left-wing predecessor.
The prime minister’s office denied suggestions that Malcolm Turnbull had given support to Bill Shorten’s proposal for four-year terms.
Paul Miller/AAP
Bill Shorten said the federal political system seemed ‘out of whack in that everything is so short term’.
EPA
After years of creeping authoritarianism, Turkey’s president is now set up to take the reins in earnest.
The British parliament passed the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act in 1900.
Museum of Australian Democracy
Australia’s Constitution is a product of foreign and domestic political influences. It has become one of the enduring aspects of Australian politics and law, for better and worse.
Sir Duke wants a second referendum. Or does he?
Wikimedia Commons
He’s been gone for 40 years but the Duke could still make a valuable philosophical contribution to the Brexit debate.