Home > 5.1 Nature of the referendum > Referendums in Europe - An Analysis of the Legal Rules in European States
 
 
 
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Paragraph 49
 

Optional constitutional referendums, either at the request of an authority or part of the electorate, exist in most states that do not have mandatory constitutional referendums. For example, the French President or Parliament cansubmit to the people a constitutional amendment approved by the two assemblies. In Azerbaijan and Turkey also, the President or Parliament can call a constitutional referendum, while in Armenia the agreement of the President and Parliament is required. A constitutional referendum can take place on the initiative of Parliament in Estonia, Lithuania and Malta (subject to cases of mandatory referendums in the latter two states) and one-third of the members of one of the chambers in Austria. In Russia, it can relate to a new constitution as a whole, on the initiative of the constituent assembly.