The Referendum on the So-Called Traditional Family in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

The referendum on the so-called traditional family was held in Slovakia on February 7, 2015. Though it was requested in a petition by a large number of Slovak citizens, it was deemed invalid due to an insufficient turnout (21.41%). This paper aims to highlight relevant moments from the referendum initiation to voting itself, while specifically focusing on the analysis of political issues (especially the statements of officials - politicians, church representatives and LGBTI activists), legal issues (whether the scope of the referendum was compliant with the Constitution) and media campaigns (campaigning in audio-visual media, internet media and billboard campaigning).

Keywords: referendum, Slovakia, traditional family