Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A direct vote in which the entire electorate is invited to accept or refuse a proposal.
- noun A vote in which a population exercises the right of national self-determination.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
plebiscitum . - noun An expression of the will or pleasure of the whole people in regard to some measure already decided upon; a vote of the whole people for the ratification or disapproval of some matter: chiefly a French usage.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A vote by universal male suffrage; especially, in France, a popular vote, as first sanctioned by the National Constitution of 1791.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A
referendum , especially one that concerns changes insovereignty
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a vote by the electorate determining public opinion on a question of national importance
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Anytime a plebiscite is held and the Haitians vote for independence, we go home.
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Thirty-seven million people trying to govern by plebiscite is ridiculous.
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It is a well-known fact that, in Uruguay, the regime called a plebiscite and was defeated.
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● The government conducts a sham "plebiscite" -- unclear question, no public voters 'list, no spending controls, and no guarantee of ballot secrecy.
rabble.ca - News for the rest of us Cathryn Atkinson 2010
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Facing pressure for change both at home and abroad, Mr. Pinochet called a plebiscite on continuing his rule in 1988, which he lost.
Obama Praises Chilean Democracy Laura Meckler 2011
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The plebiscite was an important gauge of popularity for Correa, who was first elected in 2006 and easily re-elected in 2009 after a rewrite of the constitution.
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And secondly have a plebiscite in other words give it out to all of the Iraqis.
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Comte Auguste de Morny, the president's half-brother, had a proclamation printed to inform the people of the dissolution of the assembly and the restoration of universal male suffrage and called a plebiscite for a fundamental revision of the constitution.
1851, Dec. 2 2001
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Having annexed Austria in March, Germany's Adolph Hitler calls a plebiscite which shows that more than 99 percent of Austrians favor union with Germany's Third Reich.
What Did You Do in the War, Grandma?: Timeline ITY Brown University 1997
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A plebiscite is a Yankee invention which, unfortunately, has deceived many people of good faith throughout the world.
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