Referendums

I have two suggestions that I would appreciate intelligent voters or intelligent politicians (are those last two words compatible?) addressing: Federal budget: Congress has for years ignored the law by not delivering its budget proposal on time. Yet, within my memory, presidents have met their legal obligation by presenting their budget proposals on time. Why not a constitutional amendment stating that if Congress is delinquent, the president's budget becomes law? Perhaps the president should have the freedom to give Congress one extension--if deserved in the president's opinion.

Los Angeles teachers overwhelmingly expressed "no confidence" in L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy in the first vote of its kind in the nation's second-largest school system. In the weeklong referendum that ended Wednesday, 91% of the participating teachers expressed disapproval of Deasy, with about 17,700 of the union's more than 32,000 members casting ballots, the teachers union announced Thursday. The superintendent called the vote "nonsense" even before knowing its outcome, and a group of civic leaders rallied to Deasy's defense.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said he would go ahead with a referendum on a political plan that would implicitly recognize Israel even though the governing Hamas party firmly opposed such a vote. Abbas' office made the announcement after he failed in last-ditch talks to persuade the Islamic militant group to accept the principle of a Palestinian state alongside Israel in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem -- land Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

LONDON - For David Cameron, the worst-case scenario for Britain's future looks something like this: It's 2018, and he's in his second term as prime minister. Against his advice, his country has just ripped up its membership card in the European Union, alienating its biggest trading partner and closest neighbors. That prompts Washington to seek a new ally to advocate U.S. interests across the Atlantic; suddenly, the Anglo-American "special relationship" is a little less special. Great Britain is also a little less great.

A referendum petition signed by more than 7,000 city residents who want to block a proposed 216-unit apartment complex was validated Tuesday by the Orange County registrar of voters. The victory for residents, however, may be short-lived. The city staff believes the petition has legal problems and is recommending that the City Council reject it at its meeting tonight.

A referendum March 20 will ask Taiwanese voters to demand that China remove hundreds of missiles aimed at the island, a presidential spokesman said. President Chen Shui-bian had said the referendum would not concern independence. China has viewed Taiwan as a renegade province since they split in 1949. It had threatened military action if the independence question were put to a vote.

A student vote on a referendum to raise money for athletic facilities at Cal State Northridge has been postponed until Nov. 9-10, an Associated Student Body spokesman said. If approved, students would pay an additional $27 in 2000 and 2001, increasing to $90 in 2002, to help finance construction of an 8,000-seat multipurpose stadium and other facility construction and renovation that could cost up to $30 million.

Ecuador's Congress approved holding a referendum on whether to create an assembly to rewrite the constitution, bowing to demands by leftist President Rafael Correa, who is seeking to weaken traditional political parties. Correa blames the parties for the Andean nation's problems. He called on Ecuadoreans "to fulfill their role in history, crushing the political mafias at the ballot boxes." Ecuador has been marked by political instability, with seven presidents in the last decade.

The Western Advisory Board of Actors' Equity has rejected a request to set aside a spring referendum that resulted in the adoption of a controversial Actors 99-Seat Theater Plan. In his letter Tuesday explaining the board's decision, Western Regional Director Edward Weston denied claims that the referendum ballot was unaccompanied by "a differing viewpoint," that the voting time was any shorter than that of any Equity election and that a secret ballot was not employed in the referendum.

A legal glitch has stalled the referendum efforts of a Tustin group trying to overturn the City Council's decision to change local election dates. The group has gathered more than 600 signatures for a referendum, but some members, including leader Berklee Maughan, have stopped collecting signatures after learning of potential legal problems with the referendum. City Atty.

LONDON - Laying out a vision that could lead his country out of the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron vowed Wednesday to negotiate a new relationship with the 27-nation trading bloc and put Britain's continued membership to a national vote. In possibly the most important speech of his premiership so far, Cameron said many of his compatriots were fed up with growing centralization of power in Brussels and that a new deal was necessary. He pledged to try to win concessions for Britain and then let voters pass judgment, by the end of 2017, in a referendum on whether they wanted to remain in the EU. A withdrawal could jeopardize Britain's access to European markets and diminish its influence on the world stage, particularly its role as a bridge to Europe for the United States.

CAIRO - Egypt's opposition on Sunday charged that fraud was committed during a referendum on the nation's Islamist-backed constitution, which preliminary results indicated had been approved by voters. The dispute augured more ill will and public confrontation between Muslim Brotherhood supporters and their opponents. The constitution, which went before voters Saturday in a second and final round of balloting, was approved by 64%, according to an initial count, the state news agency reported.

CAIRO - - Approval of Egypt's controversial draft constitution in an initial round of voting revealed the grass-roots power of Islamists even as the popularity of President Mohamed Morsi has dimmed in this increasingly polarized and economically struggling nation. Unofficial results reported by state media from Saturday's constitutional referendum indicated that the Islamist-backed draft charter passed by about 56% of the vote in 10 of Egypt's 27 governorates. The results were immediately challenged by mainly secular opponents of the Morsi government, who cited thousands of alleged voting abuses and irregularities.

CAIRO -- Egyptians began voting Saturday for a constitution that sharpens divisions between Islamists and secularists and intensifies the dangerous struggle over the country's political identity nearly two years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak. Voters stood in polling lines in slums and wealthy enclaves in an uninspired atmosphere on a day meant to enshrine hallowed ideals into law. Soldiers and police stood guard. Strong opinions muted any hint of consensus and most believed the country's polarization would only deepen after the votes were counted.

CAIRO - Egyptians began voting Saturday on a constitution that sharpens divisions between Islamists and secularists and intensifies the dangerous struggle over the country's political identity nearly two years after the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak's police state. Voters streamed through slums and wealthy enclaves in an uninspired atmosphere on a day meant to enshrine hallowed ideals into law. Soldiers and police stood guard and questions arose about whether judicial supervision was adequate.

CAIRO - Demonstrators clashed in Alexandria on Friday as Egyptians gathered across the nation in rival rallies on the eve of a referendum on a divisive draft constitution backed by Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. Thousands of Islamists waved banners and flags in Cairo and other cities to support the proposed charter that has been criticized by secularists and civil rights groups for limiting personal freedoms and emphasizing Sharia law by allowing clerics to be consulted on legislation.

Kenyans voted whether to approve a new constitution in a referendum that officials said went relatively smoothly. The draft charter had bitterly divided the nation and led to preelection violence that killed seven people. In a country where a third of the citizens can't read, voters marked a banana to vote yes and an orange to vote no. Opponents of the constitution won two out of the first three constituencies. An additional 207 constituencies had yet to report their results.

Black civil rights leaders, along with union leaders and corporations, warned that they would boycott a statewide referendum on bringing back the old Georgia flag with its large Confederate emblem. "Would you expect the Jewish community to participate in a campaign to raise the swastika?" said Joseph Lowery, former head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

CAIRO - Egypt's leading opposition group urged its followers Wednesday to vote against an Islamist-inspired draft constitution, ending weeks of indecision over whether antigovernment forces should boycott the referendum, which begins this weekend and pits secularists against the Muslim Brotherhood. The move by the National Salvation Front is a crucial test of its popularity against President Mohamed Morsi and his Islamist supporters. The opposition movement has revived the country's revolutionary fervor but has been marred by division and poor organization, which are expected to be exploited by the Brotherhood's vast grass-roots networks.

CAIRO -- Egypt's leading opposition group urged its followers Wednesday to vote against an Islamist-drafted constitution, ending weeks of indecision over whether anti-government protesters should boycott a referendum set for this weekend. The move by the National Salvation Front will be a pivotal test for an opposition that appears to lack enough widespread support to derail a referendum backed by President Mohamed Morsi and the powerful Muslim Brotherhood. The opposition has revived the country's revolutionary fervor but has been marred by divisions and poor organization.