Word: referendum
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...time it got to Chicago, Wal-Mart had learned something from its bad experience in Inglewood, where the retailer attempted to circumvent the city council by pushing for the necessary rezoning through a ballot referendum. Wal-Mart had then donated $65,000 to the Los Angeles Urban League and mounted a $1 million p.r. blitz. The locals got turned off by the attempted end-around play, and Wal-Mart lost the vote, with 60% of residents rejecting the store. Humbled, Scott changed the company's urban policy from one of remote maneuvering to direct community engagement--and made himself...
...north-for the Shi'ites, saying it will lead to the breakup of the country and allow Iran undue influence over the south. This issue has been pushed through over Sunni objections causing the Sunnis to threaten to veto the constitution when it comes up for an Oct. 15 referendum. It's unclear how seriously to take this threat, because the constitution can only be vetoed if two-thirds of voters in any three provinces vote against it. Sunnis have large enough majorities in only two provinces-Anbar and Ninewah-and simple majorities in two others...
...Obviously our preference would be to get a document the Sunnis could sign," said the director of an international NGO involved in the constitutional process. But if the Sunnis decided not to support it but still participated in the referendum-if only to vote it down-"that would be great because then it becomes a democratic contest over the rule...
...What happens next? For the next three days, the National Assembly will work to hammer out what, exactly, Iraqi federalism will mean. Assuming it's approved by the parliament Thursday night, the draft will then go to the people of Iraq to be ratified in a referendum Oct. 15. Sunnis have already said they will campaign against it, but the Shi'ites and Kurds have said they will go to the Sunni communities to convince them to vote...
...which is why the Bush Administration got burned by accusations it backed a failed coup against Chavez in 2002 (the White House denies the charge). Another is democratic legitimacy: Chavez, for all his authoritarian tendencies, is a democratically elected head of state who last year won a national recall referendum approved by international observers...