WK 315 Engaging the public through petitions to increase participation and create change
Petitions have been successful in expanding democratic space, influencing public perceptions and participation, and changing legislative processes and polices. Whether public generated or government sanctioned, lessons can be learned from the creative and effective use of petitions for hunger relief, voter registration and building social investment in a peace process.
Panelists
Featured Tactic: Maria Batch,
Poder Ciudadano, Argentina
Complementary Presentations:
Featured Tactic
Engaging the public through petitions to increase participation and create change Maria Batch, Poder Ciudadano, Argentina
In 2002, Poder Ciudadano (Citizen Power) collected signatures on two petitions that, through a constitutional provision, obligated the Argentine Congress to consider community-proposed legislation. The constitutional provision requires the congress to deliberate over any proposed legislation brought before it by community members or organizations, but such legislation must bear the signatures of 1.5 percent of Argentine citizens in at least six of 24 districts. Using this tactic, Poder Ciudadano focused its efforts on two problems that have had widespread effects in Argentine society recently – pensions of privilege, a system of excessive retirement benefits for former government officials, even those known to be corrupt, and most recently, the problem hunger, especially among children and pregnant women. Poder Ciudadano recruited 250 volunteers from around the country who met at markets, bookstores, pharmacies, newsstands and phone booths to collect the signatures. As petition pages were completed, volunteers returned them to Poder Ciudadano so that the organization could present them to the congress en masse. Both of the initiatives were very well received by Argentine citizens and Poder Ciudadano presented each to the congress. By late 2002, both proposals were passed by the congress with some modifications.
Complementary Presentation
Gorka Espiau, Elkarri, Basque Country
On the February 11 2001, Elkarri set in motion a process to engage the population in the Basque Country in a dialogue toward peace called the Peace Conference. In the initial phase, Elkarri enlisted the support of more than 50,000 people with a petition asking all the major parties to come together to dialogue. In addition to signing the petition, people made a contribution of 6 Euros (about US$7) each and raised a total of US$500,000 to support the process. Based on what they learned in the first Peace Conference Elkarri launched a new signature campaign on March 6, 2004. About 44,000 signatures were collected in one day in the Basque Country and Navarre to be presented to the Basque Parliament and over 2,000 volunteers collected a total of 122,000 signatures in total, compelling the Basque Parliament to discuss dialogue as a way to peace.
Complementary Presentation
Liz Bernstein, International Land Mines Ban Campaign, Canada
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