先進民主國家公民投票之建立,在於重視民意與公民參政權之行使。我國為迎頭趕上,邁入已開發中國家之林,依據憲法主權在民之原則,並確保國民直接民權之行使,特於2003年12月31日制定「公民投票法」。2004年3月20日完成我國歷史性的第l次全國性公民投票。公民投票包括全國性及地方性公民投票。全國性公民投票適用於法律之複決、立法原則之創制、重大政策之創制或複決及憲法修正案之複決;地方性公民投票適用於地方自治法規之複決、地方自治法規立法原則之創制及地方自治事項重大政策之創制或複決。 本文將分別以公民投票之全球趨勢、公民投票與創制複決權、公民投票之價值評估及直接式民主與間接式民主分別加以探討。
The significance of establishing the referendum on the advanced democratic countries is to seriously consider the public opinions and the people's political participation rights. In order to keep up the steps to be one of the advanced countries, our country officially formed ”Referendum Law” on December 1, 2003, according to the main principal of our Constitution, to let people directly exercise its own political rights. On March 20, 2004, the very first time, our country officially and historically accomplished the first National Referendum. The referendum includes national and local votes. The national referendum exercise on the right to initiate and legislate laws, to initiate important policies or to advise the Constitution: The local referendum exercise on the initiative of local regulations, the principal to legislate the local regulations and to initiate other important local policies. This research is focused on the trend of the global referendum and the evaluation of the significance of Initiative and Referendum, and to distinguish the direct democracies and the indirect democracies.