The content of the concepts «referendum», «plebiscite», «popular vote» and other related hybrid forms of direct democracy is analyzed from the point of view of the doctrine of constitutional law, the legislation of the Russian Federation and international legal sources. The comparative characteristics of the referendum and plebiscite are given; the problem of determining the place of these forms in the hierarchy of sources of law is actualized; the system of CIS legislation, constitutional federal and sectoral legislation of Russia at the federal level regulating various issues of referendum law is analyzed. The conclusion is made about the incompleteness of the formation of the legal concept of «referendum» by legislative means, the absence of a developed concept of «right to a referendum», the vagueness of legal technique in determining the principles of a referendum as a form of expression of will.
referendum, plebiscite, popular vote, local referendum, hybrid forms of expression of will
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