Plebiscite is popular manifestation expressed through vote, which occurs when there is some matter of political or social interest. In ancient Rome, the plebiscite was the law enacted by the Roman people through meeting at a rally. Initially, it was mandatory only for commoners.
The plebiscite was an instrument used for the exercise of direct democracy, whose origin dates back to lex hortensia (287 B.C.). Through the plebiscite, ratification of the population's confidence in a specific political action of the government is requested. The purpose of the referendum is political legitimacy.
In the democratic regime, through the plebiscite, the people are summoned to issue their opinion by choosing "yes" or "no" to the execution of a certain governmental decision. This instrument is used in a phase prior to drafting any law on the government's proposal. If the majority chooses "Yes", then the process of drafting all legislation is continued.
plebiscite and referendum
The plebiscite works differently from the referendum because in the referendum the people are called to vote after legislation on a particular issue has already been drafted and approved by the State. In this case, the people must accept or not. An example of a referendum was the "Referendum on the ban on the sale of firearms and ammunition", held on 23 October 2005 and rejected by the majority.
plebiscite in Pará
An example of a plebiscite was the "Plebiscite on the division of the State of Pará", which took place on December 11, 2011, only in the State of Pará. The proposal in question, which was the division of that state into three others called "Pará", "Carajás" and "Tapajós", was rejected by the population.