Popular Assembly (Montecara)

Popular Assembly Senblèa Popolà
Type
Type	Lower house
Structure
Seats	approximately 900,000 (Citizens aged 20 and older not serving in the Senate)
Political groups	Non-partisan
Elections
Voting system	Non-elective
Website
senblea.go.mc

The Popular Assembly (Montecaran: Senblèa Popolà) is the lower house of the legislature of Montecara. Its membership consists of every citizen aged 20 and older except for those serving in the Senate. This arrangement results in Montecara, one of the smallest states in the world by population, having by far the largest legislature, with approximately 900,000 members. The name originates with the practice of citizens assembling in person to propose and pass laws, a long-standing tradition in Montecara.

The Popular Assembly is called into being by the College of State. There are normally two Assemblies per year, one each during the last full workweeks of March and September. Extraordinary sessions may be called by the College of State. The sessions are a five-day open period for voters to receive and return their ballots.

Powers

The Popular Assembly must approve, by majority vote, all proposed laws, treaties, and constitutional amendments placed before it before they can be ratified and attain the force of law. Members may also propose laws and constitutional amendments using the initiative procedure, in which a propsal signed by 20% of the Popular Assembly will be presented to the Senate for consideration.

Sessions

2021

March

Eligible voters	Turnout	% turnout
912,445	592,176	64.9%

№	Question	For		Against		Invalid/ blank	Result
		Votes	%	Votes	%
1	Allowing online gambling	58,510	9.88%	533,573	90.10%	93	Rejected
2	Limits on cruise ships	385,108	65.03%	206,607	34.89%	461	Approved
3	Ban on the cultivation of genetically modified cereals	507,462	85.69%	84,284	14.23%	430	Approved
4	Ban on chick culling	305,321	51.56%	286,699	48.41%	156	Approved
5	Extending daycare operating hours	291,160	49.17%	300,579	50.76%	437	Rejected
6	Adjustment of price controls on fish	278,706	47.06%	313,228	52.89%	242	Rejected
7	Subsidies for commercial solar panel installation	421,965	71.26%	169,779	28.67%	432	Approved
8	Improvements to reduce sewage outfall pollution	423,054	71.44%	168,822	28.51%	300	Approved
9	Tax on high-sugar drinks	121,506	20.52%	470,469	79.45%	201	Rejected
10	Adopting Defense Plan 2030	556,874	94.04%	35,191	5.94%	111	Approved
11	Increasing the value of bottle return	549,086	92.72%	42,610	7.20%	480	Approved
12	Airport noise abatement infrastructure	193,260	32.64%	398,806	67.35%	110	Rejected
13	Reduced quotas for certain fish	281,847	47.60%	309,908	52.33%	421	Rejected
14	Upgrades to civil defense infrastructure	477,286	80.60%	114,664	19.36%	226	Approved
15	Flood control measures	460,723	77.80%	131,129	22.14%	324	Approved

September

Eligible voters	Turnout	% turnout
929,416	620,850	66.8%

№	Question	For		Against		Invalid/ blank	Result
		Votes	%	Votes	%
1	Reorganization of the judiciary	460,823	74.22%	159,946	25.76%	81	Approved
2	Universal basic income program	306,363	49.35%	314,020	50.58%	467	Rejected
3	Tobacco tax increase	394,798	63.59%	225,889	36.38%	164	Approved
4	Protections for marine migratory species	361,904	58.29%	258,810	41.69%	137	Approved
5	Moratorium on the construction of second homes	392,371	63.20%	228,220	36.76%	259	Approved
6	Ban on smoking in all restaurants	350,274	56.42%	270,081	43.50%	495	Approved
7	Restrictions on cephalopod experimentation	336,421	54.19%	284,367	45.80%	62	Approved
8	Requiring new public transit stations to be accessible	327,946	52.82%	292,760	47.15%	144	Approved
9	Revised quotas on non-EC immigration	435,840	70.20%	184,833	29.77%	177	Approved
10	Provision of migrant centers	295,468	47.59%	325,237	52.39%	145	Rejected
11	Ban on fossil-fuel vehicle sales after 2030	496,641	79.99%	123,921	19.96%	288	Approved
12	Lowering the general retirement age to 62	322,711	51.98%	297,730	47.96%	409	Approved
13	Multicultural school meals	62,941	10.14%	557,790	89.84%	120	Rejected
14	University fees for foreign students	524,528	84.49%	95,834	15.44%	489	Approved
15	More options for civilian national service	281,988	45.42%	338,791	54.57%	71	Rejected
16	Expansion of assisted transitional housing	432,776	69.71%	187,680	30.23%	394	Approved
17	Combating human trafficking	450,273	72.53%	170,476	27.46%	101	Approved
18	Labor protections for foreign domestic workers	385,991	62.17%	234,586	37.78%	273	Approved
19	Cryptocurrency tax	565,204	91.04%	55,278	8.90%	368	Approved
20	Restaurant waste oil recycling plan	174,295	28.07%	446,265	71.88%	290	Rejected
21	Fossil fuel divestment by Montepietà	256,683	41.34%	364,047	58.64%	120	Rejected

2022

March

Eligible voters	Turnout	% turnout
931,368	590,487	63.4%

№	Question	For		Against		Invalid/ blank	Result
		Votes	%	Votes	%
1	Expanding the home health aid program	555,313	94.04%	35,096	5.94%	78	Approved
2	Safe drug use sites	293,409	49.69%	296,681	50.24%	397	Rejected
3	More offshore wind power	441,149	74.71%	148,880	25.21%	458	Approved
4	Expiration dates for classified information	576,681	97.66%	13,486	2.28%	320	Approved
5	Bounties for reporting environmental offenses	358,699	60.75%	231,734	39.24%	54	Approved
6	Expanding the guest worker program	240,499	40.73%	349,869	59.25%	119	Rejected
7	Tax on home flipping	456,514	77.31%	133,886	22.67%	87	Approved
8	Requiring technologies that reduce marine by-catch	394,286	66.77%	196,038	33.20%	163	Approved
9	Moratorium on condominium conversions	294,617	49.89%	295,477	50.04%	393	Rejected
10	Increased penalties for animal abuse	525,282	88.96%	65,135	11.03%	70	Approved
11	Decriminalizing opium possession	269,047	45.56%	321,171	54.39%	269	Rejected
12	Subsidies for agritourism	252,175	42.71%	338,173	57.27%	139	Rejected
13	Surtax on blighted or abandoned commercial property	466,105	78.94%	123,933	20.99%	449	Approved
14	Ban on importing palm oil	212,955	36.06%	377,303	63.90%	229	Rejected
15	Higher energy standards for public buildings	445,858	75.51%	144,241	24.43%	388	Approved
16	Amendments to the military penal code	404,733	68.54%	185,409	31.40%	345	Approved
17	Improvements to port facilities	478,267	81.00%	112,014	18.97%	206	Approved
18	Ban on incandescent lightbulbs	332,229	56.26%	258,032	43.70%	226	Approved
19	Data protection for facial recognition technology	582,367	98.62%	7,924	1.34%	196	Approved

September

Eligible voters	Turnout	% turnout
931,644	622,338	66.8%

№	Question	For		Against		Invalid/ blank	Result
		Votes	%	Votes	%
1	Lifting the ban on certain dog breeds	277,581	44.60%	344,690	55.39%	67	Rejected
2	Allowing physicians to prescribe psychedelic therapy	333,066	53.52%	288,848	46.41%	424	Approved
3	Universal monthly credit for public transit	280,402	45.06%	341,792	54.92%	144	Rejected
4	Subsidies for earthquake retrofitting	278,404	44.74%	343,705	55.23%	229	Rejected
5	Eliminating the separation period requirement for mutual and voluntary divorce	463,070	74.41%	159,163	25.58%	105	Approved
6	Ban on most short-term home rental	401,662	64.54%	220,379	35.41%	297	Approved
7	Prohibit certain digital securities from being used as banking capital	405,385	65.14%	216,519	34.79%	434	Approved
8	Right to exercise and recreation	337,514	54.23%	284,579	45.73%	245	Approved
9	Increased penalties for noise pollution	444,319	71.40%	177,827	28.57%	192	Approved
10	Enhanced protections for biometric data storage	521,366	83.78%	100,524	16.15%	448	Approved
11	Liberalization of inheritance law	382,073	61.39%	239,776	38.53%	489	Approved
12	Cap on foreign restaurant chains	326,819	52.51%	295,373	47.46%	146	Approved
13	Ban on certain pesticides	418,069	67.18%	204,011	32.78%	258	Approved

See also

• Senate (Montecara)