Danish constitutional and electoral age referendum, 1953
Encyclopedia
A constitutional and electoral age referendum as held in Denmark
on 28 May 1953. Both proposals were approved by voters, leading to both a new constitution taking effect on 5 June, and the electoral age being lowered from 25 to 23 years, also starting on 5 June. Voter turnout was 59.1% for the constitution question and 57.1% for the voting age question.
, which must then be disbanded, a new parliamentary election
called, and the new parliament must then also pass the constitution, in unchanged form; and finally, a majority of voters in a referendum, with a requirement of at least 45 % turnout, must also pass the proposed constitution. When the referendum took place on May 28, 1953, it concluded the last of these three steps, and the constitution could take effect on June 5.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on 28 May 1953. Both proposals were approved by voters, leading to both a new constitution taking effect on 5 June, and the electoral age being lowered from 25 to 23 years, also starting on 5 June. Voter turnout was 59.1% for the constitution question and 57.1% for the voting age question.
Constitution
According to the previous constitution of 1915, with changes from 1920, in order for a new constitution to pass, it must first be passed in one RigsdagRigsdag
Rigsdagen was the name of the Parliament of Denmark from 1849 to 1953.Rigsdagen was Denmark's first parliament, and it was incorporated in the Constitution of 1849. It was a bicameral legislature, consisting of two houses, the Folketing and the Landsting. The distinction between the two houses was...
, which must then be disbanded, a new parliamentary election
Election
An election is a formal decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy operates since the 17th century. Elections may fill offices in the legislature, sometimes in the...
called, and the new parliament must then also pass the constitution, in unchanged form; and finally, a majority of voters in a referendum, with a requirement of at least 45 % turnout, must also pass the proposed constitution. When the referendum took place on May 28, 1953, it concluded the last of these three steps, and the constitution could take effect on June 5.
Changes from the previous constitution
The Ministry of Education of Denmark lists the changes from the previous constitution as follows:- The Act of SuccessionDanish Act of SuccessionThe Danish Act of Succession of March 27, 1953 was accepted after a 1953 referendum in Denmark and dictates the rules governing the Line of succession to the Danish Throne. The 1953 referendum changed the act so that it became possible for a woman to inherit the throne in the event that she has no...
was changed so that females could also inherit the Danish throne, though still preferring even younger brothers. As the reigning King Frederick IX had three daughters and no sons, this meant that Princess MargretheMargrethe II of DenmarkMargrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
became the Heir PresumptiveHeir PresumptiveAn heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
instead of her uncle Prince Knud. As Frederick IX's wife Queen IngridIngrid of SwedenIngrid of Sweden was a Swedish princess and the queen consort of King Frederick IX of Denmark.-Background:...
was not expected to (and in fact did not) have any more children, this effectively ensured that Princess Margrethe would become Queen of Denmark, which she did. - Parliamentarism, in the sense that no government may have a majority of members of parliament against it, is made explicit in the constitution.
- The Landstinget was abolished, and Folketinget expanded to 179 members.
- Voting by convictConvictA convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison", sometimes referred to in slang as simply a "con". Convicts are often called prisoners or inmates. Persons convicted and sentenced to non-custodial sentences often are not termed...
s and the poor is no longer outlawed in the constitution, but subject to normal laws. - The electoral age was removed, to be decided by referendums.
- GreenlandGreenlandGreenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
was made coequal with Denmark, and shall elect two members of parliament. - Referendums can be held over most kinds of laws, provided that one third of parliament demand it (this has only happened onceDanish land laws referendum, 1963A referendum on land laws was held in Denmark on 25 June 1963.. The four land laws, which had already been passed by the Danish parliament, were rejected by voters...
). - Citizens' civil rights are increased.
- Folketinget's ombudsmanOmbudsmanAn ombudsman is a person who acts as a trusted intermediary between an organization and some internal or external constituency while representing not only but mostly the broad scope of constituent interests...
is instituted. - SovereigntySovereigntySovereignty is the quality of having supreme, independent authority over a geographic area, such as a territory. It can be found in a power to rule and make law that rests on a political fact for which no purely legal explanation can be provided...
can be forfeited to what the constitution calls mellemfolkelige myndigheder, which can include Supranational unionSupranational unionSupranationalism is a method of decision-making in multi-national political communities, wherein power is transferred or delegated to an authority by governments of member states. The concept of supranational union is sometimes used to describe the European Union, as a new type of political entity...
s such as the current European UnionEuropean UnionThe European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
. For this to take place, it must either happen with 5/6 of members of parliament voting in favour, or by holding a referendum.
Voting age
One of the proposed changes in the new constitution was that the electoral age would now be decided by laws that required a binding referendum. Prior to the 1953 referendum, the electoral age was 25 years. The electoral age portion of the referendum asked whether the new electoral age should be 23 or 21 years, with 30.0 % voting for 23 years and 25.0 % for 21 years, thus passing the former of the two.Constitutional amendments
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| For | 1,183,292 | 78.8 |
| Against | 319,135 | 21.2 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 25,231 | – |
| Total | 1,527,658 | 100 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||
Voting age
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| 23 years | 840,815 | 54.6 |
| 21 years | 700,122 | 45.4 |
| Invalid/blank votes | 67,888 | – |
| Total | 1,608,625 | 100 |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver | ||