I referendum indipendentisti

The article deals with the current wave of secession referendums. It argues that it seems to be part of the movement against the internationalization of domestic politics, epitomized by the process of fiscal and political integration in the EU. Analyzing the situation of Ukraine, Scotland, Catalonia and the Italian Region of Veneto, the article reaches the following conclusions: independence referendums have some distinctive features that set them apart from other forms of referendum; they are a great challenge to kelsenian sovereignty and representative democracy, but nonetheless they have to come to terms with it in order to be held; some countries seem better prepared than others to accommodate their challenge, and this must have something to do with their respective legal systems and possibly electoral systems as well.