In Plzeň, the supplementary collection of signatures for the referendum ends today

Plzeň - In Plzeň today marks the peak of the additional collection of signatures in support of the referendum proposal concerning the construction of a giant shopping center in Plzeň. Activists advocating for the referendum want to submit the sheets with signatures to the city hall on Wednesday morning, said the representative of the preparatory committee, Martin Marek, to ČTK today. The activists are trying to ensure that the referendum takes place simultaneously with the regional elections on October 12 and 13. However, the sheets must first pass a verification by the city hall and the referendum must then be approved by the council.
The supporters of the referendum have already submitted the documents with signatures to the city hall, but the office rejected about 16 percent of the signatures and also found other formal errors in the application. To announce a local vote, civic associations need at least 13,339 signatures, which is the equivalent of ten percent of the voters in Plzeň.
"Out of 2,141 signatures that we are missing after the city hall's verification, we have already collected 2,000 by the end of the weekend. We want to have 4,000 new signatures, which would be an undeniable reserve," Marek stated. On Wednesday, the preparatory committee for the referendum will return the proposal to the city hall with the errors corrected and additional signatures included. Several volunteers are collecting signatures today in the city.
The city administration considers the estimated costs of holding the referendum to be relevant. If it were to take place alongside the regional elections on October 12 and 13, as the activists propose, it would amount to about 1.2 million crowns, while at a different time, according to opponents of the construction, it would be five times higher. If voting occurs simultaneously with the regional elections, it would ensure the necessary legal participation in the referendum of at least 35 percent of voters, claim the activists.