Abstract
In the May 2022 referendum, the "no" vote clearly prevailed: the instruments of direct and participatory democracy as regulated in provincial law n. 22/2018 remain in force. This article focuses its analysis on the confirmative referendum and on the citizens' assembly. On the one hand, the article sheds light on different aspects of the confirmative referendum. It points to the doubts of its constitutional legitimacy and analyzes the outcome of the referendum on the referendum held on May 29, 2022. On the other hand, the article examines the instrument of the citizens’ assembly. This instrument is provided for in South Tyrolean legislation and, at the provincial level, has not yet been implemented. Citizens' assemblies have however taken place at the local and euroregional levels of government. The argument of the article is that referendums find it difficult to foster effective participation in decision-making and that the complementary use of democratic innovations such as citizens' assemblies can be useful to reinvigorate democratic participation.