Citizens assembly and the referendum: Reflections on a few foreign examples

In answer to the criticism addressed to the referendum, citizens assemblies are presented as a new remedy to the crisis of representative democracy, based on the desire to build the legitimacy of political decisions on deliberation rather than on the expression of a majority. However, far from being incompatible with the referendum process, they can usefully complement it in order to strengthen the democratic legitimacy of the choices expressed by the citizens.