National referendum as a tool for the opposition to influence the legislative process

The article is an analysis of the use of the institution of national referendum in Poland by the opposition to influence the legislative process. It examines two hypotheses: first, the opposition, by initiating the referendum process, intends to draw the attention of the state authorities to certain public issues that are important from its point of view; second, the greater the public’s support for these issues, the greater the chance for those in power to include the opposition’s demands in their legislation.