Does a Referendum Mandate Mean Unlimited Authority?

This article argues that the 2026 constitutional referendum conferred a powerful but limited democratic mandate rather than unlimited constituent authority. By distinguishing derivative authority from constitution-founding power, it contends that referendum legitimacy is constrained by the scope of the question presented to voters. Democratic reform, therefore, requires faithful implementation within the authorised framework rather than expansive reinterpretation that exceeds the mandate granted by the electorate.