Abstract
Referendums and popular initiative, in providing opportunities for direct participation and deliberation on specific issues, are seen as a complement to the institutions of representative democracy. This paper aims at investigating the mediated debate over the referendum that occurred in Brazil, on October 23rd 2006, to give an answer to the question “the commerce of fire gun should be prohibited in Brazil”? Firstly, we characterize different forms of referendums e explore the accountability process produced by ex post referendums. Secondly, we characterize the mediated debate and the accountability process amongst political representatives, regarding the controversies around the prohibition of fire guns, urban criminality and public security problems. Finally, we attempt to assess the role played by the media in the constitution of public debates, evincing degrees of inclusiveness of the social actors, the use of critical-rational arguments, the reciprocity and reversibility of opinions.
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