The notion of democracy essentially implies the rule of the people. In modern democratic societies, democracy or the rule of the people is realized through elections for representatives of certain forms of government, and it is actually a representative democracy. The referendum is a counterbalance to representative democracy because the citizens express themselves in a referendum directly and secretly on key constitutional, legal and other issues crucial to the sovereignty, independence and survival of the state. Referendums can be held at the state or local level, and their calling and implementation are possible if they are in accordance with the constitutional identity and the spirit of the Constitution of the state. In order to call a referendum, it is necessary to have a clear, unambiguous and constitutionally harmonized referendum question and to collect a sufficient number of signatures proving that citizens are interested in calling a referendum. The implementation of the referendum is coordinated at the state, regional and local levels through the work of commissions and committees at individual polling stations. The State Commission as well as the Constitutional Court ensure the protection of the referendum. In the Republic of Croatia, forms of direct democracy, in addition to a referendum, are also an advisory referendum, a citizens´ assembly and citizens' submissions.