Dutch officials seek last-minute support for EU constitution News
Dutch officials seek last-minute support for EU constitution

[JURIST] Government officials in the Netherlands [government website in Dutch] are making a final plea to Dutch voters in an effort to persuade them to support the European constitution in a June 1 referendum, an uphill battle after voters in France rejected the charter [JURIST report] earlier this week. Unlike the French vote however, the Dutch poll is not binding on the government and Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende [Wikipedia profile] has said that a "no" vote would only be accepted if at least 30 percent of registered voters turned out and if at least 55 percent of those voters rejected the constitution. Recent polls indicate that the Dutch are tending towards rejection [JURIST report] as parties on both sides of the political spectrum have found faults with the European pact. AP has more.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Indian National Congress founded

The Indian National Congress (INC) was founded on December 28, 1885 in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. In subsequent decades, the so-called Congress Party would advocate for Indian independence from the UK, which was eventually achieved in 1947. The first Prime Minister of independent India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was elected as a member of the INC. Learn more about the history and founding of the Indian National Congress.

Congress recognized Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance and encouraged its recitation in schools. The Pledge was supposedly written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy, a Baptist minister, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Columbus Day. The words “under God” were added by Congress in 1954. The revised version of the Pledge was the subject of litigation before the United States Supreme Court originally brought by Michael Newdow, a parent who unsuccessfully objected to his daughter's school district policy requiring daily recitation of the Pledge. The court ruled that Newdow had no standing.

Nepal ends monarchy, establishes republic

On December 28, 2007, the Kingdom of Nepal's interim parliament ended the country's monarchy and established the Republic of Nepal. Free elections were held on April 10 of the following year to elect a Constituent Assembly.

Learn more about the rise of democracy in Nepal.