History, culture, practise and design of Direct Democracy in Switzerland a short introduction from Andreas Gross (MP/Pol.Scientist/ADD)

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History, culture, practise and design of Direct
Democracy in Switzerlanda short introduction
from Andreas Gross (MP/Pol.Scientist/ADD)

• www.andigross.ch
• IRI Direct Democracy Study Trip to Europe
• St-Ursanne (Jura-Switzerland)
• Sept 25 2004

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Direct Democracy (DD) in Switzerland (and the
U.S.A.) was supported by history

• There was never a nobel feudal regime
• You had a tradition and culture of
  decentralisation of power and selfruling
• You had experiences in managing diversity
• You had and still have a multitude of
  cultural,religious, linguistic and economic
  diversity

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Direct Democracy (DD) in Switzerland ( U.S.A.)
was a oppositional achievement By the people for
the people

• The liberal founders of modern
• Switzerland (1848) were elitist
• They created a parlament.democracy by whichs
  parliament many people did not feel to be
  represented
• Thats why they asked for constitutional reforms
  which give them the last word

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Modern Direct Democracy (DD) was not made in
Switzerland it was only best practised and
developed in CH

• You had early assembly-selfruling in some swiss
  cantons and some New England States in the
  17.century
• Modern referendum is a innovation of the Frech
  Revolution (1793)
• The citizens initiatives is a product of
  revolutionaries of France and Germany of 1848

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1869 in ZuerichA weak DD-Instrument enabled the
people to realise a democratic revolution

• The gov tried to undermine the opposition
  movement by implementing the Initiative for the
  total revision of the Constitution (1865)
• 2 years later In 10 days 20000 sign. were
  gathered and a peacefull revolution started

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The 3 cornerstones of a modern Direct Democracy

• Voting at the ballot-box or by mail, not in a
  assembly
• The secrecy of the vote has to be respected
• A minority of the citizens say, when all the
  citizens have to vote not a president or a
  parliament (plebiscitarian rule)

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Direct Democracy is a set of participatorial
citizen rightsB. Federal level (Zuerich 2005)

• 1,2,3,4,
• Legislative popular initiative
• Constructive citizens referendum
• Obligatorial finance referendum
• Individual initiative
• The right of the Parliament for
  counter-proposals, optional vote

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Direct Democracy is a set of participatorial
citizen rightsA. Cantonal level

1. Constitutional Referendum
2. Optional legislative Referendum
3. Constitutional popular Initiative
4. Referendum against threaties
5. General Initiative Proposition to the
   Parliament