More than its snow-capped mountains, cheese, watches and its chocolate. Switzerland is perhaps best known for its system of democracy. Also known as "direct" democracy. it’s a legal structure that allows all Swiss citizens over the age of 18 to vote on how the country is run.
The system has some high-powered admirers. France’s President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants a similar system of elections in place for French voters.
So what is direct democracy? Direct democracy, also called pure democracy, is forms of direct participation of citizens in democratic decision making. In comparison to indirect or representative democracy, it is based on the sovereignty and power of the people. This can happen in the form of an assembly democracy or by initiative and elections with ballot voting. They can also direct vote on issues instead of candidates or parties deciding what has to be done.
The democratic roots of Switzerland travel in many directions and cross several centuries. During the Renaissance, humanists striving for freedom from Rome offered different interpretations to religion that were closer to the needs of people and political independence. The three main understanding people or reformists were John Calvin, Ulrich Zwingli and Erasmus of Rotterdam who were representing three streams helped shaped the roots of the Swiss democracy.
It also shows the roots of direct democracy in the country’s religious past, as they divert from an uncompromising theology to an open and high-minded outlook.
Centuries later, Friedrich Schiller celebrated the fight for Swiss independence from foreign occupiers in his masterpiece William Tell (William Tell is a folk hero) which constructs a start to democracy. Meanwhile, some cantons such as Ticino decided to join the Confederation just to enjoy religious freedom after the Napoleonic wars. Switzerland’s Federal Constitution was completely changed in 1874. The importance of the cantons was lessened in favour of the country’s central administration. People moving between cantons were given full voting rights after three months, which was beneficial to those moving from rural areas to big cities at the time, and elections at a federal level were introduced. The revision of the constitution had to be voted on too and was approved with 63% of the vote.
There are many positives to having a direct democracy. There are three important positives I am going to talk about. The first one is having full government transparency without a doubt, no other form of democracy ensures a greater degree of openness and transparency between the people and their government. Discussions and debates on major issues are held in public where people can see it. In addition, all successes or failures of the society can be credited to, or blamed on the people, rather than the government. The next benefit of having direct democracy is having more government accountability. By offering the people a direct and unmistakable choice through their votes, direct democracy demands a great level of accountability on the part of the government. The government cannot claim it was unaware of or unclear on the will of the people. Finally people are more likely to happily comply with laws they create themselves. Moreover, people who know that their opinions will make a difference, they will more likely take part in the processes of government.
Although there are many positives there are also negatives. Like the positives there are three important negatives I am going to talk about. The first one is If every Swiss citizen were expected to vote on every issue considered at every level of government, we might never decide on anything. Between all of the issues considered by local, state and federal governments, citizens could literally spend all day, every single day voting. The next one is that public involvement would drop. Direct democracy best serves the interest of the people when most people take part in it. As the time required for debating and voting increases, public interest, and participation in the process would quickly decrease, leading to decisions which did not truly reflect the will of the majority. Finally the last draw-back is when it comes to any society as large and diverse as switzerland, what is the chance of that everyone will ever happily agree with or at least peacefully accept decisions on major issues? As recent history has shown, not much. Even though there were some negatives Switzerland has managed to keep the country going where everyone is happy, after all they have been doing it for centuries.
In a country with direct democracy people can directly in politics. Everyone can help decide on the state, the cantons and how the communities are organized. One of the oldest forms of democracy is the so called “Landsgemeinde”. Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus are the two last cantons where residents entitled to vote, gather every spring in the open air to decide on laws and expenditure. In the whole of switzerland residents vote on average four times a year on various issues concerning their community, their canton or the whole of the country. For example they can vote on whether to have a new hospital built in the village, on how the canton should produce its electricity or in the state old-age pension plan. In addition every four years the people elect the 246 members of the national parliament which consists of two chambers. The house of representatives representing people and the Senate representing the cantons.This system gives less populates cantons more political weight. Parliament makes laws and elects the national government which consists of seven members of various parties. People can overturn laws made by the parliament by launching a referendum. If they manage to collect 50000 signatures within 100 days the bill has to be voted on by the public. The people’s initiative enables citizens to make alterations to the Swiss constitution to hold a public vote on an initiative 100000 signatures have to be collected within 18 months. Having said all this Switzerland gives the people a feeling of power and control of the country the leaders do not make all the decisions and make the people feel like they are held in hostage. In this way Switzerland has impacted the people well and it is truly unique. Switzerland is the only system where direct democracy plays such an important role in decision making at the national level and when the votes on issues. Together with neutrality and federalism, direct democracy makes part of the Swiss national identity. This political system helps unite the various languages, religions and cultures in switzerland.