Direct and Representative Democracies in Switzerland: A Comparative Analysis

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[...] We often idealize direct democracy, and indeed, even in the Swiss case, we can observe what limits it has. First, the solicitation of citizens by voting does not guarantee their participation. In fact, we can observe in the table of Document 1 that for each type of referendum, citizen participation is always below 40% of the voting population. In addition, we observe in this table that even during the voting of obligatory referendums, participation does not reach half of the citizens. [...]

[...] According to Chérix, this system would be conducive to the gathering of dissatisfied people around leaders who designate a scapegoat and propose simplified solutions. Without limits or framework, this system can be transformed into a political instrument benefiting the populism of extremes. Chérix proposes an alternative that we can also be inspired by in other countries. He thinks it is essential to set limits to the right of initiative protecting fundamental rights such as equality for all, for example, so that direct democracy allows citizens to participate in decisions that concern them without making it possible to manipulate politics. [...]

[...] Direct Democracy and Representative Democracy Between Differences and Rapprochements - Switzerland Direct and Representative Democracies, Between Differences and Rapprochement: The Example of Switzerland. Located in Central Europe, Switzerland is a small country in the heart of the Alps, composed of twenty-four cantons with Bern as its capital. Its enclave between France, Germany, and Italy constitutes its characteristic of multi-cultures. Indeed, in this small country, there are three official languages: French, which is spoken in the Romand region where Geneva and Lausanne are located, for example, German, which is spoken by the majority, particularly in Bern and Zurich, and Italian, which is more minority in the southeastern regions. [...]

[...] One can then wonder, in this particular multicultural and federal context, how Switzerland combines direct and indirect democracy, and what are its advantages and limitations. The Swiss democracy combines a classic representative democracy where each canton elects its representatives sitting in Parliament, but also a direct democracy. This guarantees the popular rights of citizens by giving them a decision-making power that is declined into three types of referendums (obligatory, optional and popular) allowing their legislative and even financial participation. According to Document the Swiss are constantly invited to participate in debates on decisions to be taken in their canton. [...]