By Bruno Kaufmann in Swiss Info. Here is an excerpt:

Three decades after gaining state independence, it is now clear that Slovakia is taking the laborious path of decision-making via direct democratic popular rights. This is the same path that Switzerland has been following for much longer under completely different conditions.

The constitutional referendum serves as an indicator of public opinion and inputs discussions in parliament. This was the case recently for a recent local popular initiative on the prohibition of “money gambling casinos” in Bratislava. After the corresponding initiative “Zastavne Hazard” had been signed by almost every fourth inhabitant of the capital, the city parliament voted 39:1 in favor of putting an end to the lucrative business: the casinos and their intrusive advertising have two years to disappear from the cityscape.   

Read the full article here.