The oldest democratic tradition in Switzerland is petitioning. Every year, petitions with tens of thousands of signatures are sent to parliament.
Switzerland articles on Democracy Chronicles
News about the struggle for democracy in Switzerland. Surrounded on all sides by the European Union, the federal Swiss model of democracy is highly regarded as one of the best models of democracy in the world. Officially known as the Swiss Confederation, the government is a representative democracy with strong tools of direct democracy built in. A pure form of direct democracy exists in two Swiss cantons, the equivalent of American states. Also check out our section on World Democracy.
Bern, the Swiss Capital of Women in Politics
Bern in Switzerland is known for its bear pit and for being a World Heritage site since 1983. But it is also the Swiss capital of women politics
How the Global Battle for Female Suffrage Influenced Switzerland
A great review of this subject comes from a really interesting article at Swissinfo, produced by the
Swiss Preschoolers Learn Democracy in ‘Citizenship Project’
Swiss preschoolers line up to cast their ballots in a vote that will shape lives in the make-believe village where they call the shots.
How Swiss Referendums Still Thrive Amid Covid
The worry was that new rules would make life impossible for citizen campaigners, who rely on human contact and rallies to launch initiatives.
Capitalism vs democracy: Europe’s hard problem – or source of resilience?
Mark Mazower Modern Europe’s political structure is based on supposition that capitalism and democracy can be compatible. This requires closer examination.
Life sentence for Ambazonian separatist leader Ayuk Tabe may be a threat to world peace
Life sentence for Ambazonian leader Ayuk Tabe may be a threat to world peace. An international forum should address the Anglophone conflict in Cameroon.
Ensuring Ballot Secrecy In The Age Of Remote Voting
Human-rights declarations and various legal instruments state that elections must be conducted by secret ballot, but silent about precisely what that means.
No E-Vote Option Available For The Swiss Parliamentary Election
Swiss Post has suspended e-voting system effectively spelling the end of online trials with the current technology for the October parliamentary elections.
Swiss E-Voting Suffers Another Setback Amid Expat Concerns
The government has decided to suspend efforts to enshrine electronic voting in Swiss law, but it plans to continue trials using improved systems.