Populism in Switzerland, parliamentary elections in Ukraine

Voting in previous elections in Ukraine, May 2014. Keystone / Filip Singer

An overview of the latest Swiss and international democracy news from our direct democracy reporters.

What is populism? Should we (i.e. media, citizens) even use the word? Is it just a vague catchphrase for left-wing elites to dismiss those with different views? As populism rises in Europe, what’s happening in Switzerland?

These questions aren’t new. But they also aren’t going away. Two months after elections in Brussels and three months before parliamentary elections in Switzerland, populism and its variants seem bigger than ever.

It’s not an easy topic to cover as a journalist: in the current political climate, especially online, the mere mention of the word is enough to raise hairs. Even in academic and expert circles, opinions are divided.

But last week we tried to do justice to the word and its consequences by publishing four separate pieces on populism in Switzerland and Europe:

• An overview of what populist politics look like in Switzerland, and how (and why) the country doesn’t quite fit the mould of elsewhere in Europe
• An interview with Tamara Funiciello, the outgoing leader of the Swiss Young Socialists, about her populist methods and her plans for the future
• A Q&A with German journalist Ralf Schuler, who recently published the book “Let us be Populists”, about why it’s better to listen to populists rather than repress them.
• And, in case of confusion (though it may just lead to more confusion), a glossary of definitions and uses of the term “populism”.

Let us know if it’s helpful – and if we missed anything obvious in the coverage.

Electric shock

Other democracy events in Switzerland have been scarce; summer-time is holiday-time for politicians, and news can slow to a trickle.

One story that did crop up was the long-running e-voting debate. After years of tests, trials, promises and progress, the direction is now backwards: the government is dropping plans to officially introduce e-voting for the time being, while Swiss Post – who were developing a working e-vote system – have also dropped it.

This all follows a similar move by canton Geneva, the second provider of an e-vote system in Switzerland, last November. And it ultimately means no e-voting for this October’s parliamentary elections, and it means frustration for Swiss living abroad, who will have to rely on postal votes.

Whether it’s the complete end of the road for e-voting is uncertain; Swiss Post say they’ll look at new technology next year.

International democracy: the view from Ukraine by Bruno

Ukraine held parliamentary elections at the weekend, giving a majority to the new party of recently-elected President Wolodymyr Selenskj. Here’s the view from swissinfo’s global democracy correspondent Bruno Kaufmann.

A democratic silver lining for one of Europe’s biggest countries 

A few weeks ago, I visited Ukraine for the first time in my life. In the beautiful old town of Kiev, the capital founded by Nordic Vikings a millennium ago, I met a young mother of baby twins. “We are all for change,” she said, adding: “for the first time in my life I am very optimistic we will succeed”. 

And indeed, the youth – the majority of people in the country were born after independence in 1991 – gave the old generation a clear signal at the ballot box. First by electing 41-year old comedian Wolodymyr Selesnkj with almost three quarters of the vote in the presidential election on April 21. And then, last Sunday, by giving – in free and fair electionsExternal link – Selenskjs newly established political party Sluha Narodu (Servant of the people) an absolute majority of seatsExternal link in the National Parliament.

While many features in this sudden rise to power call to mind the victories of French president Emanuel Macron and his “La République en Marche” party, the odds for success in Ukraine are both lower and higher. Lower because this heartland of Eastern Europe has never before been a genuine democracy, because corruption has been endemic and because the country is at war with Russia. But there are also reasonable chances for true change as a new generation takes over. 

For Selenskj and his new deputies, one priority will be to make democracy in Ukraine more participatory and direct. And this seems not just to be an empty promise, as it was in the case of Austrian right-wing Freedom Party before it got into power two years ago. Ultimately it’s a welcome surprise that yet another important European country has given a clear boost for more people power at a time when many other countries in the region are experiencing populist and anti-democratic backslidings.

Is there anything else on your political radar, or anything you’d like to hear more about?

Domhnall O’Sullivan and Bruno Kaufmann