Switzerland: the gold standard?

In the first panel discussion about types of democracy and what they can do for societies, Switzerland was referenced by representatives from other parts of the world as a “gold standard” for direct democracy. Adrian Schmid, a former parliamentarian from Lucerne behind more than a dozen initiatives and referendums, says that the key to success is finding ways for representative and direct democracy systems to work together.

One such way is the so-called “double yes” vote, which gives voters more options than yes or no and introduces an “if/then” statement to add nuance to vote options. That was introduced in Switzerland in 1987. Another mechanism to make the systems work together, says Schmid, is seeking partners in parliament when launching a citizens’ initiative. 

Finally, there’s the question of public opinion influencers and how much power they have. One issue that the Swiss will vote on later this month – whether to get rid of nuclear power – saw an unusual increase in support at first, thanks to the influence of large interest groups.

“The backers used big organizations like Greenpeace to fight for this initiative, with a lot of power behind them,” he explains. “We need to find more ways for smaller groups to have the same kind of influence.”

More on the nuclear vote below, which is now expected to be close: