Cluster: Democracy

Expats push for e-voting and electoral reform

This content was published on Aug 5, 2016 The 140 member assembly, meeting in the Swiss parliament on Friday, agreed to allow Swiss abroad communities in their countries to extend its electorate. The one-day session took place ahead of the annual Congress of the Swiss Abroad in Bern over the weekend. Following protracted discussions, the delegates voted for a proposal to grant expats,…

Democracy

What’s the future of the Swiss Abroad Organisation?

This content was published on Aug 3, 2016 The 140-strong Council of the Swiss Abroad represents the interest of the expatriate community, and its electoral base is made up mainly of Swiss clubs and associations around the world. However, only about 4% of the Swiss expatriates have joined such Swiss clubs. The younger and increasingly mobile generation is showing little interest in engaging…

Democracy

Tell gets his Big Apple

This content was published on Jul 31, 2016 A Swiss artist known for illuminating mountains and monuments around the world has unveiled a four-metre-high statue of William Tell in New York City.

Vote on fresh ideas to tackle immigration policy

This content was published on Jul 25, 2016 The Foraus foreign policy think-tankExternal link launched its project in April as a Swiss novelty. Over the past three months the website served as a public platform to collect all the proposals and the think-tank organised workshops, so called policy-hacks, in seven Swiss cities, including Geneva, Basel, Zurich, Bern and Lausanne, to generate fresh ideas.…

Democracy

Balancing older voters with younger ones

This content was published on Jul 20, 2016 Brexit, the British referendum decision to leave the European Union, has shown yet again that in Western democracies, older people are overrepresented among voters. And Switzerland is no exception. Ageing is an issue for Avenir SuisseExternal link, a think tank devoted to economic and social themes. On top of traditional topics like retirement and healthcare,…

Democracy

125 years of people’s initiatives

This content was published on Jul 17, 2016 As a key part of Switzerland’s system of direct democracy, the people’s, or citizen’s initiative allows each member of the Swiss electorate – including those living abroad – to propose a change to the constitution. An initiative can be launched by a single person, but more typically, an interest group collects at least 100,000 signatures.…

Democracy

Debunking the myth of outvoted youth

This content was published on Jul 14, 2016 The outcome of the Swiss vote in February 2014 to curb immigration from the European Union didn’t just shock the political and business establishment; it also caused an outcry among the younger generation, notably in the science community. Many young scientists are concerned that their career prospects could be seriously damaged by the suspension of…

Democracy

No votes on wiretapping and army reform

This content was published on Jul 9, 2016 A committee of representatives from youth chapters of political parties from the left and the right as well as civil society said it had not been able to provide enough validated signatures to the Federal Chancellery by Thursday. The group had 100 days to collect at least 50,000 signatures following parliament’s approval of the amended…

Democracy

Challenge to surveillance law fails

This content was published on Jul 7, 2016 Parliament approved the law last year. It gives the Swiss intelligence service greater powers to monitor private communications in Switzerland in the interests of fighting terrorism, spying and arms proliferation. Opponents argue the change in law undermines people’s freedom and democracy by giving intelligence services too much power to monitor private communications over the internet…

Democracy

When direct democracy is pushed to its limits

This content was published on Jul 6, 2016 Direct democracy can be overwhelming and even dangerous, or so some people now believe after Brexit. More practice and co-determination is needed.

Cluster: Democracy

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