Cluster: Democracy

Deportation initiative back before voters

This content was published on Jan 6, 2016 The Swiss will vote on the issue on February 28. A rigorous deportation of foreign criminals: the conservative right People’s Party took this issue to the polls in November 2010. The initiative was approved by 52.9% of the electorate. However, the initiative’s implementation soon became a source of conflict. Parliament – the legislators – struggled, rewording some…

Democracy

Tax initiative in hot water over marriage definition

This content was published on Jan 6, 2016 The question of so-called tax penalisation of marriage as compared to living together has been argued about for decades in Switzerland. It goes back to 1984 and a decision of the Supreme Court that tax levied on a married couple is unconstitutional if it exceeds by 10% the amount they would have to pay if…

Democracy

‘The Germans are finally ripe for democracy’

This content was published on Jan 4, 2016 Germany’s More Democracy group is an example of worldwide attempts to boost citizens’ participation in politics. Two representatives of the NGO told swissinfo.ch about the potential risks of direct democracy. The building in the heart of Berlin that houses More Democracy External link(Mehr Demokratie) is somewhat pompously called House of Democracy and Human Rights. Close…

Democracy

Mixed reviews for presidential democracy policy

This content was published on Dec 30, 2015 It wasn’t about proposing changes but about raising awareness of Switzerland’s unique system with citizens’ direct participation in politics and a warning against attempts by a political party to turn upside down a proven system, she counters. Sommaruga had promising plans when parliament in December 2014 elected her as president for the following year. “I’d…

Democracy

Amid threats, former Belgian leader talks democracy and freedom

This content was published on Dec 27, 2015 Now the secretary general of the inter-governmental democracy organisation International IDEA, Leterme also said he was optimistic about democratic processes underway in countries such as Tunisia, Mynamar and Nepal. swissinfo.ch: International IDEA is an inter-governmental organisation that was founded 20 years ago to promote democracy around the world. How exactly does it do that? Yves…

Democracy

Initiatives are losing some of their political appeal

This content was published on Dec 24, 2015 A look back in Swiss history shows that voters have had the final say on a total of 198 proposals since the introduction in the late 19th century of the right to launch initiatives, amending the constitution. Only 22 of them have won approval so far. To date about 440 initiatives have been launched, including…

Opinion

Democracy

A ray of hope on a dark horizon

This content was published on Dec 21, 2015 ”It is a only a first step, but a very important one,” says Amal Y. Almoallimi, referring to the election on December 12 of almost 20 Saudi women to local councils across the oil-rich monarchy on the Arabian Peninsula region. Almoalimi is directing the so-called women section at the Riyadh-based Center for National Dialogue. She…

Democracy

Rightwing MEPs seek Swiss recipe for independence

This content was published on Dec 19, 2015 Does Switzerland hold the secret to a successful existence in Europe but outside of the European Union?

Democracy

Burka ban to be put to voters in Glarus

This content was published on Dec 16, 2015 On Wednesday the Glarus parliament approved a proposal, supported only by members of the conservative right Swiss People’s Party. The cantonal government, which opposed the proposal, must now prepare a bill on banning face coverings. It will be put to the local open-air assembly, in which all citizens in the canton can take part. This…

Democracy

Record abstention rates in Switzerland under scrutiny

This content was published on Dec 15, 2015 “Passing from misinformed uncertainty to informed uncertainty, such is the goal of surveys and opinion polls in political science!” These were the words of political scientist Claude Longchamp, Switzerland’s best-known pollster, at a presentation of bachelor’s dissertations by students of the seminar “Inequality, democracy and participation,” at the Department of political science of Zurich UniversityExternal…

Cluster: Democracy

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