Cluster: Democracy

Inheritance tax initiative roundly defeated

This content was published on Jun 14, 2015 On Sunday, 71% of voters and all 26 Swiss cantons rejected the proposal. As a result, with its initiative to “tax millionaires’ legacies to fund old age pensions”, the political left has continued its losing streak at the ballot box. In the past two years voters have rejected pay caps within companies, the introduction of…

Democracy

Pre-implantation diagnosis to be allowed

This content was published on Jun 14, 2015 Almost 62% of Swiss voters have said yes to genetic screening of embryos before implantation in a woman’s uterus.

Democracy

Cabinet rejects international treaty ranking

This content was published on Jun 12, 2015 International treaties should not be ranked according to their ‘democratic legitimacy’, the Swiss cabinet has stated in a new report. The issue of whether international law should take precedence over Swiss law has been a hot topic in Switzerland in recent years.

Opinion

Democracy

Parliament, polarisation, political class and the public vote

This content was published on Jun 9, 2015 The size of the population, the complexity of social control mechanisms and the need for various, sometimes very opposing, opinions to find permanent representatives makes the democratic formation of will and decision-making based on the model of the people’s assembly or the Athenian polis assembly an impossibility. “Popular sovereignty”, as the result of the direct…

Democracy

Can – and should – immigrants participate in Swiss politics?

This content was published on Jun 4, 2015 Standing at the podium in Bern’s town hall, the seat of the local parliament, Cristina Anliker-Mansour looks small. Her voice is quiet. But the woman who moved to the Swiss capital from Peru at the age of 21 has a big goal: allowing non-Swiss a say in the government of the city of Bern. “They…

Democracy

Calls to curb use of people’s initiatives intensify

This content was published on May 31, 2015 Should it be harder to launch initiatives given the problems encountered in recent years with proposals accepted by the people but run contrary to international laws signed by Switzerland? Even if so, building a political majority ready to sacrifice part of the people’s sovereignty would appear to be nigh on impossible. At present, some 15…

Opinion

Democracy

Matching Minds, Global Opportunities

This content was published on May 29, 2015 The Arab world’s first democracy has made a historic step forward, after the Tunis Global Forum on Modern Direct Democracy, writes Bruno Kaufmann, editor-in-chief at people2power.info.

Democracy

Democracy as a balancing act

This content was published on May 22, 2015 The hundreds of participants from nearly 40 countries,External link including high-ranking Tunisian politicians, called for vigilance towards the networks of the old regime, which are regrouping. Together with lawmakers, party representatives, trade unions and members of civil society, intellectuals, democracy activists and bloggers were in agreement in Tunis that the path they have set out…

Bioethics: too complex for direct democracy?

This content was published on May 18, 2015 As the Swiss weigh up whether to allow the screening of IVF embryos, how do voters inform themselves on complex emotional issues?

Democracy

Tunisian elders nurture decentralisation impetus

This content was published on May 14, 2015 Devolution of power and decision-making has been key to Switzerland’s extremely stable political system, and the outside world has been increasingly curious about the Alpine nation’s set-up. Gross will be in Tunis for the 2015 Global Forum on Modern Direct DemocracyExternal link from May 14-17, where he was be a keynote speaker. A historian and…

Cluster: Democracy

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Cluster: Democracy

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Inheritance tax initiative roundly defeated

More

Pre-implantation diagnosis to be allowed

More

Cabinet rejects international treaty ranking

More

Parliament, polarisation, political class and the public vote

More

Can – and should – immigrants participate in Swiss politics?

More

Calls to curb use of people’s initiatives intensify

More

Matching Minds, Global Opportunities

More

Democracy as a balancing act

More

Bioethics: too complex for direct democracy?

More

Tunisian elders nurture decentralisation impetus

Popular Stories

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