INSTRUMENTY I DOŚWIADCZENIA SZWAJCARSKIEGO SYSTEMU DEMOKRACJI BEZPOŚREDNIEJ

• Authors: Matyja Mirosław

Title variants

EN

INSTRUMENTS AND EXPERIENCES OF THE SWISS SYSTEM OF DIRECT DEMOCRACY

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

The direct democracy in Switzerland is a political system in which decisions are made through a popular vote (a referendum), in which all people with voting rights are eligible to take part. An important element shaping the political system of Switzerland was the adoption of the Federal Constitution in 1848, when a governance system rooted in direct democracy was established. Consequently, the management of local matters was le¤ to cantonal authorities. The current Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation was adopted in 1999. Its reforms mainly concerned the system of basic civil liberties and the relationship between the federation and the cantons. An important governance tool in the current constitution is Article 3, which primarily defines the federal system: ge Cantons are sovereign insofar as their sovereignty is not limited by the Federal Constitution; they exercise all rights which are not transferred to the Confederation. is Article is basically the foundation of the Swiss political system, and indicates the clear role of the principle of subsidiarity. e Swiss political system is unique in many respects: from its regulations (uncharacteristic of European countries) concerning the functioning of its executives, through to its very strong federal system, and its regulations concerning the political parties. e fundamental democratic instruments in the country comprise: referenda, popular initiatives and popular assemblies. e functionality of this system of direct democracy is related, First and foremost, to the broadly dened participation of the citizens and political players in the decision-making processes of the state, the cantons and the communes. Nonetheless, a direct democracy, just as all known democratic systems, also has some dysfunctional qualities. However, the solution does not involve eliminating these qualities completely; rather, it is more about a question of minimising their negative consequences, which can generate undesirable directions of economic and socio-political developments. It should be stated that the functionality and dysfunctionality of the Swiss political system concerns only the legally and constitutionally guaranteed legal order. While its dysfunctional qualities hinder the system, and even constitute a barrier for the e{ectiveness of the process of decision-making, they do not threaten the overall functionality of the system of direct democracy

Keywords

EN

direct democracy; Swiss political system; functionality, federalism; popular referendum

• Publisher: Polski Uniwersytet na Obczyźnie w Londynie
• Journal: Zeszyty Naukowe PUNO
• Year: 2016
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 97-121

Contributors

author

Matyja Mirosław

• Polski Uniwersytet na Obczyźnie (PUNO) w Londynie

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