A. Ladner - Swiss Political System

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Switzerland and the Swiss Political System

Prof. Dr. Andreas Ladner

SASS 2011, July 11, 2011



| ©IDHEAP – [email protected] | | 25/08/2011 |

Content

1. Sw itzerland

2. History

3. Federalism, cantons and municipalities

4. Government and Parliament

5. Direct Democracy




SwitzerlandPopulation: 7.8 mio.

Languages: German, French

and Italian




What do people know about Switzerland?

Cheese, chocolate, watches and Nespresso?

Banks, insurances and pills?

Innovative policy solutions, political institutions

and a special form of democracy?




Switzerland







Content

1. Switzerland

2. History



5. Direct Democracy




The beginning of Switzerland

1291 Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden – according to tradition on

1 August on the Rütli meadow – renew their alliance to defend

their property and rights against foreign attacks.

Additional urban and rural areas join or are conquered by this “Confederation” in the course of the following decades and

centuries.




French Revolution and Helvetic Republic

“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity”: the tenets of the French

Revolution of 1789 spread to Switzerland, leading to

disturbances in several areas.

A French army under Napoleon Bonaparte conquers Switzerland

in 1798. The old Confederation collapses and makes way for theHelvetic Republic, with a single centralist constitution dictated

by the French.

In 1803 the former subject territories emerge as new cantons

with equal rights.




The foundation of the modern national state (1848)

Tensions between the liberal Protestant and the Catholic cantons

lead to the civil war in 1847 (the “Sonderbundskrieg”).

After a brief military campaign with federal troops, the Catholics,

who had founded a separatist federation, surrender.

1848 The modern Swiss federal state is founded in 1848. Its

constitution centralises and harmonises numerous areas which

were previously the responsibility of the cantons, such as military

service, customs, and postal services and coinage.

This leads to the creation of a cohesive territory ripe for

economic development.




A paradigmatic case of political integration

Small state

No royalist past

Strategically important location in Europe

Bottom-up nation building

Core principles of the political system: power

sharing!






Content

1. Switzerland

2. History



5. Direct Democracy




Territorial structure

26 cantons 2550 municipalities




Municipalities

Communes are the smallest political units in Switzerland.

Their number is in decline as smaller communes are tending to merge

together in order to carry out their tasks more efficiently.

Roughly one fifth of the communes have their own parliament, especially

the communes that are towns or cities.

Four fifths of the communes, however, still make direct democratic

decisions at the communal assembly, where all inhabitants who are entitled

to vote may participate. In addition to the tasks that are allocated to them by the Confederation

and their canton, such as managing the registry of residents or organising

civil defence, the communes also have their own responsibilities, including

those relating to schools, social services, energy supplies, road

construction, local planning, taxes, etc. The communes regulate thesematters to a large extent independently.

The communes’ level of autonomy is determined by the individual cantons,

and can therefore vary considerably from place to place.




Size of municipalities

Percentage of municipalities

0

5

10

15

20

25

b i s 2 4 9

2 5 0 - 4 9 9

5 0 0 - 9 9 9

1 0 0 0 - 1 9 9 9

2 0 0 0 - 4 9 9 9

5 0 0 0 - 9 9 9 9

1 0

0 0 0 - 1 9 9 9 9

2 0

0 0 0 - 4 9 9 9 9

5 0

0 0 0 - 9 9 9 9 9

1 0 0 0 0 0 a n d m o r e




Cantons They are the states that originally united in 1848 to form the

Confederation, each relinquishing part of their sovereignty to the

Confederation.

Canton Jura is an exception. It is the only cant that was created in the

20th century. On 1 January 1979, it separated from Canton Bern to

become a canton in its own right.

Under the Federal Constitution, all cantons have equal rights and in

comparison with the situation in other countries, they have a high

degree of independence. Health care, education and culture are among

the policy areas where they enjoy a large degree of latitude.

Each canton has its own constitution, and its own parliament,

government and courts.

Direct democracy in the form of a People’s Assembly still exists only in

Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus. In all the other cantons, the people

vote at the ballot box only.







Population by canton (2000)

ZH 1'211'647 BS 187'667

BE 943'696 GR 186'744

VD 620'294 NE 165'731

AG 544'306 SZ 130'232

SG 449'399 ZG 99'388

GE 408'820 SH 73'305

LU 347'209 JU 68'794

TI 310'215 AR 53'515

VS 276'170 GL 38'546

BL 260'036 NW 38'000

SO 244'015 UR 35'246

FR 236'339 OW 32'414

TG 227'306 A I 15'021

Quelle: www.badac.ch










Actual reforms of Swiss federalism

Principle of subsidiarity

Disentanglement of tasks Allocations given to the weaker cantons according to their

resources

Principle of fiscal equivalence

Enforced cooperation between the lower levels

Joint tasks: higher level -> “what” (strategy) and lower level -

> “how” (operation)




Content

1. Switzerland

2. History


4. Government and Parliament5. Direct Democracy







Swiss parties

Union Démocratique du CentreUDC

Parti radical-démocratique PRD

Parti démocrate-chrétien PDC

Parti socialiste PS

Les verts PES

Alliance verte AVes (membre PES)

Alliance de gauche AdG

Démocrates Suisses DS

Grünliberale Zürich GLP

Lega dei Ticinesi

Parti chrétien-social PCS

Parti évangélique suisse PEV

Parti libéral PLS

Parti suisse du Travail PST

Alternative Zoug

Union Démocratique Fédérale UDF




Four „oldder“ ones and a rather „new“ party

Social Democrats: Social security, solidarity, openness,

environment

Radicals: knowledge, openness, fairness, growth

Christian Democrats: attractive business location, family,

social security

Swiss People‘s Party: Against European integration, againstimmigration, lower tax burden

Greens: climate protection, reorganisation of the economyalong more environmental lines, the strengthening of social

institution and an active policy of peace




Political Differences among the MPs of the

different Parties




Parlament and Government

Swiss democracy: neither presidential (like for

example the US) nor parliamentary (like for

example England).




The Council of States (46 seats)




Council of States: „principle of federalism“




Parties and seats in the Council of States (1975-2007)




National Council (200 seats)




National Council: „Principle of Democracy“




Parties and seats in the National Council (1975-

2007)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

1 9 1 9

1 9 2 2

1 9 2 8

1 9 3 5

1 9 3 9

1 9 4 3

1 9 4 7

1 9 5 1

1 9 5 5

1 9 5 9

1 9 6 3

1 9 6 7

1 9 7 1

1 9 7 5

1 9 7 9

1 9 8 3

1 9 8 7

1 9 9 1

1 9 9 5

1 9 9 9

2 0 0 3

2 0 0 7

Radicals Christian Democrats Social Democrats

Swiss People's Party Greens Others




The Government

Multi-party government (power sharing)

7 Departments

Equal rights and duties for all members

President = primus inter pares

Joint decisions on all departments

A common „official“ position to be defended by all

members




The Parties in Government

Periode: Radicals Christian

Democrats

Swiss

People's

Party

Social

Democrats

1848 - 1890 7

1891 - 1918 6 1

1919 - 1928 5 2

1929 - 1942 4 2 11943 - 1952 3 2 1 1

1953 - 1958 3 3 1

1959 - 2003 2 2 1 2

2003 - 2007 2 1 2 22007 - 2 1 (-2) 2

(




The Head of the Government changes every year (2003-2008)

2005 2006

2007

2004

2006 2008

20052003




2009-2011

2009

2011

2010




Content

1. Switzerland

2. History



5. Direct Democracy




Type 1 Direct Democracy = Assembly Democracy

AI GL




Type 2 Direct Democracy:

referendums and initiatives




„Switzerland is virtually the only country in the world

where the people have such extensive decision-

making powers. The longstanding democratic

tradition, but also the comparatively small size of the

population and the country, as well as a high literacyrate and sophisticated media services are crucial to

the operation of this particular system of

government.”




Referendums and initiatives

Amendments to the constitution -> mandatory

referendumAmendments to legislation -> optional referendum

Requests to change the constitution -> initiative




The referendum is similar to a veto and has the effect of delaying andsafeguarding the political process by blocking amendments adopted by

parliament or the government or delaying their effect – the referendum

is therefore often described as a brake applied by the People.




Functions and consequences of the referendum

Veto against the decisions of the political elite

Fosters compromises

Influences the development of the state:




Functions and consequences of the initiative

Makes the political system more open, more « responsive »

Any political group may influence the political agenda

The political elite gets confronted with problems

Safety valve




Success and impact of initiatives

Of a total of 109 popular initiatives that were voted on the

past 30-40 years, only eight saw a large turnout at the ballot

box – i.e. not even one out of ten. The vast majority of

initiatives achieved less than 50% votes in favour and were

rejected.

Most of these initiatives are not , however, entirely ineffective.The concerns they address often give rise to broad debate and

are eventually translated, at least partially, into new laws.




Success and impact of referendums

Since 1971, referendum committees have been

successful on 88 occasions. They have forced popular

ballots on federal acts and decrees approved by

parliament that they did not agree with, and have won

the day 28 times at the ballot box, which amounts to an

almost one in three level of success.







Some important decisions regarding foreign affairs

December 6, 1992: Switzerland refuses to join the

European Economic Area

Citizens yes: 49.7%; Cantons yes: 6 2/2 yes; turnout: 78.7%

March 3, 2002: Switzerland joins the United Nations

(first vote on March 16, 1986, “no”)

Citizens yes: 54.6%; Cantons yes: 11 2/2 yes; turnout: 58.4%




Some particular issues (national level):

http://www.admin.ch/ch/d/pore/va/vab_2_2_4_1_gesamt.html




The link between Direct Democracy and

Consensus Democracy!

The first federal government: seven members -




one party

Direct Democracy and multi-party government:




The story of Joseph Zemp

Joseph Zemp, Entlebuch (LU)

(1834 – 1908)




1887: Zemp was the first conservative elected president of the National Council. When

he was elected member of the Federal Council in 1891, he received 129 of 183 votes




Steps towards consensus

17.12.1891: Joseph Zemp (CVP, Catholic-Conservatives)

11.12.1919: Jean-Marie Musy (CVP, Catholic-Conservatives)

13.12.1929: Rudolf Minger (SVP, Sw iss People‘s Party)

15.12.1943: Ernst Nobs (SP, Social Democrats)

17.12.1959: Hans-Peter Tschudi (SP, Social Democrats) and WillySpühler (SP, Social Democrats)

1959 - 2003: The magic formula (2 Liberals, 2 Christian Democrats,2 Social Democrats, 1 Swiss People‘s Party)

2003 - : On the search for a new equilibrium (2 Radicals, 1Christian Democrats, 2 Social Democrats, 2(1) Swiss People‘s Party)




Power sharing has both a cultural and an

institutional driver!




After more than 160 years, there is still some

construction work going on, but it’s quite a success story.

Thank you for your attention!

Documents

A. Ladner - Swiss Political System