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Numerous referendums and initiatives will be voted on in the near future – a sign that politics is bypassing the people?
You take a referendum if you don’t agree with a law that Parliament has changed and passed. It requires 50,000 valid signatures. “The referendum is the direct democratic instrument of the hour,” says political scientist Lukas Golder from the GFS Bern research institute.
Referendums are repeatedly accepted by the people, i.e. the proposal drawn up by parliament is scuttled. The pole parties SVP and SP in particular are resorting to a referendum.
A referendum is a kind of penalty in democracy.
The referendum is a good thing for democracy, says Daniel Graf. He co-founded the “we collect” platform. It supports associations, networks or parties in collecting signatures.
«A referendum is a kind of penalty in democracy. The ball always ends up in the goal – a project can be stopped at the last minute,” says Graf.
Parliamentary decisions questioned
A number of referendums have already been submitted. This leads to votes on the energy envelope decree, the pension fund reform or the rental law.
So are the Federal Council and Parliament working so poorly that the decisions are so often questioned? After all, the referendum would not be taken if politicians made good compromises.
The question is difficult to answer, says Flavia Caroni, political scientist at the University of Zurich. However, the many referendums could be a kind of warning light “that the Federal Council and Parliament have not taken certain interests into account,” said Caroni.
For new topics: popular initiative
In contrast to the referendum, the popular initiative raises a new topic. For it to come about, 100,000 signatures are needed. “With the initiative, even small groups with a concern can get involved in the political discussion,” explains political scientist Caroni.
In Switzerland, topics are also being discussed that have not previously been taken up by politicians. An example is the question of whether cows should have horns or not. Such an issue often has no chance at the ballot box, but it has sparked a debate in society and politics.
The popular initiative is the legitimate right of all groups – and this includes the parties.
And sometimes an initiative leads to a counterproposal. For example, the Federal Council does not want to ban the import of foie gras, as an initiative demands. But the state government is at least proposing an obligation to declare – a partial success for the initiators.
Initiatives as election campaign vehicles
The fact that initiatives are often launched by larger parties, associations and institutions is problematic, says political scientist Golder. The parties that are represented in the Federal Council in particular have the opportunity to exert influence there.
The launch of initiatives is particularly popular in election years – as a kind of vehicle in the election campaign. “But: the popular initiative is the legitimate right of all groups – and that includes the parties,” says Golder.
It is important that well-founded debates are held about the topics. Because that revitalizes democracy. And all three political experts agree on this.