In 2016, seven initiatives succeeded in collecting at least 100,000 signatures needed to force a nationwide vote. In the previous year, only four initiatives passed the bar.
The figures are nowhere near the more than 20 initiatives launched in 2011 and seem to fly in the face of those politicians who complained about a “flood of initiatives”.
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How direct democracy has grown over the decades
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The number of issues put to vote has increased considerably since the 1970s. The graphics present more than 600 nationwide votes since 1848.
On Wednesday, an individual citizen also began gathering the support for a plan to bring down parliament’s compromise law to implement the divisive immigration curbs for European Union citizens, while the rightwing Swiss People’s Party is trying to win enough signatures to block a major energy policy reform.
In 2016, voters decided on a total of 13 different issues in a series of four nationwide ballots, but none of the people’s initiatives nor any of the challenges of a parliamentary decision were successful.
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“Flood” of people’s initiatives poses no threat
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Calls for a reform of the system of direct democracy are a recurrent topic in Swiss politics. Over the past few months, several politicians and experts have suggested setting a higher threshold for the minimum number of signatures for initiatives and referendums. A small centre-right political party wants to link the number of signatures to…
Initiatives are losing some of their political appeal
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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…
Voters given new choices in Swiss immigration saga
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In the Swiss immigration controls saga, the government has issued two alternatives to a new plan that aims to torpedo the 2014 vote on the issue.
An attack on human rights or strengthening democracy?
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Thanks to direct democracy, the Swiss voting public regularly has the chance to propose or vote on changes to the constitution. But what happens when changes contradict international agreements or laws? A prime example would be the 2014 vote to limit immigration – which directly contradicts the free movement of people agreement between Switzerland and…
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“Multinational companies keep prices up in Switzerland arbitrarily to absorb the high purchasing power. Consumers, small- and medium-sized entreprises (SMEs) and state-run schools or hospitals pay the price,” said Prisca Birrer-Heimo at a news conference on Tuesday. The president of a leading consumer organisation criticised the fact that Swiss prices are often higher for identical…
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On Sunday, 66.8% of voters backed a legal amendment to reform asylum procedures, which was passed by parliament last year but challenged by the conservative right Swiss People’s Party. Nationwide turnout was 46%. Under the proposal, most asylum requests should be decided within 140 days of being submitted, including time for appeals – compared with…
Secret service agents have licence to hack computers
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Voters have approved a law letting the Swiss intelligence service monitor private cyberspace activities to prevent terrorist attacks.
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Voters are likely to have the final say on a people’s initiative aimed at boosting the use of bicycles, following the collection of the necessary signatures. They were handed in to the federal authorities at the beginning of March. Apart from specific tourist information on specially labelled bicycle routes and a broad comparison between six…
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Leftwing campaigners, led by the Social Democratic Party, say the reform is at the expense of ordinary citizens. “It is a giant cheat,” said Social Democratic parliamentarian Beat Jans as 56,000 signatures were handed in to the Federal Chancellery in Bern on Thursday. “The reform will lead to a drop in revenue, pension cuts and…
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The group, led by the youth chapter of the Green Party, handed in the signatures in a symbolic ceremony in Bern on Friday. The initiative hopes to put pressure on parliament to reform current zoning regulations. “This marks an important milestone in the fight against urban sprawl,” said Judith Schmutz, co-president of the Young Greens.…
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The campaign for the Swiss federal elections on October 18 will be the most expensive in history, but there is a lack of funding transparency.
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On Tuesday, the larger of Switzerland’s two parliamentary chambers voted 88 to 87 with ten abstentions to support the measure. In arguing against the parliamentary initiative, centre-right Radical Party parliamentarian Kurt Fluri pointed out that banning burkas – a full face and body covering with a grid covering the eyes – had nothing to do…
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The Swiss parliament has approved plans to phase out nuclear power, promote renewable energy and boost energy efficiency.
Basic income plan clearly rejected by Swiss voters
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Official final results show the proposal winning 23.1% of the vote and all the country’s 26 cantons coming out against. Only one commune in western Switzerland and a few districts in the cities of Geneva and Zurich came out in favour. “The campaigners failed to present a convincing funding scheme for their proposal. But they…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.