Rafał Stybliński
When we think about direct democracy one of the first countries that comes to mind is Switzerland. Indeed, Switzerland’s Landsgemeinde, an open-air meeting of citizens where spending and laws are decided, is one of the most telling examples of direct democracy in the modern world. During the debate, everyone has the right to speak, and voting is done by a show of hands. [1]https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landsgemeinde#Opis It vividly recalls Athenian democracy, which also featured a People’s Assembly. In such a meeting, any citizen who had completed civic training and was not disenfranchised could participate in the debate and vote. [2]https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demokracja_ate%C5%84ska#Uczestnictwo
However, the Swiss Landsgemeinde and the Athenian Ekklesia are only specific examples. In the modern world, given the number of citizens entitled to vote and the complexity of the issues to be considered during democratic deliberations, a popular assembly is insufficient.
Consequently, Swiss democracy offers much more than a direct meeting of citizens. The three pillars of direct democracy there include, in addition to the people’s assembly, the people’s initiative and the referendum. [3]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7-VnYS3CG0 With the people’s initiative it is possible to amend the Federal Constitution in whole or in part. The people’s initiative also allows citizens to intervene in issues such as education, taxation, the question of foreigners, and many others. [4]“Szwajcarska demokracja szansą dla Polski”, str. 76-86 Then there is the referendum, in which the Swiss can directly decide on issues that are important to them; this is often used and has legal implications. It is estimated that more referendums are held in Switzerland than in all the countries of the world combined. [5]https://zyciejestpiekne.eu/10-ciekawostek-o-szwajcarii-o-ktorych-nie-miales-pojecia/[6]https://www.theguardian.com/news/2019/mar/11/referendums-who-holds-them-why-and-are-they-always-a-dogs-brexit More than a dozen issues are decided there each year [7]https://www.polityka.pl/tygodnikpolityka/swiat/1631227,1,szwajcaria-kraj-referendow.read[8]https://kolemsietoczy.pl/szwajcaria-ciekawostki-informacje-panoramy-interaktywne/ with four referendums [9]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eGssVpv3bY. I will address the topic of how direct democracy works in Switzerland in detail in future posts.
I would still like to briefly mention the origins of such a special way of functioning of this unusual system. It is worth noting that Swiss cantons are not what Polish provinces are. The twenty-six cantons were in fact separate states, and during the Swiss Civil War in November 1847 the conservative Swiss cantons fought each other against the libral cantons, most of which were Protestant. [10]https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szwajcarska_wojna_domowa Switzerland in its current form came into being a century and a half ago, as it went from being a federation of states to a federal state in 1848 after the adoption of a new constitution. [11]https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historia_Szwajcarii#Neutralno%C5%9B%C4%87 Reconciling such diverse countries, where the inhabitants differ in religion and language, required a well-thought-out form of government.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that one of the foundations of Swiss democracy is the principle of subsidiarity. It is listed as one of the main principles in the 1999 constitution. [12]“Szwajcarska demokracja szansą dla Polski”, str. 44 The idea of subsidiarity states that wherever possible and necessary, the state should not take power away from the people as long as they are able to exercise it themselves. [13]https://encyklopedia.pwn.pl/haslo/subsydiarnosc;4836984.html The Swiss cantons have very strong powers in this regard. [14]“Szwajcarska demokracja szansą dla Polski”, str. 53 I would also like to address the topic of subsidiarity separately, as it relates not only to the cantons in the Swiss context, but also how far the state should interfere in, for example, family life. [15]https://repozytorium.uni.wroc.pl/Content/99280/13_I_Sierpowska_Zasada_pomocniczosci_w_pomocy_spolecznej.pdf
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