Imagine being in Switzerland and the government of Bern announces a controversial reform. Instead of taking to the streets, Swiss citizens launch a collection of signatures to call for a referendum once morest the new law. This is exactly what happened recently regarding pensions. The law to reduce funded pensions for employees was met with a campaign of signatures for a referendum called “No to the reductions in pensions BVG! Pay more, get less!” Only 50,000 voter signatures, or approximately 1% of the Swiss electorate, are needed to succeed in a referendum-veto request. While most laws that come into force do not face a popular vote, the threat of a referendum can discourage legislative action disconnected from the electorate. This referendum weapon acts as a deterrent force, institutionalizing conflicts by integrating them into an institutional game linking representative democracy, social democracy, and direct democracy. The Swiss model of proportional representation, called the “democracy of concordance,” features extensive consultation to minimize the risk of a referendum or rejection at the ballot box.
Iimagine for a moment being in Switzerland… The government of Bern announces its intention to carry out a very controversial reform. The Federal Assembly, following several weeks of debate, votes the reform. Are the Swiss taking to the streets? Does transport stop working? Is the public sector going on strike? Is economic activity paralyzed during increasingly violent days of repeated mobilization? Nothing of the sort.
A simple collection of signatures is launched to demand a referendum once morest the new law. All federal laws can be the subject of a referendum-veto request within a period of one hundred days following their official publication, and only 50,000 voter signatures, or approximately 1% of the Swiss electorate, are required to that this succeeds.
This is precisely what happened regarding a month ago… on pensions. A right-wing majority in the Swiss Parliament voted on March 17 a law which will lead to a reduction in funded pensions for employees. While the inter-union called that day, in France, for a tenth day of mobilization, the left and the Swiss unions launched, on March 28, a campaign of signatures for a referendum once morest this law entitled “No to the reductions in pensions BVG [loi fédérale sur la prévoyance professionnelle vieillesse, survivants et invalidité] ! Pay more, get less! »
Many referendums fail to reject a law (regarding two-thirds since 2000) and even more are avoided, with the vast majority of laws coming into force without a popular vote. The Swiss government in fact proceeds, upstream of the legislative process, with vast consultations to reach a form of consensus and minimize the risk of a referendum or of being rejected at the ballot box. Such is the indirect effect of the referendum-veto on the Swiss system: its introduction into the Federal Constitution of 1874 generated an intense practice of consultation in the preparatory phase of laws, which will become, following the Second World War, a real institutionalized model. of social consultation, enshrined since 1999 in article 147 of the Constitution.
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This model, also supported by proportional representation, is called “democracy of concordance”. Like any weapon, the referendum weapon therefore acts by its sole threat, or deterrent force, by discouraging legislative action disconnected from the electorate. In political science, the referendum seems to institutionalize conflicts. In other words, it channels them by integrating them into an institutional game linking representative democracy, social democracy and direct democracy.
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In conclusion, the Swiss system of using referendums as a veto tool has shown its effectiveness in empowering citizens and preventing legislative action disconnected from the electorate. Despite being characterized as institutionalizing conflicts, the referendum has become an integral part of the Swiss democracy of concordance, channeling and integrating conflicts into an institutional game. This practice has also led to widespread consultation in the preparatory phase of laws, which has become an institutionalized model of social consultation. While many referendums fail to reject a law, the mere threat of a referendum is often enough to encourage the government to adopt consensus-building measures. In a world where many democracies are plagued with low trust in government and declining voter turnout, the Swiss system is a shining example of how direct democracy can help build and maintain trust and accountability in government.
