AUTHOR:
Katarzyna Krzywińska
ABSTRACT:
Referendum is the most popular and commonly used form of direct democracy guaranteed in most constitutions of the European democratic countries. In Switzerland each year there are from three up to seven nationwide referendums, and four of them are scheduled beforehand for each quarter of the year. Thanks to a referendum the citizens of Switzerland can actively participate in execution of authority and co-decide on principal matters regarding functioning of the state. According to the estimation there are more referendums in Switzerland than in any other country in the world. The institution of referendum is deeply rooted in the Swiss democracy as everybody who collects a sufficient number of signatures has a right to initiate a voting over his own project. The main advantage of this institution is its immunity to demagogy. Everybody can express his views according to his own discretion and independently from the main standpoint of the political party he supports.
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