Direktna demokratija – švajcarsko iskustvo
Direct democracy – Swiss Experience

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the position and role of direct democracy in the Swiss political system. The Swiss political system is characterised by strong federalism with distinct cantonal responsibilities. Political authority is distributed bottom-up, i.e. from the cantonal to the federal level, and this is mostly achieved through referenda. The power of direct democracy instruments in Switzerland is best reflected in the fact that citizens can use referendum as an instrument in order to initiate constitutional and legislative change, but also to vote on their support to legislation that is already passed. This continuous threat of resorting to referendum has led to the specific „negotiation democracy”, later termed by some authors as consensual or consotiative democracy. A wide range of direct democracy instruments in Switzerland at all levels of government and regular consultations between the authorities and citizens resulted in the creation of the „culture of political consensus”.

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