Federal popular initiative "Return to direct democracy"
The popular initiative Return to Direct Democracy was launched in Switzerland after the Second World War , after it became clear that the Federal Council no longer wanted to move away from the so-called power of attorney regime , which it and Parliament had claimed as a result of the war and economic crisis. It was narrowly approved in the referendum on September 11, 1949. This popular initiative indirectly ensured that the Federal Assembly repealed the last powers of attorney by the end of 1952.
History of the popular initiative
The power of attorney for the Federal Council was in the pre-war and especially then the war years due to the state of emergency that a warlike event in the immediate vicinity of the affected state represents (for example with regard to food supply and because of the impaired foreign trade , but also in political terms) , has been decided. It meant a relatively extensive elimination of the instruments of direct democracy traditionally practiced in Switzerland in favor of a tight government focused on parliament and government. An excerpt from the foreword by Dr. W. Stauffacher on the first Orell Füssli pocket edition of 1937 of the Code of Obligations : “… Art. 218 has been replaced by a temporary provision by the Federal Council until further notice and thus reflects the fluctuations of time, which enables the executive to make a fundamental one Law changes. ... »
As a result, the Federal Council and the Federal Assembly believed that they could in part retain the system of powers even after the end of the war in 1945. The fact that the immediate post-war situation was still more difficult - even in war-spared Switzerland - played a role in this, but also the power-politically motivated accustoming of the Federal Council and Parliament members to governance partly without control through referendums. Therefore, from 1946 onwards, signatures for the initiative mentioned were collected by various political interest groups. The text of the initiative called for the following supplementary sections of the urgency provisions in the constitution:
If a referendum is requested by 30,000 people entitled to vote, the resolutions that come into force immediately cease to be in force one year after their adoption by the Federal Assembly, unless they have been approved by the people within this period.
Federal resolutions which are immediately put into effect and which are not based on the constitution must be approved by the people and the cantons within a year of being adopted by the Federal Assembly; otherwise, they will expire after this year and cannot be renewed.
The initiative launched by Paul Chaudet and Marcel Regamey was adopted on September 11, 1949 with 50.7 percent yes-votes and a majority of 12.5 of the 23 estates .
Only small parties such as the National Ring of Independents , the Swiss Democratic Party and the Liberal Socialist Party had spoken out in favor of acceptance , while all parties represented in the Federal Council ( CVP , FDP , SPS and SVP , as well as the Labor Party) had opposed this .
literature
- History of Switzerland - and the Swiss (handbook), Basel 1982 f.
- Erich Gruner, Beat Junker: Citizens, State and Politics in Switzerland , 1972
Web links
- Information from swissvotes.ch (University of Bern)
Individual evidence
- ^ Andreas Kley: Power of Attorney Regime. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . August 26, 2013 , accessed April 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Federal Chancellery BK: People's Initiative Return to Direct Democracy. Retrieved April 26, 2020 .
- ↑ Federal Chancellery BK: People's Initiative Return to Direct Democracy. Retrieved April 26, 2020 .