Rule of law (Switzerland)

The Swiss understanding of the concept of the rule of law nowadays essentially coincides with that of the rest of Western Europe , but has developed differently over time.

Establishment of the rule of law concept

In 19th century Switzerland the concept of the rule of law was initially cautiously accepted by the liberal side and was associated with the backward political situation in neighboring German countries: “But before we generally discard it [the rule of law concept], we have to maintain it in the interest consider the citizen to be politically advisable as long as the common will is not formed by all citizens, but is imposed from above ; so in Germany ... ». The term “constitutional state” was thus assigned to the German authoritarian state, and viewed as obsolete in the liberal Swiss democracy.

Modern understanding

Nowadays, Switzerland - like many other especially southern and eastern European countries - has come under German legal influence and the binding nature of positive law is relativized. The Federal Constitutional instead determines:

“1 The law is the basis and limitation of state action.
2 State action must be in the public interest and be proportionate.
3 State bodies and private individuals act in good faith.
4 Confederation and cantons observe international law. "

- Art. 5 BV: “Principles of Rule of Law” BV

literature

Gabriele Wilde: The gender of the constitutional state. Power structures and fundamental rights policy in the German constitutional tradition. Politics of Gender Relations Volume 17. (Zugl .: Essen, Univ., Diss., 2000) Ed. By Cornelia Klinger, Eva Kreisky , Andrea Maihofer and Birgit Sauer , Campus-Verlag , Frankfurt am Main / New York 2001. ISBN 3- 593-36871-4 .

Web links

Richard Bäumlin, Rechtsstaat , Evangelisches Staatslexikon edited by Roman Herzog / Hermann Kunst / Klaus Schlaich / Wilhelm Schneemelcher, Kreuz: Stuttgart, 3rd edition: 1987, column 2806-2818; HTML version and PDF file (at the end)

Individual evidence

↑ Simon Kaiser (free-spirited politician) quoted in with Richard Bäumlin , keyword " Rechtsstaat " (PDF; 190 kB), in: Roman Herzog / Hermann Kunst / Klaus Schlaich / Wilhelm Schneemelcher (eds.), Evangelisches Staatslexikon , Kreuz: Stuttgart, 3rd edition: 1987, Sp. 2806 - 2818 (2811) - Hv. added.
↑ Detlef Georgia Schulze, The norm (in) history . The structure of structural functionalism and the structure of structuralism, in: the / this. / Sabine Berghahn / Frieder Otto Wolf (ed.), Rule of law instead of revolution, juridification instead of democracy? Transdisciplinary analyzes on the German and Spanish path to modernity (StaR P. New analyzes on state, law and politics. Series A. Volume 2), Westfälisches Dampfboot: Münster, 2010, 206–254 (229–247: Section “V. Conclusion : Nine clues for a constitutional, anti-parliamentary, German-Spanish family resemblance ”).
↑ Art. 5. In: Systematic collection of laws of the Federation. Retrieved March 13, 2012 .

[1] Simon Kaiser (free-spirited politician) quoted in with Richard Bäumlin , keyword " Rechtsstaat " (PDF; 190 kB), in: Roman Herzog / Hermann Kunst / Klaus Schlaich / Wilhelm Schneemelcher (eds.), Evangelisches Staatslexikon , Kreuz: Stuttgart, 3rd edition: 1987, Sp. 2806 - 2818 (2811) - Hv. added.

[2] Detlef Georgia Schulze, The norm (in) history . The structure of structural functionalism and the structure of structuralism, in: the / this. / Sabine Berghahn / Frieder Otto Wolf (ed.), Rule of law instead of revolution, juridification instead of democracy? Transdisciplinary analyzes on the German and Spanish path to modernity (StaR P. New analyzes on state, law and politics. Series A. Volume 2), Westfälisches Dampfboot: Münster, 2010, 206–254 (229–247: Section “V. Conclusion : Nine clues for a constitutional, anti-parliamentary, German-Spanish family resemblance ”).

[3] Art. 5. In: Systematic collection of laws of the Federation. Retrieved March 13, 2012 .