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Comparative Politics and Government

Notes
and then by the same majority in the Congresses of at least 3 4 States. This is the reason that
while the American Constitution has so far been amended 27 times, the amendments of the
Swiss Constitution have touched the figure of 80.
3. Plural Executive: In all countries of the world, the executive is singular as it is headed by one
person whether he is a President or a Prime Minister and the like. But the Federal Council of
Switzerland is a unique model of collegial or plural presidency. It has seven members (ministers)
and all of them are designated as the ‘Presidents’. The salaries, allowances and powers of all
the Presidents are equal. It is just for the sake of performing certain ceremonial functions that
on the basis of seniority, one of them is designated as the President of the Confederation for
one year and another as the Vice-President. Healthy conventions prevail whereby the Federal
Assembly elects the same persons again and again for a term of four years. Not more than one
President can belong to the same canton, while the cantons of Zurich, Berne and Vaud are
invariably represented. Not only this, not more than two presidents should belong to the same
political party. Hence, it is always like a coalition government. The whole arrangement is
unique and, as Lord Bryce says, it “deserves best study”.
4. Federal System: As in the United States, so here a federal system has been set up in spite of the
fact that the Constitution declares this country a ‘confederation’. The Constitution is the supreme
law of the land. The powers have been divided between the Centre and the units (cantons). The
subjects of national importance (as foreign affairs, military affairs, declaration of war and
peace, post and telegraph, currency and coinage, railways, banking and commerce, higher
education, settlement of cantonal disputes etc.) have been given to the Centre. There are some
concurrent powers (as regulation of industries, control of the press, construction and upkeep of
highways etc.) Which have been given to both the Centre and the cantons. The residuary
powers have been given to the cantons., Federal Tribunal has been set up to interpret the
words and provisions of the Constitution and to settle legal disputes between the Central and
cantonal governments. Like the States of the USA, the cantons of Switzerland enjoy autonomy
and so it, like its American counterpart, is appreciated for having a true federal system.
5. Direct Democracy: Modern democracy is known as ‘representative government’. Power resides
in the people, but it is exercised by the deputies chosen by the voters in periodic elections who
are said to be accountable to their electors. This system prevails in Switzerland. But it has three
peculiar institutions of direct democracy—initiative, referendum and landsgemeinde. Initiative
signifies the right of at least one lakh voters to send a proposal to the Federal Assembly and to
ask it to either adopt it in the form of a bill or refer it back to the final verdict of the people in
a referendum. Referendum means that a bill of constitutional amendment or any ‘urgent’ bill,
after it is passed by the national legislature, must be placed for the final verdict of the people,
before it is put into operation. At least 50,000 voters or 8 cantonal governments may demand a
referendum on any other bill. Thus, referendum places final veto power in the hands of the
majority of the voters of the country. In five small cantons of this country, the system of town
parliament prevails which is called ‘landsgemeinde’. Each adult voter is the member of his
town assembly and so elections for the cantonal legislature are not held here. Thus, Bryce lauds
Switzerland as ‘the ancestral home of democracy’.

What do you mean by representative government?

As all modern political systems have undergone significant changes, the Swiss system cannot be
taken as an exception. The State has increased its domain of activity and centripetal tendencies
have also grown here. But the notable point is that the rulers of this country have been able “to
realise the goal of a welfare state while preserving the wider domain of essential freedoms which
constitute the principal heritage of a liberal tradition.

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