Besonderheiten des schweizerischen Parlamentarismus, des Parteien- und Wahlsystems

Abstract

The parliamentary culture in the three levels of government in Switzerland (federal, can- tonal, and municipal) differs in various ways from the parliamentary customs and practices in other European countries, particularly in Germany and Austria . The strong tradition of popular rights in Switzerland shapes the work and impact of the parliaments at all three levels . Popular rights form the core of direct democracy . They allow for proposing revisions to constitutional and legislative provisions (popular initiative) or voting on parliamentary decisions retrospectively (referendum) . They thus expand the indirect democracy that is limited to the election of individuals . In addition to a brief overview of the history and orientation of political parties, the procedures for the election of parliaments at the federal and cantonal levels are examined . Other peculiarities include the mostly annual rotation of the presidencies of the Swiss parliaments and the principle of part-time participation in the parliaments .