Landsgemeinde

The Landsgemeinde (German literally translated "community of the country") is one of the oldest and purest forms of direct democracy. It is still practised in two cantons of Switzerland.

History

Eligible citizens of the canton meet on a certain day in the open air to decide on laws and expenditures by the council. Everyone can debate a question. Voting is accomplished by those in favour of a motion raising their hands. Historically, or in Appenzell until the admission of women the only proof of citizenship necessary for men to enter the voting area was to show their ceremonial sword or Swiss military sidearm (bayonet).

The "Landsgemeinde" has always been a political instrument of rural areas; in city states like for example Lucerne, Schaffhausen, or Berne, a general assembly of all citizens had never been established and would also have been impractical. On district level, however, "Landsgemeinden" did also exist in centrally governed cantons; e.g. in the canton of Berne, there was a "Landgemeinde" of the Emmental.

Controversy

Critics of the "Landsgemeinde" argue that the democratic fundamental right on anonymous voting by this form of democracy were not ensured. For practical reasons, the "Landsgemeinde" has been abolished in all but two cantons, where it is still the highest political instance of the canton: in Glarus it takes place each first Sunday in May, in Appenzell Innerrhoden on last Sunday in April (except when it would coincide with Easter Sunday, in which case it is delayed by one week). All other cantons which once had implemented the "Landsgemeinde" on state level have abandoned it: as a general assembly of "all" citizens eligible to vote, it simply becomes impractical to hold when there are too many voters.

Current Usage

A general assembly system is still in use in many Swiss municipalities, especially smaller ones. The legislative competence of the municipal assemblies ("assemblée communale", "Gemeindeversammlung") is determined by the cantons. On district level, "Landsgemeinden" still exist in many cantons; many "Vereine" (voluntary associations) also call their general assembly a "Landsgemeinde".

Of all the Swiss cantons, only eight rural cantons once used the "Landsgemeinde" on state level [Moser-Léchot, D. V.: " [http://www.kl.unibe.ch/kl/llbs1/Geschichte/FachausbildGesch/MO1/1Eidg.pdf Die Alte Eidgenossenschaft im 18. Jahrhundert] ", lecture notes, University of Berne, p. 12.] , six of which abolished it for practicality and anonymity reasons.

Footnotes

References

*HDS|10234-1-2|Current Cantonal Constitutions|author=Alfred Kölz

ee also

*Tagsatzung

External links

* [http://www.glarusnet.ch/lg2005 Glarus Landsgemeinde 2005 of Glarus]
* [http://www.kantone-web.ch/kantone/ai/en/politik/sitzung/ Landesgemeinde in Appenzell Innerrhoden]