Ladner, A.

Serveur académique lausannois

Published on The Political Studies Association (PSA) (http://www.psa.ac.uk)Home > The Swiss Federal Assembly: Limited power but strong members of parliament [1]By Andreas LadnerStrong bicameralism, a large number of parties and changing majorities are commonly referred to ascharacteristics of the Swiss Parliament [2]. More controversial is the question whether the Parliamenthas to be considered strong or weak. On the one hand, the Parliament elects the seven members ofthe Swiss government and among them – as a “primus inter pares” and for a one-year term only –the president of the country; on the other hand it has no possibilities to dismiss the governmentduring the four years of the legislature. And more generally, to what extent does federalism, powersharing among parties, and direct democracy, (the three fundamental pillars of the Swiss politicalsystem), limit the power of the parliament? And what is the influence of parties and their electedmembers?In 1848, when Switzerland turned from a confederation of 25 rather independent cantons to a federalnation state, only limited power was given to the national government. Accordingly the scope of thenational parliament was very limited. Ever since, the cantons – which maintained the residual power– have to accept any transfer of competence to the national level. Their strong position considerablyslowed down the growth of the nation state and contained the latitude of its Parliament. The cantons,even nowadays, hold the most important share of public spending. New legislation is hardly passedon to the Parliament without prior consultation of the cantons and when it comes to executingnational policies considerable leeway has to be left to them.Federalism also weakens the national Parliament in another respect. Since the constituencies forboth houses are the cantons, the representatives in the Parliament have theoretically a double role.On the one hand, they are representatives of their parties and on the other hand, they arerepresentatives of their cantons. In the National Council [3] political debates take place along partylines, whereas in the Council of States [4] (the federalist chamber) the Members of Parliament aresupposed to defend the interests of the cantons against federal interests. This is, at least, what thecantonal authorities expect them to do. In recent times, however, party politics have also becomemore prevalent in the Council of States to the detriment of cantonal interests.As for the parties, it is not always easy to keep all their representatives on track. Since there can bequite important differences between the cantonal sections of one and the same party and therepresentatives knowing that they need the support of the voters in their canton to get elected, theparliamentary groups as well as the party leaders find it not always very easy to consolidate theirpositions and to bring forward their claims without deviant voices in their ranks.The most striking characteristic of the Swiss political system, direct democracy, also limits thepower of the Parliament. In the Constitution [5] it reads “Subject to the rights of the People and theCantons, the Federal Assembly is the supreme authority of the Confederation” (Art. 148 BV). For theSwiss case this means much more than elections. The Parliament does not have a final say onconstitutional amendments neither does it for legislative matters. Every change of the Constitutionneeds a popular vote and a majority of the citizens and the cantons accepting it. New laws orchanges of laws can be challenged by a referendum and the collection of 50,000 signatures whichalso leads to a popular vote needing a majority of the citizens. And by collecting 100, 000 signaturesThe Swiss Federal Assembly: Limited power but strong members of pa... http://www.psa.ac.uk/print/34461 von 4 13.09.2014 18:34an initiative can ask for an amendment of the Constitution which again leads to a popular voteneeding a double majority to get accepted.As for law making or politics in general, administration, government and Parliament always have tobear direct democracy and the citizens in their minds. Prior to the debate in Parliament, proposalsfor a new law are not only presented to the cantons but also to the parties and any important interestgroup concerned in order to get to know their positions. If the project risks strong opposition and islikely to be challenged and turned down by a referendum, the government usually tries to meet thesecritics by adapting the proposal and making it “referendum proof”. This increases the number ofactors involved in law making and lowers the influence of the Parliament. On the other hand, partiesand parliamentary groups also have the possibility to play the game of direct democracy. The canbecome active more independently and find additional occasions to present their ideas and projectsdirectly to the citizens.The third characteristic element of the Swiss political system influencing role and functioning of theParliament is consensus democracy or power sharing among parties when it comes to thecomposition of the government. The government unites members of the most important partieswithout a formal coalition contract. This is so-called “Konkordanz” – is hardly questioned as ageneral principle and it is seen as a cornerstone of Switzerland’s political stability and success.Having no assigned or contractual majority in Parliament and government, coalitions betweenparties can vary without consequences. The challenge of Swiss politics is building up majorities onspecific issues: most commonly the left, the Social Democrats and the Greens, stand against thethree big center and right wing parties, quite often also the Swiss People’s Party on the right againstall other parties. These patterns are followed in terms of frequency by all parties standing together,and a confrontation between center-left (Social Democrats and Christian Democrats) andmid-center-right (Liberal-Radical Party and Swiss People’s Party).Changing issue specific coalitions in Swiss politics are not seen as a problem, on the contrary. Theyare considered as the proof that policy making based on negotiating and compromising takes place.In order to pass a project through Parliament, it has to be supported by a majority of the members inthe two houses. The lack of a governing majority combined with the necessity to set up viable issuespecific coalition makes it difficult to pass legislation quickly and to pursue more demanding andcoherent political programs. In this respect it also weakens the Parliament.The Members of Parliament, on the other side, enjoy considerable freedom, and they have thepossibility to play important roles in policy making. They are not locked into a coalition contract andare therefore rather independent. They can hold deviant positions within their own parliamentarygroups and do not have to support the government in order to prevent dissolution of the governmentor new elections of the parliament. This independence is also reflected in a high presence of MPs inthe media, be it because they have a specific function in one of the committees, in the parliamentarygroups or in the party, be it because the hold deviant positions or be it because they arerepresentatives from a specific canton. The most influential Members of Parliament are those whichare able to work across party lines and to build majorities by gaining support from members of otherparties. Such majorities are badly needed to come to decisions. These politicians are also likely tobe proposed as candidates for the Federal Council in case of a vacancy.In a nutshell: The Swiss Parliament might be considered a weak parliament due to the specificcharacteristics of the political system which limit its scope, its decisional competences, and itsleadership capacities. It is, however, comparatively close to the citizens and its members can berather powerful. Within committees and within the parliamentary groups the Members of Parliamenthave a considerable influence on political decisions and public policies.For more information about the Swiss Parliament seehttp://www.parlament.ch/e/pages/default.aspx [6]To follow the activities of the Swiss Parliament and its members (in German)http://smartmonitor.ch/ [7]The Swiss Federal Assembly: Limited power but strong members of pa... http://www.psa.ac.uk/print/34462 von 4 13.09.2014 18:34For the strength of the parties in the Council of States seehttp://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/key/staenderat.html [8]For the strength of the parties in the National Council seehttp://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/key/national_rat/mandatsverteilung.html [9]Andreas Ladner is professor for political institutions and public administration at the IDHEAP at theUniversity of Lausanne. His areas of research include the quality of democracy, local government,institutional change, political parties and voting advice applications. Website: www.andreasladner.ch[10]Image: © Parlamentsdienste 3003 BernRelated downloads: Image: Higher educationCampaignsJobsMembership benefitsProfessional developmentPublicationsSpecialist groupsTravel grantsSchoolsEventsForumThe Swiss Federal Assembly: Limited power but strong members of pa... http://www.psa.ac.uk/print/34463 von 4 13.09.2014 18:34Newsletter archivePolitical InsightUseful articlesMedia & PolicyBriefing papersExperts DirectoryMedia briefingsSource URL: http://www.psa.ac.uk/psa-communities/specialist-groups/parliaments-and-legislatures/blog/swiss-federal-assembly-limitedLinks:[1] http://www.psa.ac.uk/psa-communities/specialist-groups/parliaments-and-legislatures/blog/swiss-federal-assembly-limited[2] http://www.psa.ac.uk/_0019_prospero%5b1%5d.png[3] http://www.parlament.ch/e/organe-mitglieder/nationalrat/Pages/default.aspx[4] http://www.parlament.ch/E/ORGANE-MITGLIEDER/STAENDERAT/Pages/default.aspx[5] http://www.admin.ch/ch/e/rs/1/101.en.pdf[6] http://www.parlament.ch/e/pages/default.aspx[7] http://smartmonitor.ch/[8] http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/key/staenderat.html[9] http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/de/index/themen/17/02/blank/key/national_rat/mandatsverteilung.html[10] http://www.andreasladner.ch/The Swiss Federal Assembly: Limited power but strong members of pa... http://www.psa.ac.uk/print/34464 von 4 13.09.2014 18:34

The Swiss Federal Assembly : Limited Power but strong Members of Parliament

https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_25D15634976D.P001/REF.pdf

The Swiss Federal Assembly : Limited Power but strong Members of Parliament

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

Serveur académique lausannois