Role Of Parliament In Switzerland

Switzerland is a federal democracy; hence, the nation operates through devolved structures. Like direct democracy, federal democracy is one of the best parts of Swiss politics. The foundation of Swiss politics is communes and cantons. Communes enjoy a massive amount of freedom to make important decisions. Some large communes are highly influential even in national politics. These communes enjoy the freedom to make decisions on matters financial, policy and politics. One of the prerequisites to being a citizen of Switzerland is belonging to a commune.

Cantons also are influential as well, especially on financial matters. Statistics indicate that Cantos spend around 40 per cent of national revenue. They execute the policies of the communes and

Parliament is bicameral with the lower and upper house. For the passage of any legislation, both houses are equally responsible. The lower is referred to as the national council and represents the people at large. However, the cantons are also constituencies and represent the people. The upper house represents the cantons. The upper house, also referred to as council of states is plays the role of over sighting the lower house.

Parliament meets part time when there is business. It works through committees and groups. Parliament in Switzerland is considered weak. Direct democracy means that its role is limited. However, it still plays an important role on matters of policy and foreign affairs. The role of the party in parliament is important as the government is formed by the representation in parliament.

Democracy and inclusiveness

Representation in all levels of government is proportional. All parties, social groups, ethnic groups, gender is well represented in proportional government. It is correct to state that the government of Switzerland is made of all persons who live in the country despite their numerical strength. This system allows new people to join government although it is hard to push for massive shift in opinion. The system of representation in the country seeks to consider languages, parties, and ethnic groups resident in

This assumption is not correct, as some of the most important changes in the history of the country have taken place in the last 20 years. For example, the new simplified constitution took effect in 2000, barely 20 years ago (Fossedal, 2002). The intention of the new constitution is to reengineer society and align it with the ideals of the 21st century.

The end of cold war in 1989 made the issue of neutrality meaningless. The threat of conflict between east and the west ended. Over the same period, the pace of integration Europe has accelerated. In such changes, the country cannot remain on the fence. For those reasons, Switzerland joined the United Nations in 2002 and initiate steps for drawing close to the European Union. Emerging issues such as globalization, immigration, trade, and other issues has led to transformation of democracy and taking it close to European mainstream. Parties now for the first time play an important role in national politics. An extreme case of consensus is giving way for passionate and sometimes divisive take on controversial