With regard to democracy and federalism, we can look somewhat enviously from Italy to the Swiss Confederation, which today celebratesWe have neither a federal constitution nor a functioning direct democracy in this state. Where referendum rights do work, namely in the constitutional referendum (referendum on constitutional amendments according to Art. 138 of the Constitution), they are used to prevent a degree of autonomy and decentralization. One of the contradictions of the Italian left is that it wants more decentralization, but then prefers the “assistenzialismo” controlled by the central state, on which Southern Italy that it insists on regional self-government – after all, Bonaccini also demanded differentiated autonomy for Emilia Romagna – but then, for party tactical reasons, it opposes the constitutional reform required for this. The adopted “differentiated autonomy“ Measures to ensure minimum social standards throughout Italy.
Switzerland may have taken federalism to the other extreme by entrusting the cantons and municipalities with the greatest decision-making power, including a considerable part of tax legislation. In doing so, it has certainly fulfilled what the vast majority of Swiss people expect from the state: the greatest possible autonomy for regional and local communities, the greatest possible direct and indirect participation by citizens, and as a result, much more personal responsibility for citizens and locally elected political representatives. The left and the M5S simply do not understand that more autonomy, whether as a canton (Switzerland), autonomous community (Spain) or region (Italy), also means more concrete democratic participation.
However, increased regional autonomy does not automatically mean more democratic civil rights. We can prove this in South Tyrol, where a relatively far-reaching Direct Democracy Act applies, but a citizen-friendly regulation of these rights is still pending. It is no coincidence that there have been no referendums at the municipal level in South Tyrol for years, and the last real referendum – strictly speaking, a referendum on public financing of the airport called by the state parliament – was eight years ago. I counted: an average Swiss person of my age has been able to vote on important referendum proposals triggered from below at least 350 times in his life at the cantonal and federal level. I was able to vote 4 times in a referendum at the state level (2009, 2016, 2014, 2022) and 17 times at the State level where this right has existed for exactly 50 years. That’s it.
The exercise of direct democracy is not only hindered by practical obstacles such as the laborious certification of signatures by an official and long periods of exclusion, but also by the judiciary. The commission of judges appointed to examine the admissibility of popular initiatives has reinterpreted its role as that of the Constitutional Court. Citizens’ proposals are thus overturned with far-fetched arguments, even of a political nature. This is what happened with the popular initiative on species protection and biodiversity, which environmental groups initiated three years ago. All the effort was in vain.
Switzerland is completely different. There is currently a nationwide popular initiative to protect biodiversity which proves how important direct democracy is as an “accelerator pedal”. This initiative, with wonderful transparency, will trigger a broad debate about the meaning, purpose and inequality of more species protection and will force the legislator to regulate this matter more strictly. In South Tyrol, however, the majority of the provincial parliament is busy supporting the ongoing initiative of the “Alliance for more democracy“ for a better application of direct democracy. This will enable online signatures for referendum applications, as is already the case at the national level. In fact, most of the signatures for the proposed constitutional referendum on differentiated autonomy have so far been collected on this platform. Here is the Link to the national platform for signatures for the referendum. The Swiss had already fought such battles 150 years ago and decided in the interests of the citizens. Happy Switzerland!
