Representative democracy, also known as indirect democracy, is a type of democracy founded on the principle of elected persons representing a group of people, in contrast to direct democracy. Nearly all modern Western-style democracies function as some type of representative democracy; for example, the United Kingdom, India, France, and the United States.
Direct democracy or pure democracy is a form of democracy in which the electorate decides on policy initiatives without legislative representatives as proxies. This differs from the majority of currently established democracies, which are representative democracies. The theory and practice of direct democracy and participation as its common characteristic was the core of work of many theorists, philosophers, politicians, and social critics, among whom the most important are Jean Jacques Rousseau, John Stuart Mill, and G.D.H. Cole.
The Ecological Democratic Party is a conservative and ecologist political party in Germany. The ÖDP was founded in 1982 as a federal party and is the legal successor of the Green Action Future, the Green List for Environmental Protection and the Ecological Politics Working Group.
A voting age is a minimum age established by law that a person must attain before they become eligible to vote in a public election. As of the present day, the most common voting age is 18 years; however, voting ages as low as 16 and as high as 25 currently exist (see list below). Most countries have set a minimum voting age, often set in their constitution. In a number of countries voting is compulsory for those eligible to vote, while in most it is optional.
Switzerland has allowed registered partnerships for same-sex couples since 1 January 2007, after a 2005 referendum. Legislation to allow same-sex marriage was introduced in 2013 and passed on 18 December 2020 by the Swiss Parliament, but is subject to a referendum scheduled for 26 September 2021. Public opinion strongly supports same-sex marriage, with polls indicating support by about 82% of voters as of November 2020.
Liechtenstein has recognized registered partnerships since 1 September 2011.
The Federal Constitution of the Swiss Confederation of 18 April 1999 is the third and current federal constitution of Switzerland. It establishes the Swiss Confederation as a federal republic of 26 cantons (states). The document contains a catalogue of individual and popular rights, delineates the responsibilities of the cantons and the Confederation and establishes the federal authorities of government.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights in Switzerland are fairly progressive by European standards, although LGBT people lack full legal equality. Its history is one of liberalisation at an increasing pace since the 1940s, in parallel to the legal situation in Europe and the Western world more generally. Legislation providing for same-sex marriage and IVF access has been adopted by the federal parliament, but is subject to a referendum scheduled for 26 September 2021.
A popular referendum is a type of a referendum that provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote (plebiscite) on an existing statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance, or, in its minimal form, to simply oblige the executive or legislative bodies to consider the subject by submitting it to the order of the day. It is a form of direct democracy.
Norbert Röttgen is a German lawyer and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He was Federal Minister for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2009 to May 2012. Since 2014, he has been Chair of the Bundestag Foreign Affairs Committee.
The history of direct democracy amongst non-Native Americans in the United States dates from the 1630s in the New England Colonies. Many New England towns still carry on that tradition in the form of open town meetings.
Women in Switzerland gained the right to vote in federal elections after a referendum in February 1971. The first federal vote in which women were able to participate was the 31 October 1971 election of the Federal Assembly. In 1991 following a decision by the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland, Appenzell Innerrhoden (AI) became the last Swiss canton to grant women the vote on local issues; AI is the smallest Swiss canton with c. 14,100 inhabitants in 1990.
A series of unofficial referendums on elections, political reforms and electoral participation was held in Mexico on 27 August 1995. It was organised by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation (EZLN), who proposed a detailed reform for democratization, that the country engage in free and reformed elections and that the EZLN convert itself into a political party and form a united front with other opposition parties. Another referendum question sought to establish equality for women in government and administration. All these measures passed, but this unofficial referendum appears to have had little effect on Mexican governance.
This national electoral calendar for 2015 lists the national/federal direct elections that were held in 2015 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included.
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This article summarises referendum laws and practice in various countries.
Anne Peters is a German-Swiss jurist with a focus on public international law. She is director at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law, honorary professor at the University of Basel, University of Heidelberg and Free University of Berlin, and at William W. Cook Global Law Professor at Michigan Law School.
The United Kingdom was a member state of the European Union (EU) and of its predecessor the European Communities (EC) - principally the European Economic Community (EEC) from 1 January 1973 until 31 January 2020. Since the foundation of the EEC, the UK had been an important neighbour and then leading member state, until Brexit ended 47 years of membership. During the UK’s time as a member state two referendums were held on the issue of its membership, with the first being held on 5 June 1975, resulting in a vote to stay in the EC, and the second, held on 23 June 2016, which resulted in the vote to leave the EU.
Caviar diplomacy is a lobbying strategy of Azerbaijan, consisting of costly invitations of foreign politicians and employees of international organizations to Azerbaijan at the expense of the host country. Caviar Diplomacy also includes expensive gifts presented as "a tribute to the Eastern tradition."
Jeanette Erazo Heufelder is a German ethnologist. She has become known as an author and documentary film maker of biographical and literary pieces. Her particular regional focus is on Latin America.
Several federal referendums were held in Switzerland in 2020, with voting on 9 February, 27 September and 29 November. Voting was also planned for 17 May, but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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