Definition of Direct Democracy

It consists of self-representation, starting from organizing popular assemblies, debating the issues that are considered of interest and finally adopt those resolutions that have a greater amount of votes.

The word democracy comes from the Greek and literally means government of the people. It not only comes from language Greek but were the inhabitants of the polis of Athens who in the V century BC. C established for the first time a system of government that was not based on the decisions of one (monarchy or tyranny) or of a few (oligarchy), but it was the people as a whole who guided the activity politics of the community.

Direct or pure democracy seeks to correct the limitations of indirect or representative democracy

In democratic systems, citizens are summoned to elections and elect representatives through their vote. These become the voice of the people, but they are not in a strict sense the people. For some this characteristic is considered a deficiency of the system and for this reason they propose another way of understanding politics, direct democracy. Through this system, the people do not depend on representatives but rather represent themselves.

In some Swiss cantons there is a system very close to direct democracy

In Switzerland this model is known as landsgemeinde, which is usually translated as cantonal assembly. Citizens meet outdoors to pass laws and budgets for their community. The Swiss vote several times a year on questions related to their municipality, their canton or their country.

It is common for participants in popular assemblies to speak out on all kinds of issues: energy supply, building schools, garbage collection or social assistance. This system is combined with a model of parliamentary representation.

On the other hand, the Swiss can promote a referendum against a law previously approved by parliament. If the popular proposal manages to gather the support of a minimum number of signatures, the law is submitted to the verdict of the ballot box. These types of popular initiatives can also act as an amendment to the constitutional text.

The Swiss model has advantages and disadvantages

It is valued positively because the people intervene directly and without intermediaries in decision-making. However, on some occasions, the proposals voted by the people have entered into conflict with international standards and with the own Constitution Swiss.

Another criticism that the Swiss system receives is its low participation popular, since only two out of every five citizens exercise the right to vote.

Photos: Fotolia - AGR / Javieruiz