Does Swiss direct democracy foster populist movements?
R. de W.: Yes, it does. But strong populist movements also exist without direct democracy. Unlike many other rightwing populist groups in Europe, Swiss populism cannot define itself ethnically because of Switzerland’s composition. There is no such thing as a Swiss ethnic group – we are a nation of many cultures and languages. Swiss populism defines itself instead more by its absolute interpretation of democracy. It says that anything that limits the public’s freedom – to even the smallest extent – is unbearable. This attitude comes from an imbalance between democracy and rule of law. Our founding fathers deliberately did not entrust every single thing to the people. If an absolute popular government, a democratic absolutism were to prevail, the minorities would overrun. Our political system wanted to prevent that. The populists, who invoke Swiss values, ignore this valuable Swiss tradition.
