Georg Lutz

Unequal representation of age groups in Switzerland

The representation of age groups is becoming an increasingly discussed topic in Swiss politics. In this study, we explore inequalities in the descriptive and substantive representation of various age groups and find that despite important disparities in descriptive representation, the policy preferences of various age groups are relatively equally represented in the lower house of the Swiss parliament. Our analysis thus suggests that even if it is gaining visibility, the age cleavage is not central for parliamentary representation in Switzerland.

THE INTERACTION BETWEEN DIRECT AND REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY IN SWITZERLAND

Theoretical debates about direct and representative democracy tend to be based on unrealistic assumptions about how direct democracy – and sometimes how representative democracy – works. This article explores the interaction between direct and representative democracy in Switzerland, where direct democracy is an essential part of everyday politics. We show that the key actors of the representative system – governments, parliaments and parties – play a central role in the direct democratic process too. Political actors adapt to the direct democratic challenge and manage to control the direct democratic process to a great extent. Looking at the possible effects of direct democracy on the representative system, we show that direct democracy does not necessarily weaken parties; direct democracy in combination with the relative strength of the different parties is responsible for the oversized coalition government that exists in Switzerland since 1959 and that policy‐making becomes less predictable for the political elites. However there are arguments that single policies tend to be more in favour of the median voter than in a pure representative system.

The 2011 Swiss Federal Elections: Right-wing Defeat and Increased Fractionalisation

For the right-wing Swiss Peoples Party (SVP) the outcome of the elections marked a turning point after a steady increase of the vote share in the previous 20 years. The party remained the strongest party in the National Council but lost votes and seats for the first time after five electoral victories in a row since 1995. However, not only the SVP but all the major parties lost votes, bringing the two traditional parties, the Liberal Party (FDP) and the Christian Democrats (CVP), to a historic low; the Social Democrats (SP) lost votes, too. In contrast to other green parties in Europe, which have managed to gain votes after Fukushima, the Swiss Green Party (GPS) was also defeated. The outcome of the elections resulted in an increased fractionalisation of the party system. Two newly formed parties at the national level, the Conservative Democrats (BDP) and the Green Liberals (GLP), managed to gain more than 5 per cent each of the votes and established themselves as national players, especially since both parties are at the political centre and may become important in forming majorities in parliament in the future. The election of the federal government – which consists of seven members – by the new parliament in December 2011 was accompanied by intense discussions and little agreement about the future of the consensus system and the composition of government. The discussion, however, did not lead to any change in government. All six incumbent federal councillors