Switzerland
Switzerland is a high-performing democracy in the Global State of Democracy Indices (GSoDI) - with the exception of low-performing Electoral Participation and mid-range performing Freedom of Religion. Its political identity is perhaps best characterized by its long-standing commitments to direct representation and decentralization. Economically speaking, Switzerland features a highly competitive export-oriented economy that has exhibited steady, moderate growth and prudent fiscal and monetary policies that have proven to be particularly resilient – including to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. Such stability is also present in the country's democratic performance over the last five years. GSoDI data suggests that only three dimensions featured statistically significant movement within this time period, with modest improvements in Gender Equality and Basic Welfare, together with a modest decline in Freedom of Movement.
Switzerland is marked by its sizable foreign-born population and four official linguistic groups distributed across a small geographical area. While factors such as moderate income inequality and high employment rates have largely prevented such factions from turning into deeply rooted social divisions, they are nonetheless the site of some key political cleavages. One quarter of the Swiss population currently remains ineligible to vote on the decisions that impact them due to restrictive naturalization laws. This large proportion of non-citizens has further come to structure national political competition as a result of growing concerns about the cultural and economic consequences of immigration. Closely connected to the issue of immigration are growing social tensions (and concomitant party polarization) with respect to both the Europeanization and globalization of Swiss society. This has recently resulted in the abandonment of bilateral negotiations with the European Union (EU) for an institutional framework agreement, and the Swiss administration’s failure to fully implement the results of some successful popular referendums due to conflicts with international obligations or norms. Beyond this tension in balancing sovereignty and supranational integration, national political competition and party polarization have also been driven by core issue areas such as pensions reform and environmental protection. As a result, the Swiss administration has had difficulties finding the consensus and coordination necessary for implementing change.
In the years to come, it will be important to watch Civil Liberties and Social Rights and Equality, with a 2022 report by a United Nations (UN) working group noting the urgency of addressing racial discrimination against people of African descent. Secondly, it will be important to watch the country's performance with regards to Electoral Participation, which may continue to decline as the proportion of non-citizens is boosted by post-pandemic immigration. At the same time, it will be important to watch recently passed legislation on the transparency of political party funding and the development of a National Human Rights Institute, set to start work in 2023.
Monthly Event Reports
February 2024 | European court upholds complaint of racial profiling by the police
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has upheld the complaint by a Swiss citizen of racial profiling by police after he was stopped and searched in 2015 at Zurich train station, and fined CHF 100 for refusing to comply with the police. It is the first time the ECHR ruled in an ethnic profiling case that an identity check violated the right to private life (Article 8) and the right to non-discrimination (Article 14) protected in the European Convention on Human Rights. The ruling further found that the complainant’s right to an effective remedy (Article 13) was violated with regard to the complaint of discrimination based on race. In 2020, a domestic court found that the identity check had been unlawful but left open the question of whether discriminatory motives had factored into the identity check and did not provide recourse for appeal. Switzerland was ordered to pay CHF 22,821 to the complainant.
October 2023 | Parliament shifts to the right following federal elections
On 22 October, Switzerland held federal elections to elect all members of the National Council (the lower parliamentary house with a total of 200 seats) and the Council of States (the smaller, upper house with 46 seats). The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) won the greatest vote share in the lower house (27.9 per cent translating to 62 seats). This was followed by the Social Democratic party (SP) with 18.3 per cent of the vote and 41 seats. The Centre Party (Mitte) secured 29 seats with 14.1 per cent of the vote, and the Radical Liberal party (FDP) won 28 seats with 14.3 per cent. Women will make up 38.5 per cent (77) of the deputies in the National Council and 28.3 per cent (13) of Council of States representatives. Estimates show around 34 per cent of candidates for elections to the upper house are women. Voter turnout was 46.6 per cent of eligible voters.
March 2023 | Parliament holds first session for people with disabilities
The Parliament held its first ever special session for people living with disabilities. Only 44 of the 200 seats in the House of Representatives were filled to symbolize the 22 per cent (1.8 million people) of the Swiss population with disabilities. The session convened people with disabilities from across Switzerland as representatives, chosen in a public online vote organized by Pro Firmis, a disability rights NGO. At the close of the session, a resolution was adopted geared towards strengthening political representation, including through voting without hindrance and access to information about the election, and the creation of an extra-parliamentary Disability Commission to improve consultation with people with disabilities as experts. The Federal Council ordered the Interior Ministry to lead the review of the Disability Equality Act, enacted in 2002, to improve the participation of people with disabilities in society, including through protections against workplace discrimination and in equal access to services.
December 2022 | “Only yes means yes” law approved by lower parliamentary house
Lawmakers in the National Council agreed to expand the definition of rape to comprise sexual acts without explicit consent, as opposed to being limited to cases where the victim has resisted. The vote narrowly passed with 99 votes in favour, 88 against, and three abstentions. The bill will be sent to the upper parliamentary chamber, the Council of States, and from there is likely to be put to a referendum. The Council of Europe had urged Switzerland to update its consent laws in November to bring the law in line with the Istanbul Convention.
Explore past monthly event reports
GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022
Basic Information
Human Rights Treaties
State party
Signatory
No action
Global State of Democracy Indices
Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years
Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time
Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time
