Beware, climbing to the alpine heights of democracy! 18+. This material (information) is produced, distributed and (or) sent by a foreign agent of the Internet publication "NOVAYA GAZETA" or relates to the activities of a foreign agent of the online publication "NOVAYA GAZETA". Not all countries allow their citizens to directly - through referendums - make decisions on every issue. And if you look at the number and frequency of such votes, it turns out that there is actually only one country in the world for which a referendum is like going out to buy bread: Switzerland. They voted for "car-free Sundays" (by the way, they didn't support that), and against the state monopoly on matches, and on the issue of unconditional basic income (and rejected it!), and they also voted for tariffs and subsidies on grain. As well as on the issue of paying subsidies to farmers for "keeping the horns" of their cows and goats there are of course those who laugh at the Swiss tradition of subjecting everything to a referendum. And among the laughers, of course, is the Russian propaganda. A Pew study of 24 countries in 2023 found that 74% of those surveyed believed that parliamentarians did not care about their day-to-day issues, and 42% said that no party represented their views anymore. Direct democracy is sometimes seen as a way to bridge this gap. And judging by research, it works in Switzerland. After studying data for 50 years, experts see that the agenda there reflects the concerns of the population more than in other countries. In Switzerland, "there are almost no laws passed without the consent of the majority", and an unpopular measure is much easier to block. It must be said that referendums are held not only by democratic countries, but also by dictatorships. It is convenient, because they themselves determine the topic, the wording of the question and the date, and a referendum can legitimize a dictatorship or its projects no worse than an election.

Beware, climbing to the alpine heights of democracy! 18+. This material (information) is produced, distributed and (or) sent by a foreign agent of the Internet publication "NOVAYA GAZETA" or relates to the activities of a foreign agent of the online publication "NOVAYA GAZETA". Not all countries allow their citizens to directly - through referendums - make decisions on every issue. And if you look at the number and frequency of such votes, it turns out that there is actually only one country in the world for which a referendum is like going out to buy bread: Switzerland. They voted for "car-free Sundays" (by the way, they didn't support that), and against the state monopoly on matches, and on the issue of unconditional basic income (and rejected it!), and they also voted for tariffs and subsidies on grain. As well as on the issue of paying subsidies to farmers for "keeping the horns" of their cows and goats there are of course those who laugh at the Swiss tradition of subjecting everything to a referendum. And among the laughers, of course, is the Russian propaganda. A Pew study of 24 countries in 2023 found that 74% of those surveyed believed that parliamentarians did not care about their day-to-day issues, and 42% said that no party represented their views anymore. Direct democracy is sometimes seen as a way to bridge this gap. And judging by research, it works in Switzerland. After studying data for 50 years, experts see that the agenda there reflects the concerns of the population more than in other countries. In Switzerland, "there are almost no laws passed without the consent of the majority", and an unpopular measure is much easier to block. It must be said that referendums are held not only by democratic countries, but also by dictatorships. It is convenient, because they themselves determine the topic, the wording of the question and the date, and a referendum can legitimize a dictatorship or its projects no worse than an election.