Citizen's Democracy | Citizen's Assemblies about Climate and Ecological Crisis

Welcome to the

Citizens` Assembly of Switzerland

for the ecological and climate crisis

News

Our new website is online

After some hours of work and a lot of deliberation between different people this new website is online. Enjoy discovering new democracy.

Why do we need a citizens’ assembly?

Assembly is representative

Participans are randomly chosen using demographic quotas such as gender, age, ethno-cultural heritage, education level and geography.

Decisions are long-term orientated

Politicians from the parlimentary system tend to base their decisions on short-term electoral gains or are influenced by lobbyist. As participants are not chosen to represent political parties, they are free to make decisions solely based on their own informed viewpoints, values and sense of what policies would be for the common good.

Assembly is independent

The assembly shall be initiated by the government but is not dependent on it. Participants make their own decisions taking their future and the future of their families into consideration.

Everyone is heard

During the deliberation phase members will gather around round tables and discuss their options. Moderators assure everyone can speak and no one dominates the discussion.

What is the Citizens’ Assembly and how does it work?

Citizens’ Assemblies are a form of participatory democracy – a process where common citizens can take political decisions. In a citizens’ assembly, a group of randomly selected persons who represent the demography of the society is given a subject of public interest. Participants hear from experts, stakeholders and rightsholders to later ask questions, discuss their options and decide how to proceed. This decision is given to the political authorities and depending on the decidedness shall be execute/ implemented directly.

For more detailed information click here.

Citizens’ Assembly in Ireland

Frequently Asked Questions

There is already a direct democracy in switzerland. why do we need a citizens assembly?

It’s true, our democratic system is one of the most democratic in the world. Nevertheless, turnout is roughly over 40 % and decisions in initiatives are often influenced by well placed posters. Few people really inform themselves in advance. This is why the learning phase is crucial to the whole process.

Why do you not try to push your request through an inititive as the common way?

History has shown, that initiatives take up to 10 years until a decision is made because of different factors such as lacking will to take hard decisions or referendums. We don’t have the time to wait 10 years until we really tackle climate change. We need to act now.

Is there no threat that people will decide on behalf of their employer instead of the common good?

Indeed, this is possible. However, with people experiencing the consequences of climate change more often it is more likely that decisions are made on health and well-beeing instead of monetary profit.

By implementing this Assembly and giving it the power to change national politics you undergo our constitutional legality.

Swiss Federal Constitution, Article 2, p 4: The Swiss Confederation “is committed to the long term preservation of natural resources and to a just and peaceful international order.”
This assembly is needed because politics as usual has shown that it is not capable of tackling the climate change adequately. Neither in a way of preventing it nor in reacting to its consequences.