The Spirit of Republicanism is a prominent theme of the Swiss Constitution.
Another important feature of the Constitution is its federal features.
Switzerland is known for its direct democracy. It is hailed as a Dynamic Constitution (features like protection of individual, welfare state et al)
Comparison scheme w.r.t Indian Constitution
| Indian Constitution |
Swiss Constitution |
| Executive vested in the President | Executive vested in the Federal Council |
| President elected by electoral college | Federal Council elected by Federal Assembly |
| Party Government | Absent |
| States cannot conclude treaties | Cantons can conclude treaties |
| Supremacy of Judiciary | Judiciary cannot rule invalid a federal law |
| No referendum | Referendum possible |
Institutions for Direct Democracy
- Referendum: It means referring bills for ratification to the people. It is not similar to plebiscite. Plebiscite means taking the opinion of the people on any issue.
- Initiative: It is a bill initiated by the people and people conveying it to the assembly.
- Recall: It means calling the representative back at any point of time, if voters are not satisfied by his work.
