Swiss Democracy: Interact with us!
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Welcome to our democracy crash course! We look forward to your questions and lively discussions with you.
FAQ Democracy in Switzerland
Here we answer your questions and will publish the answers as soon as possible.
Elections and government
How much do Swiss parliamentarians earn?
Members of the House of Representatives earn on average CHF132,500 ($113,950) per year. Members of the Senate earn on average CHF142,500. The figures consist of a salary, attendance fees, pension payments, contributions for personal staff, public-transport season tickets, overnight accommodation expenses and child allowances.
Is lobbying allowed in Switzerland?
Yes! Despite disclosure requirements, in international comparison Switzerland still lags behind in terms of transparency.
The members of the Swiss parliament are not career politicians. This makes them attractive for businesses and organisations as board members ¬– for example on the supervisory or advisory board of a health insurance company. Even in the past, posts like these were remunerated with sums of up to CHF150,000 per annum.
Some parliamentarians manage to diligently collect these kinds of posts. In 2022 the record holder had amassed 23 such board memberships, 18 of them being paid positions, which probably adds up to a hefty sum!
Disclosure requirements exist but they have a large loophole. Employers have to be declared, as do other board positions, but declaration is essentially voluntary because the disclosures can’t be checked. You can find out more under this official parliamentary website page.
For this reason transparency proponents refer to what they call a “buyable parliament” in Switzerland. On the other hand, those who support as few lobbying rules as possible point to the significance of external expertise for what is a semi-professional Swiss parliament.
Referendums
Can the Swiss vote on practically anything?
Generally, yes. Although sometimes mocked as absurd – like the so-called “cow-horn initiative” – the content of a people’s initiative is only checked by the Swiss Federal Chancellery to ensure correct wording and uphold the single-subject rule. The latter stipulates that an initiative is not allowed to contain a catalogue of proposals, and instead only one.
Isn’t Swiss democracy, with its numerous referendums, expensive and inefficient, or just a “show”?
Switzerland stands out for its security and stability. It boasts a strong economy, low inflation and unemployment rates, good public services, effective social institutions, a marked spirit if public service, high levels of infrastructure, reliability, obligations, a rule of law, high levels of innovation, a good education system and cultural variety. These high standards of governance and living are not a coincidence. They owe a great deal to a tradition of strong civic rights that also help drive democratic progress.
Debate Corner
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I am shocked over the fact that all these parliamentarians are allowed to become board members of so many companies and to act as lobbyists for the respective company during their mandate.
It is high time that the established rules will be reviewed and hopefully changed!
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