Swiss president tells expats he is confident about democracy

Cassis described his home canton of Ticino as a "breeding place of democracy" in the 19th century. The city of Lugano in southern Switzerland hosted the Congress of the Swiss Abroad this year. © Auslandschweizer-Organisation/Adrian Moser

Swiss President Ignazio Cassis has called on the Swiss expatriate community to help promote democratic values to counter the multiple crises of democracies worldwide.

Addressing the Congress of the Swiss AbroadExternal link in the city of Lugano on Saturday, Cassis expressed a good deal of optimism about the future of democratic forms of government.

Despite a number of setbacks for democracies around the globe over the past few years and recent crises, the possibilities of citizens’ participation in politics had grown over time since the 18^th century to reach a peak in the 1990s, he said.

In his wide-ranging analysis, Cassis also included the famous quote by the former British prime minister, Winston Churchill: “Democracy is the worst form of government except all the others [that have been tried].”

He also described freedom as a key driving force of societies, as Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion has shown.

Democracies are increasingly threatened from outside and from within by autocratic systems and notable polarisation of society, according to Cassis, who is also Swiss Foreign Minister.

“Democracies and liberal progress are far from secure,” he said.

Role of Switzerland and Swiss expats

Cassis said Switzerland could help promote democracy, seek compromise and act as bridge builder without missionary zeal.

“What is needed is mutual respect and a minimum of trust,” he said.

Cassis added that he was confident that “liberal democracies still have a few tricks up their sleeves in the competition between systems”.

One of the great advantages of the system is the “critical dialogue with and between citizens”.

He appealed to the Swiss expat communities around the globe to contribute their outside view of their home country to help strengthen democracy and national cohesion.

Wish list

In his opening speech of the congress to the several hundred participants, the president of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad, Filippo Lombardi, presented a small wish list to Cassis for the Swiss government.

Following lively debates among the delegates of the Swiss Abroad Council, which met on Friday, Lombardi stressed the importance of future relations between Switzerland and the European Union.

He also highlighted the need for the expat community to be able to take part in regular votes in Switzerland by introducing e-voting and he appealed to the government and parliament to resist potential temptations to cut financial support for the 788,000-strong Swiss Abroad community.

The speeches by Cassis and Lombardi launched a day of workshops and discussions about challenges for Switzerland’s democratic system. Experts from the fields of politics, science and the media debated ways of extending political rights, including participation of foreigners, youth suffrage, e-voting and social media.

It is the first OSA congress taking place in person since the Covid-19 pandemic.

New app for expats

The foreign ministry is due to launch a new smartphone application, developed by the consular services for the Swiss Abroad.

The app, available from November, serves as a communication platform between the expats and the embassies and as well as between expats and the foreign ministry.

In his speech on Saturday, Cassis revealed the name of this application: SwissInTouch.

“The choice of this name illustrates the desire for dialogue and exchange that lies behind this technological development. Load it onto your smartphone as soon as it is available and benefit from a new communication channel,“ he said.

Kai Reusser / swissinfo.ch