Mandatory referendums in Switzerland

Swiss Federal Constitution, 1874

Switzerland employs mandatory referendums as a tool of direct democracy.

This type of referendum is utilized after an item has been passed by parliament and is then put to a vote. In contrast, an optional referendum is only held after a certain number of citizens or cantons request it.

At the federal level, Article 140, paragraph 1 of the Federal Constitution mandates compulsory voting on revisions to the Federal Constitution, the collective security organization membership (e.g., NATO), supranational communities (e.g., the EU), federal laws that lack a constitutional basis and are valid for more than a year (an emergency procedure). Article 140 paragraph 2 of the Federal Constitution mandates that only the people vote on certain matters, primarily as a component of the procedure for the comprehensive revision of the Federal Constitution.

At the cantonal level, each federated state's constitution regulates which matters necessitate a mandatory referendum. Consequently, there exist various scenarios. Nonetheless, all cantons must subject the revision of their constitution to a mandatory referendum (article 51). Some states also subject all state laws to a compulsory referendum, as well as any expense that exceeds a certain amount (referred to as a "financial" referendum).

Referendum results

Mandatory referendums	1848-1950	1951-1980	1981-2020 (mar.)	Total
Accepted	43	58	73	174
Rejected	20	17	29	66
Total	63	75	102	240

See also

• Double majority
• Optional referendum
• Mandatory referendum
• Voting in Switzerland

External links

• "Référendum populaire" archive in the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland online.