Can citizens’ assemblies strengthen Swiss democracy?
Several Swiss municipalities are trying out a system of selecting citizens by lot to debate important issues like climate change. Everyone has a say, regardless of their age or the colour of their passport. SWI swissinfo.ch listens in on one such citizens’ assembly in a village in canton Zurich. The debate on climate change is taking place inside the auditorium of an old people’s home. An elderly speaker takes the floor. “I don’t know,” he says. “I’m not an expert but this is how I see it.” His audience is more diverse than any parliament in Switzerland. In all, 22 participants chosen by lottery based on their age, gender, education and political leanings are gathered in the auditorium. Seven of them do not own a Swiss passport, and one of them is a minor. What they have in common is their place of residence: the village of Thalwil in canton Zurich. Around 18,000 people live in this community on the shores of Lake Zurich. There is no local parliament, which means the fate of...