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- Art. 5a FC
- Art. 6 FC
- Art. 10 FC
- Art. 16 FC
- Art. 17 FC
- Art. 20 FC
- Art. 22 FC
- Art. 29a FC
- Art. 30 FC
- Art. 32 FC
- Art. 42 FC
- Art. 43 FC
- Art. 43a FC
- Art. 55 FC
- Art. 56 FC
- Art. 60 FC
- Art. 68 FC
- Art. 75b FC
- Art. 77 FC
- Art. 96 para. 2 lit. a FC
- Art. 110 FC
- Art. 117a FC
- Art. 118 FC
- Art. 123b FC
- Art. 136 FC
- Art. 166 FC
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- Art. 11 CO
- Art. 12 CO
- Art. 50 CO
- Art. 51 CO
- Art. 84 CO
- Art. 143 CO
- Art. 144 CO
- Art. 145 CO
- Art. 146 CO
- Art. 147 CO
- Art. 148 CO
- Art. 149 CO
- Art. 150 CO
- Art. 701 CO
- Art. 715 CO
- Art. 715a CO
- Art. 734f CO
- Art. 785 CO
- Art. 786 CO
- Art. 787 CO
- Art. 788 CO
- Transitional provisions to the revision of the Stock Corporation Act of June 19, 2020
- Art. 808c CO
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- Art. 2 PRA
- Art. 3 PRA
- Art. 4 PRA
- Art. 6 PRA
- Art. 10 PRA
- Art. 10a PRA
- Art. 11 PRA
- Art. 12 PRA
- Art. 13 PRA
- Art. 14 PRA
- Art. 15 PRA
- Art. 16 PRA
- Art. 17 PRA
- Art. 19 PRA
- Art. 20 PRA
- Art. 21 PRA
- Art. 22 PRA
- Art. 23 PRA
- Art. 24 PRA
- Art. 25 PRA
- Art. 26 PRA
- Art. 27 PRA
- Art. 29 PRA
- Art. 30 PRA
- Art. 31 PRA
- Art. 32 PRA
- Art. 32a PRA
- Art. 33 PRA
- Art. 34 PRA
- Art. 35 PRA
- Art. 36 PRA
- Art. 37 PRA
- Art. 38 PRA
- Art. 39 PRA
- Art. 40 PRA
- Art. 41 PRA
- Art. 42 PRA
- Art. 43 PRA
- Art. 44 PRA
- Art. 45 PRA
- Art. 46 PRA
- Art. 47 PRA
- Art. 48 PRA
- Art. 49 PRA
- Art. 50 PRA
- Art. 51 PRA
- Art. 52 PRA
- Art. 53 PRA
- Art. 54 PRA
- Art. 55 PRA
- Art. 56 PRA
- Art. 57 PRA
- Art. 58 PRA
- Art. 59a PRA
- Art. 59b PRA
- Art. 59c PRA
- Art. 62 PRA
- Art. 63 PRA
- Art. 67 PRA
- Art. 67a PRA
- Art. 67b PRA
- Art. 75 PRA
- Art. 75a PRA
- Art. 76 PRA
- Art. 76a PRA
- Art. 90 PRA
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- Vorb. zu Art. 1 FADP
- Art. 1 FADP
- Art. 2 FADP
- Art. 3 FADP
- Art. 5 lit. f und g FADP
- Art. 6 Abs. 6 and 7 FADP
- Art. 7 FADP
- Art. 10 FADP
- Art. 11 FADP
- Art. 12 FADP
- Art. 14 FADP
- Art. 15 FADP
- Art. 19 FADP
- Art. 20 FADP
- Art. 22 FADP
- Art. 23 FADP
- Art. 25 FADP
- Art. 26 FADP
- Art. 27 FADP
- Art. 31 para. 2 lit. e FADP
- Art. 33 FADP
- Art. 34 FADP
- Art. 35 FADP
- Art. 38 FADP
- Art. 39 FADP
- Art. 40 FADP
- Art. 41 FADP
- Art. 42 FADP
- Art. 43 FADP
- Art. 44 FADP
- Art. 44a FADP
- Art. 45 FADP
- Art. 46 FADP
- Art. 47 FADP
- Art. 47a FADP
- Art. 48 FADP
- Art. 49 FADP
- Art. 50 FADP
- Art. 51 FADP
- Art. 54 FADP
- Art. 57 FADP
- Art. 58 FADP
- Art. 60 FADP
- Art. 61 FADP
- Art. 62 FADP
- Art. 63 FADP
- Art. 64 FADP
- Art. 65 FADP
- Art. 66 FADP
- Art. 67 FADP
- Art. 69 FADP
- Art. 72 FADP
- Art. 72a FADP
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- Art. 2 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 3 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 4 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 5 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 6 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 7 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 8 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 9 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 11 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 12 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 25 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 29 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 32 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 33 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
- Art. 34 CCC (Convention on Cybercrime)
FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
CODE OF OBLIGATIONS
FEDERAL LAW ON PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW
LUGANO CONVENTION
CODE OF CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
CIVIL PROCEDURE CODE
FEDERAL ACT ON POLITICAL RIGHTS
CIVIL CODE
FEDERAL ACT ON CARTELS AND OTHER RESTRAINTS OF COMPETITION
FEDERAL ACT ON INTERNATIONAL MUTUAL ASSISTANCE IN CRIMINAL MATTERS
DEBT ENFORCEMENT AND BANKRUPTCY ACT
FEDERAL ACT ON DATA PROTECTION
SWISS CRIMINAL CODE
CYBERCRIME CONVENTION
- I. History of origin
- II. Significance of the provision
- III. Commentary on the text of the standard
- Bibliography
- Materials
I. History of origin
1 The ban on withdrawing a referendum was regulated by law in 1976 with the enactment of the PRA. The new regulation was not prompted by practical difficulties. Rather, the procedure was to be clarified in principle in order to prevent future discussions. At the same time, the Federal Council considered the risk of problematic constellations to be low. The National Council and Council of States approved the regulation without discussion.
2 The 1996 amendment to the law moved the provision from the original Art. 67 PRA to Art. 59b PRA. It was editorially revised for stylistic reasons without changing the content of the provision.
II. Significance of the provision
A. General
3 While popular initiatives can be withdrawn until the Federal Council determines the referendum (Art. 73 para. 2 PRA), the law expressly excludes the withdrawal of a referendum. The reason for this lies in the different functions of the direct democratic institutions: a popular initiative introduces an issue into the political process. It is to be dealt with by the Federal Council and Parliament and possibly a compromise is to be found in the form of a direct counter-proposal or an indirect counter-proposal. The interest in maintaining a popular initiative can therefore no longer apply and it can subsequently be withdrawn. The withdrawal does not have to be justified.
4 In contrast to a popular initiative, a referendum is merely a request to hold a popular vote on a specific act of the Federal Assembly. The decision-making process in Parliament is complete. Signatories of the referendum request do not have any substantive concerns that go beyond the demand for a referendum. A possible referendum committee does not need a negotiating pledge to help a substantive issue achieve a breakthrough in another form if necessary. For this reason, the withdrawal of referendums is considered inadmissible even without an explicit prohibition.
5 According to the Federal Council, the ban on withdrawal is intended to prevent abuse of the right of referendum and prevent "frivolity and elements of gamesmanship from entering the state decision-making process". Although the provision would not be absolutely necessary from a legal perspective, it creates clarity for all stakeholders.
B. Comparison of laws
6 The majority of cantons, like the Confederation, stipulate that a referendum or a request for a referendum cannot be withdrawn. In the canton of Valais, a note to this effect must even be included on the signature list. As explained, the prohibition on withdrawing a referendum arises from the legal nature of the institute itself, which is why it also applies in those cantons that have no such provision.
7 As far as can be seen, the canton of Ticino is the only canton that expressly states that individual signatures may not be withdrawn.
III. Commentary on the text of the standard
A. No withdrawal of the referendum petition
8 The prohibition on withdrawal applies to referendums that have been submitted to the Federal Chancellery, as the request to hold a referendum is only made when the referendum is submitted.
9 Authors of a referendum are not obliged to submit their collected signatures to the Federal Chancellery; signatories are not entitled to submit them. A corresponding obligation was considered when the withdrawal ban was introduced, but was rejected due to the lack of control and sanction options.
10 In contrast to the popular initiative, the PRA does not require a committee for the referendum that can make binding declarations to the authorities on behalf of the signatories. As a referendum may not be withdrawn, there is no compelling need for a committee. In practice, however, one or more referendum committees are always formed, which organize the collection, certification and submission of signatures and act as contact persons vis-à-vis the authorities. They are notified of the decision on the (non-)realization of the referendum and can inform the Federal Council of their arguments in accordance with Art. 11 para. 2 PRA so that it can take them into account in the explanatory notes for the vote. However, the committees do not have an actual representative function.
B. No withdrawal of individual signatures
11 Art. 59b initially refers to the referendum petition as a whole. This is most clearly expressed in the French version, which refers to the "demande de référendum". In practice, however, individual signatures may not be withdrawn once they have been submitted to the Federal Chancellery. This view is based, among other things, on the consideration that the quorum could be undercut by the withdrawal of individual signatures, thus preventing the referendum from being held and resulting in the referendum being withdrawn indirectly.
12 On the other hand, there is nothing to prevent signatories from withdrawing their signatures if they have not yet been submitted to the Federal Chancellery. However, it is up to the referendum committee to comply with the request. It is not obliged to submit the collected signatures and can delete an affected signature itself or not submit it at all. However, there is no right to withdraw the signature. The authorities responsible for certifying voting rights have no possibility of complying with a possible withdrawal request by the signatories. Under Art. 62 para. 2 PRA, they are obliged to return the certified signature lists to the senders (usually the committees).
13 The withdrawal of individual signatures was considered permissible prior to the enactment of the PRA. At the beginning of the 1930s, the Federal Council felt compelled to comment on the existence of such a right of withdrawal. At that time, declarations of withdrawal were received for some referendum petitions and federal legislation did not regulate the case. The Federal Council considered the withdrawal of a signature to be legally valid if it was declared before the referendum deadline expired or before the initiative request was submitted to the Federal Council. A declaration of withdrawal to the offices certifying the right to vote was also permissible. For popular initiatives, Art. 5 para. 1 lit. e of the Initiative Act of 23.3.1962 codified this practice. The Federal Council's 1975 draft for the introduction of the PRA, which was intended to replace the Initiative Act, among other things, did not provide for the possibility of withdrawing individual signatures. In the National Council's preliminary consultation committee, National Councillor Blunschy proposed such a provision, according to which signatures could have been withdrawn until the certificate of voting rights had been obtained. However, this request did not find a majority in the committee.
14 The current practice is criticized by academics. According to Jacquemoud, the prohibition on withdrawal under Art. 59b does not apply to individual signatures, which is why their withdrawal should already be permitted under current law. Signatures should be able to be withdrawn up to the end of the referendum period at the office responsible for certifying the right to vote. This office should then inform the Federal Chancellery and the committee of the withdrawal of the signature. Such a withdrawal option without a basis in federal law should be rejected. In view of the number of parties involved and the ongoing collection of signatures, procedural issues would first have to be clarified in order to avoid any uncertainties with regard to establishing the existence of referendums.
C. Returning to the referendum decree
15 In exceptional cases, a referendum may become irrelevant if the Federal Assembly repeals or amends a decree during the referendum period or even before a referendum is ordered. In such cases, there is no withdrawal of a referendum, but rather its basis is withdrawn. The questions that arise are discussed in connection with the ordering of the referendum; at this point, reference can therefore be made to the commentary on Art. 59c.
Bibliography
Amstad Eduard, Referendum und Initiative, in: Yvo Hangartner (Hrsg.), Das Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte, Veröffentlichungen des Schweizerischen Instituts für Verwaltungskurse an der Hochschule St. Gallen, St. Gallen 1978.
Bisaz Corsin, Direktdemokratische Instrumente als «Anträge aus dem Volk an das Volk» – Eine Systematik des direktdemokratischen Verfahrensrechts in der Schweiz, Zürich 2020.
Ehrenzeller Kaspar/Nobs Roger, Kommentierung zu Art. 141 BV, in: Ehrenzeller Bernhard et al. (Hrsg.), St. Galler Kommentar, Die schweizerische Bundesverfassung, 4. Aufl., Zürich 2023 (zit. SGK-Ehrenzeller/Nobs).
Grisel Etienne, Initiative et référendum populaires, Bern 2004.
Hangartner Yvo/Kley Andreas/Braun Binder Nadja/Glaser Andreas, Die demokratischen Rechte in Bund und Kantonen der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft, 2. Aufl., Zürich 2023 (zit. Hangartner/Kley/Braun Binder/Glaser).
Jacquemoud Camilla, La libre formation de la volonté des signataires d’un référendum, RSJ 116 (2020), S. 223–236.
Kuoni Beat, Kommentierung zu Art. 59a BPR, in: Glaser Andreas/Braun Binder Nadja/Bisaz Corsin/Tornay Schaller Bénédicte (Hrsg.), Onlinekommentar zum Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte, verfügbar unter: https://onlinekommentar.ch/de/kommentare/bpr59a.
Kuoni Beat, Kommentierung zu Art. 59c BPR, in: Glaser Andreas/Braun Binder Nadja/Bisaz Corsin/Tornay Schaller Bénédicte (Hrsg.), Onlinekommentar zum Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte, verfügbar unter: https://onlinekommentar.ch/de/kommentare/bpr59c.
Kuoni Beat, Rechtliche Problemfelder direkter Demokratie in Deutschland und in der Schweiz, Zürich 2015 (zit. Kuoni, Problemfelder).
Tschannen Pierre, Staatsrecht der Schweizerischen Eidgenossenschaft, 5. Aufl., Bern 2021.
Winzeler Christoph, Die politischen Rechte des Aktivbürgers nach schweizerischem Bundesrecht, Basel 1983.
Materials
Botschaft des Bundesrates an die Bundesversammlung zu einem Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte vom 9.4.1975, BBl 1975 I 1317 ff., abrufbar unter: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/fga/1975/1_1317_1337_1313/de, besucht am 30.1.2024 (zit. Botschaft 1975).
Botschaft des Bundesrates über eine Teiländerung der Bundesgesetzgebung über die politischen Rechte vom 1.9.1993, BBl 1993 III 445 ff., abrufbar unter: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/fga/1993/3_445_405_309/de, besucht am 30.1.2024 (zit. Botschaft 1993).
Entscheide 2019 der Gerichts- und Verwaltungsbehörden des Kantons Schwyz, abrufbar unter: https://www.sz.ch/behoerden/justiz/entscheidsammlungen.html/8756-8758-8801-11700, besucht am 30.1.2024 (zit. EGV-SZ 2019).
Kreisschreiben des Bundesrates an die Kantonsregierungen betreffend den Rückzug von Unterschriften bei Referendums- oder Initiativbegehren vom 15.11.1933, BBl 1933 II 706 ff., abrufbar unter: https://www.fedlex.admin.ch/eli/fga/1933/2_706__/de, besucht am 30.1.2024 (zit. Kreisschreiben 1933).
Protokoll der vorberatenden Kommission des Nationalrates der Sitzung vom 12./13.8.1975 zum Geschäft 75.018 Bundesgesetz über die politischen Rechte (zit. Protokoll KOM-NR 1975).