Zürich naturalisation civic foundations study materials
Zürich naturalisation civic foundations study resources

Two majorities are not two chambers

Zürich naturalisation civic foundations · Put your knowledge to work in context.

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Two majorities are not two chambers

A hypothetical civic exercise states that a proposed federal constitutional amendment needs a double majority. The national popular vote supports the proposal, but the required cantonal majority does not. One learner argues that the proposal must pass because more individual voters supported it. Another says that double majority means approval by the two chambers of parliament, without considering the actual popular vote. The task supplies a clear voting condition and asks for its consequence. It does not describe a current Swiss result, give a party recommendation or provide a cantonal referendum rule. A suitable response distinguishes popular and cantonal approval and explains why the stated condition matters. This is constitutional reasoning for study purposes, not advice about filing an initiative or calculating the legal result of a real contested ballot.

1. Under the stated condition, is the proposal approved?

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No. The exercise requires both a popular and a cantonal majority, and the latter is missing. A popular majority alone does not meet the stated double-majority condition.

2. What does the double majority refer to here?

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It refers to the people and cantons in the relevant popular vote, not merely to two parliamentary chambers approving legislation.