2026 April Democracy Bar:

We are presenting the new "Global State of Direct Democracy Report"!

For years, democracy has been under threat worldwide. Authoritarian tendencies and regimes have reversed the democratic progress made after the end of the Cold War in many countries. A large majority of people today live in undemocratic states.

Yet there are also other, far more encouraging developments: the practice of direct democracy is growing worldwide – especially at the local level. This is shown by the new "Global State of Direct Democracy Report", published by the Swiss Democracy Foundation in collaboration with Democracy International and the universities in Lille and Rotterdam.

What are the key findings of the new report? What lies behind these emerging trends? How can Switzerland contribute to strengthening and promoting democracy globally? And what role do the cantonal and municipal levels play in this?