The Impact of Direct Democracy on Society - Universität St.Gallen

– 34 –Table 3: Requirements for a Statutory Initiative between 1997 and 2003 (cont.)CantonNeuenburg(16 Oct 2001)new constitutionby 1 Jan 2002Neuenburg(alt)Genf(21 Oct 2003)Signature Articles inRequirement cant. const.6,000 art. 40, 1art. 40, 26,000 art. 38, 2art. 38. 3Effective since1 Jan 2002(24 Sept 2000)1960see T/S 1999,p. 27610,000 art. 64art. 65B (7 Mar 1993)Time-limit forcollection6 monthsart. 105, 1 LDP6 monthsart. 105, 1 LDP4 monthsart. 89, 1 c LEDPJura(4 July 2000)2,000 art. 75,1 1 Jan 1979(20 Mar 1977)12 monthsart. 89, 1 LDPSee table 2.3.3 Comments on the Changes in Constitutional and Statutory InitiativesTables 2 and 3 provide an overview <strong>of</strong> the 26 Swiss cantons and their constitutionalstipulations concerning the constitutional and the statutory initiative between 1997 and 2003.In several cantons, alterations in these institutions <strong>of</strong> direct legislation have occurred since1997. In the constitution <strong>of</strong> Zürich, the time period available for constitutional and statutoryinitiatives is not fixed (art. 29, 4 CC) 50 ; instead, it is stipulated that a cantonal law shoulddetermine this limit. As <strong>of</strong> the 1st <strong>of</strong> June, 1969, the time period for signature collection wasset at 6 months for people's initiatives (art. 13, 2 <strong>of</strong> the Initiativgesetz). On the 1st <strong>of</strong>September, 2003, a new cantonal law on political rights (Gesetz über die politischen Rechte,GPR) was passed in the Kantonsrat that fixed an identical time period (art. 126, 1 GPR) andbecame effective the 1st <strong>of</strong> January, 2005. In other words, in terms <strong>of</strong> the requirements forstatutory and constitutional initiatives, no changes that affect the index <strong>of</strong> direct democracyhave been undertaken in Zürich since 1969, despite the enactment <strong>of</strong> a new cantonal law onpolitical rights.Uri is one <strong>of</strong> the cantons in which important changes in the requirements for the constitutionaland statutory initiatives occurred after 1997. In this canton, the number <strong>of</strong> required signaturesdoubled from 300 to 600 as <strong>of</strong> the 1st October, 1997 (art. 28, 2 CC; art. 27, 1 CC), which50 CC stands for cantonal constitution.