ZURICH (SWITZERLAND) – The Swiss government on Thursday dismissed a proposal to appoint Supreme Court judges by lottery, saying it would make the court appear less legitimate.
Supreme Court judges in the country are members of political parties and depend on them to get elected or re-elected, making them vulnerable to political pressure. A drive for referendum led by entrepreneur Adrian Gasser is seeking reforms to the judicial system.
Ahead of a referendum on the issue as per the mandate of the Swiss system, legal experts and the government have criticised the campaign’s suggestion to draw lots.
“(The appointment by lottery) is based on chance rather than a democratic election and would thus be an outlier in the Swiss legal system,” the government said in a statement.
The government statement said the present system in which both houses of Parliament elect judges has proved its merit.
But Gasser said the government’s argument is weak.
“A lottery is more democratic than a political party procedure that excludes a big part of the population. Candidates without party membership cannot be appointed and women are also under-represented,” Gasser said.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field