's Woot ischt frei!

Attended the Landsgemeinde in Appenzell yesterday. With a population of roughly 20'000 people, Appenzell Innerrhoden is the smallest Swiss Canton ("State"), situated in the northeastern part of the country. Once a year, on the last Sunday of April, the citizens gather in the central square of the capital town (also called Appenzell, and which accounts for about one-fourth of the Canton's population) to elect the authorities and vote on cantonal matters. The first Landsgemeinde (literally "rural community") is said to have taken place in 1378, although written evidence exists only starting in 1403 - hence this genuine and a bit folkloric expression of Swiss direct democracy carries 600+ years of history.
Before the citizens convened, the square looked like this:

Then some 3000 Appenzell citizens from the age of 18 convened (men and women: until 1991 it was only men), and at noon the authorities paraded into the the square. In rapid succession but within a strict procedure, the Appenzeller reelected their cantonal government, discussed and voted on several issues, including same-sex couples, the Canton's budget, the tax code, and several bills related to education and schools. The discussion is generally introduced by the president of the government, who explains the matter and then declares that "s Woot ischt frei!", that anyone who has something to say can do so (literally, "the word is free"). A citizen may walk to the podium and give his opinion, or suggest a change to the government's proposal, or put an alternative proposal on the table, etc. Another may reply. Sometimes someone shouts. When everything is said, they vote by raising their hands (or, for the men, a small dagger):

Votes are not counted, but assessed by the Landammann (the head of the government), who can consult his colleagues in case of uncertainty. Only when the community is really split the votes are counted one by one (it happens very, very rarely). Clearly, in this context the vote is not secret, which makes political scientists say that the Landsgemeinde is good for discussion but doesn't guarantee democratic decisions. Generally speaking however, the political debate in Appenzell is pretty open and citizens are deeply attached to their 600-years-old political ways.

Comments

[Ethan]

Does the empty town square usually feature a tuba? Do most Swiss town squares? Or are large brass instruments another key component of the Landsgemeinde? :-)

[BG]

Right, Ethan, I forgot to mention that the authorities paraded accompanied by a marching band, which explains the tuba: waiting for the parade, the player put it there and went for a coffee with his colleagues. The colleagues brought their clarinets along, which explains why the empty square doesn't feature any... :)