Table 3-5

Outcomes of Swiss referendums by type, 1848-1992

Type of referendum	Total Number	Successful (Yes Vote)	Failing (No Vote)	Percentage Successful
1. Constitutional Amendment Proposed by Federal Assembly
Total Revision (1872 and 1874)	2	1	1	50.0%
Partial Revisiona	136	97	39	71.9%
2. Constitutional Initiative
Total Revision (1880 and 1935)	2	0	2	0.0%
Partial Revision	104	10	94	9.6%
3. Parliamentary Counterproposal	27	17	10	63.0%
4. Facultative (Optional) Referendum on Laws and Decrees	112	53	59	47.3%
5. Optional Treaty Referendum	4	2	2	50.0%
6. Urgent Decrees Deviating from the Constitution	11	11	0	100.0%
Referendums on all Government-Initiated Measures (total of 1,4,5, and 6) b	265	164	101	61.9%

^a The votes concerning entry into the League of Nations (1920), the free trade agreement with the EC (1972), and membership in the United Nations (1986) are all counted as constitutional amendments.

^b Parliamentary counterproposals were not included in this category because they are usually reactions to ideas presented from outside, rather than projects originating in the government.

Note: the data in Table 3-5 is the same as that presented in Table 1-3.