Re: [WDDM] Enitiatives.ch revolutionizes Direct Democracy - Press release

["Ted Becker" <becketl(at)auburn.edu>]

...and why, oh why, is this guy...these guys.....and WDDM, CCIDD, IRI
EUROPE, MEHR DEMOKRATIE....not in touch with one another and linking and
thinking of how to best network?

Ted.

> > > <Media(at)Enitiatives.ch> 4/18/2007 10:20 AM >>>

<http://www.enitiatives.org/>

Auf Deutsch En français In italiano

For a truly Direct Democracy
Press release

Switzerland and Canada: the Internet and Direct democracy

Enitiatives.ch revolutionizes direct democracy

A new Internet tool aiming to promote and facilitate popular
initiatives
is born. Behind this project unifying ideas is Nicolas Durand, who
wants
to accelerate the process of direct democracy globally and to spread
the
Swiss political model to other countries. This April 19 marks the
double
anniversary of the introduction of the right of referendum in
Switzerland (the first in the World) and the official launch of
www.enitiatives.ch and www.enitiatives.ca

April 19, 1874 Decision by the people to introduce the right of
referendum into the Constitution
April 19, 2007 Official launch of Enitiatives.ch, engine for a new
generation democracy

A legal aberration at the origins of the project

Nicolas Durand's project started from an observation: "the legal
aberration around gender inequality in the Swiss Constitution" affirms
the founder of Enitiatives.ch. "This law left me only two
alternatives:
to circumvent it or do everything to change it".

The Swiss citizen active in the non-governmental organizations (NGO)
in
Geneva proposes citizens to create communities of interest around
"virtual" initiatives. Each citizen can launch an idea on the website
at
various levels - communal, cantonal or federal. The projects voted on
by
the net denizens will be submitted to the people, who will accept it -
or not - through a "traditional" vote.

Uniting around ideas, not a party

Enitiatives.ch gathers net-citizens around ideas without political
affiliation. As soon as an idea at the federal level finds 25,000
supporters, the initiative process can be launched by a committee of
committed citizens. This process can thus go very quickly. The
government could also make decisions according to the projects
discussed
on the site.

Exporting Enitiatives.ch beyond borders

The concept of Enitiatives.ch is popular, even in countries which do
not
have a mechanism of direct democracy as sophisticated as Switzerland:
the Canadian site (www.enitiatives.ca <http://www.enitiatives.ca/> )
will be launched tomorrow. "I am currently in discussion with European
and Uruguayan partners as well as Indian members of the Movement for a
Global Direct democracy. Most of them are convinced that launching
other
national sites will accelerate the process globally". If all goes as
planned, we will soon have an enitiatives.in
<http://www.enitiatives.in/> , and many others should then follow.

Enitiatives.ch - For a truly Direct Democracy : www.enitiatives.ch
<http://www.enitiatives.ch/>

For any questions, please contact Nicolas Durand
Tel. +41 79 542 32 73
Email : info(at)enitiatives.ch -  www.enitiatives.ch
<http://www.enitiatives.ch/>



Geneva, on April 18, 2007        approx. 2' 400 signs spaces
included