The reform of the constitution has been arduous, as it must be adapted to the needs of a modern democracy.Pictured: Alex Bodry in 2015 Christophe Olinger/ archives

The reform of the constitution has been arduous, as it must be adapted to the needs of a modern democracy.Pictured: Alex Bodry in 2015 Christophe Olinger/ archives

The reform of the constitution has been dragging on for years. The process started in 2009 under the previous CSV-LSAP coalition. The 2013 DP-LSAP-Greens coalition announced a referendum first for 2015, then for 2017 and 2018. Any constitutional amendment has to be approved by a two-thirds majority in parliament, meaning the opposition CSV has to agree as well. The CSV has ruled out a referendum before the 2018 elections.

The president of the institutions and constitutional reform committee, Alex Bodry (LSAP), is currently planning a debate in parliament on the proposed text. He plans to submit the resolution to a vote, which would set up a timeframe for the voting procedure (the first vote in parliament and the referendum). This would “bind politically” any new majority after the 2018 elections, he argued. The referendum could therefore be held in 2019.

You can find the original article (in French) here.