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The Swiss cantons of
Appenzell, Glarus and Unterwalden do not hold elections and
voting as practiced in the rest of Switzerland and most
countries in the Western world, but have maintained an old,
traditional form of democracy known as the “Landsgemeinde”. This
is an outdoor assembly of all citizens entitled to vote, who by
a show of hands, can make decisions on laws and tasks which are
to be carried out (or not) by the cantonal government. In Canton
Glarus, the assembly is always held in Glarus, the cantonal
capital, on the first Sunday in May. These gatherings are a
colourful and spectacular occasion, as the photographs below
illustrate.
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