The citizens of Appenzell Innerrhoden assemble in the Landsgemeindeplatz on the last Sunday of April and decide the canton's business — laws, taxes, officials — by raising their hands, with the result estimated by eye from the platform. Men traditionally carry a sidearm as proof of citizenship; women have voted here only since 1991, when the federal court ordered it.
Only two cantons still do this: Appenzell Innerrhoden and Glarus, whose Landsgemeinde is the first Sunday in May.
No attendance figure is published, and the relevant number is the electorate rather than the audience.
This is a working legislature in the open air. Visitors stand outside the ring and do not vote, and the canton asks that they behave accordingly.
PlanningAnchored to the last Sunday of April; it is a constitutional act, not a performance, and it happens rain or shine.
Dates
computed from the rule
Computed from the recurrence rule we record for this entry, not copied from a listing. A date marked ~ comes from a calendar conversion and the observance may fall a day or two either side.