Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel (Cst. NE), of September 24, 2000 - The Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel (V-NB)

[1] 1 The canton of Neuchâtel is a democratic, secular, social republic that guarantees fundamental rights.

2. Sovereignty resides with the people. It is exercised by the electorate and the authorities in the manner provided for by this Constitution.

3. The canton of Neuchâtel is one of the States of the Swiss Confederation. It comprises the territory guaranteed to it by the Federal Constitution.

4. The canton is divided into communes.

The capital of the canton is the city of Neuchâtel, where the Grand Council and the Council of State are located.

The coat of arms of the canton is

Tierced in pale vert, argent, and gules,

a crosslet of the second in the dexter chief canton.

The official language of the canton is French.

[2] 1 Within the scope of their competencies and complementing the initiative and responsibility of other entities and individuals, the State and the municipalities assume the tasks assigned to them by law, including

a) the protection of personal freedom;

b) the maintenance of public safety and order;

c) instruction and training, both school and professional, as well as adult education;

d) the reception and integration of foreigners, as well as the protection of minorities;

e) the promotion and safeguarding of health;

f) economic development, as well as the maintenance and creation of jobs;

g) balance between regions, as well as inter-municipal cooperation and financial equalization;

h) social protection;

i) housing policy;

j) the protection and remediation of the environment, as well as the preservation of landscape and heritage;

k) spatial planning, urban planning, and building regulation;

l) sufficient, diversified, safe, and economical water and energy supply, prudent management of non-renewable resources by promoting energy savings, as well as promoting the use of indigenous and renewable resources;

m) transportation and communication policy, with particular encouragement of public transportation;

n) the promotion of culture and the arts;

o) support for science and research;

p) the encouragement of sports;

q) intercantonal and international cooperation.

2. When carrying out their tasks and in the event of a conflict of interests, the State and the municipalities favor the interests of future generations. They pay particular attention to the requirements of sustainable development and the maintenance of biodiversity.

[3] 1 The installation of wind turbines is permitted in a maximum of five sites.

2. The law defines the sites and sets the maximum number of wind turbines per site.

[4] 1. The maintenance and development of transport infrastructure are governed by a comprehensive long-term mobility policy.

2. This policy promotes the complementarity of transport modes, the service to all regions of the canton, as well as connections to the outside.

3. The law defines the modalities for the implementation of the comprehensive mobility policy.

1. The State and the municipalities are liable for damages that their agents cause unlawfully to third parties in the exercise of their functions.

2. The law determines the conditions under which the State and the municipalities are liable for damages that their agents cause lawfully.

[5] 1 An independent body is responsible for overseeing the management of the authorities and the administration as well as the handling of finances.

2. The law defines its form, competencies, and functioning. It may extend the competencies of this body to the supervision of other entities created by the State or with which the State collaborates, as well as to municipalities.

1. Human dignity shall be respected and protected.

2. Torture, as well as inhuman or degrading treatment, are prohibited.

1. The right to equality is guaranteed. No one shall be subjected to discrimination, particularly on the grounds of their origin, ethnicity, color, sex, language, social status, lifestyle, religious, philosophical or political beliefs, or due to a physical, mental, or psychological disability.

2. Woman and man are equal before the law. They are entitled, in particular, to the same education, equal pay for work of equal value, as well as equal access to public office.

1. Everyone has the right to be protected in their good faith and to be treated without arbitrariness by public authorities.

2. Retroactive laws that impose additional burdens on individuals are prohibited.

1. Personal freedom is guaranteed.

2. In particular, the right to life, the right to physical, mental, and psychological integrity, as well as freedom of movement, are guaranteed.

[6] 1 Digital integrity is guaranteed.

2. It notably includes the right to be protected against the misuse of data related to one's digital life, the right to security in the digital space, the right to an offline life, as well as the right to be forgotten.

3. The State promotes digital inclusion and raises public awareness of digital issues. It is committed to the development of digital sovereignty in Switzerland and collaborates in its implementation.

1. Everyone has the right to respect for their private and family life, their home, their correspondence, and their telecommunications.

2. They have the right to be protected against the misuse of data concerning them. They may access this data and request the correction of any inaccuracies and the destruction of data that are unnecessary.

3. Authorities may process personal data only if there is a legal basis and provided that such data is necessary for the fulfillment of their tasks. They ensure that this data is protected against misuse.

1. The right to marry is guaranteed.

2. The freedom to choose another form of cohabitation is recognized.

Every person in need has the right to housing, necessary medical care, and the means essential to maintaining their dignity.

1. Every child has the right to be protected and assisted.

2. Within the framework of public and compulsory education, they have the right to free education that corresponds to their abilities.

The free choice of residence and place of stay is guaranteed.

1. Everyone has the right to freely choose their religion and philosophical beliefs and to profess them individually or collectively.

2. Everyone has the right to belong to a religious community and to perform an act or follow religious teachings. No one can be compelled to do so.

1. Everyone has the right to form their own opinion, to express it and communicate it freely, through speech, writing, imagery, gesture, or any other means.

2. Everyone has the right to receive information, to obtain it from generally accessible sources, and to disseminate it freely.

3. Censorship is prohibited.

Every person has the right to access official documents, provided that no overriding public or private interest opposes it. The law governs this right to information.

Article 1: Right to Association

Everyone has the right to form associations, join them, and participate in their activities. No one can be compelled to do so.

1. Everyone has the right to organize and participate in meetings and demonstrations. No one can be compelled to do so.

2. The law or a municipal regulation may require authorization for meetings and demonstrations organized on public property.

1. Every person has the right to address a petition to the authorities and to collect signatures for this purpose.

2. The legislative authorities and the executive authorities are obliged to examine the petitions on their merits and to respond to them as soon as possible.

The freedom of education and the freedom of scientific research are guaranteed.

Freedom of artistic expression is guaranteed.

The freedom of language is guaranteed.

1. Property is guaranteed.

2. In the event of expropriation or a restriction of property equivalent to expropriation, full compensation is due.

1. Economic Freedom is Guaranteed.

2. In particular, the free choice of profession and employment as well as the free exercise of economic activity are guaranteed.

1. Workers and employers, as well as their organizations, have the right to unionize to defend their interests, to form associations, and to join them. They cannot be forced to do so.

2. Collective labor disputes are, as much as possible, resolved through negotiation or mediation.

3. The right to strike and the right to collective lock-out are guaranteed if they pertain to labor relations and if they comply with the obligations to maintain labor peace or resort to conciliation. The law may regulate the exercise of these rights; it may restrict or prohibit the use of strikes for certain categories of persons, particularly in the public sector.

1. Every person involved in a judicial or administrative proceeding has the right to a fair handling of their case and to a decision rendered within a reasonable time.

2. The parties have, in every proceeding, the right to be heard, to review the case file, and to receive a reasoned decision.

3. Persons whose resources are insufficient are entitled to free legal assistance under the conditions set forth by law.

Any person whose case is to be addressed in a judicial proceeding has the right for that case to be brought before a court established by law, competent, independent, and impartial. Subject to exceptions regulated by law, the hearing and delivery of the judgment are public.

1. No one may be deprived of their liberty except in the cases and according to the procedures provided by law.

2. Any person deprived of liberty must be immediately informed, in a language they understand, of the reasons for this deprivation of liberty and of the rights to which they are entitled.

3. Any person arrested by the police must be brought before a judicial authority without undue delay. If the authority sustains the detention, the detained person has the right to be tried within a reasonable time or to be released.

4. Any person deprived of liberty has the right to have the lawfulness of this deprivation of liberty reviewed in a simple and swift judicial procedure.

5. If the deprivation of liberty is found to be illegal or unjustified, the State shall compensate for the harm suffered.

1. Everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a final judgment.

2. No one shall be convicted for an act or omission that was not punishable at the time it occurred, nor shall anyone be prosecuted or punished for an offense for which they have already been acquitted or convicted by a final judgment.

3. Every accused person has the right to be informed promptly, in detail, and in a language that they understand, of the charges against them and of their rights.

1. Fundamental rights must be realized throughout the entire legal order.

2. Anyone who undertakes a public task is obliged to respect them.

1. Fundamental rights may only be restricted if the limitation is based on a legal foundation, if it is justified by an overriding public interest or by the protection of another person's fundamental right, and if it respects the principle of proportionality.

2. Any serious restriction must be provided for by the law itself. Exceptions are made for cases of serious and direct danger and disturbance.

3. The essence of fundamental rights is intangible.

1. Within the limits of their competencies and as a complement to the initiative and responsibility of other entities and individuals, the State and the municipalities take measures to enable every person

a) to educate and improve themselves according to their abilities and preferences;

b) to support their own needs and those of their family through appropriate work and be protected against the consequences of unemployment;

c) to find suitable housing under reasonable conditions;

d) to receive necessary assistance when in need, particularly due to age, illness, or physical, mental, or psychological disability.

2. The State and the municipalities take into account the interests of the family. They particularly ensure the creation of conditions that favor motherhood and fatherhood and that specifically allow for the reconciliation of family and professional life.

[7] The State establishes a cantonal minimum wage in all areas of economic activity, taking into account the economic sectors as well as the wages set in collective agreements, so that anyone engaged in a salaried activity can receive a wage guaranteeing them decent living conditions.

The State and the municipalities take measures designed to promote de facto equality between women and men.

The State and the municipalities take measures to compensate for the inequalities affecting persons with disabilities and to promote their economic and social integration.

1. Eligible to vote in cantonal matters, if they are eighteen years of age or older and are not prohibited from voting due to mental illness or deficiency

a) Swiss women and men domiciled in the canton;

b) Swiss women and men residing abroad who are registered in the electoral register of a commune in the canton pursuant to federal legislation;

c) Foreign women and men, as well as stateless persons who hold a residence permit in accordance with federal legislation and have been domiciled in the canton for at least five years.

2. The law may provide a procedure allowing a prohibited person to prove their capacity for judgment in order to be reinstated in the electoral body.

Voters elect the members of the Grand Council and the members of the Council of State.

[8] 1 The electors vote for the canton’s deputies to the Swiss Council of States.

2. The electoral district is the canton. The election is conducted according to the system of proportional representation. Eligible are electors who possess Swiss nationality.

3. The election takes place simultaneously with the election of deputies to the Swiss National Council.

4. The law governs the electoral procedure.

[9] 1 The right of popular initiative belongs to 4,500 voters, whose signatures must be gathered within a six-month period.

2. The initiative is addressed to the Grand Council. It can have as its objective the adoption, modification, or repeal of an act of the Grand Council which is itself subject to an optional popular referendum pursuant to Article 42, paragraph 3, letters a to c.

3. The initiative may take the form of a drafted proposal or that of a general suggestion. It must adhere to the principle of unity of subject matter.

4. Provisions concerning the revision of the Constitution are reserved.

One Hundred Voters Can Submit a Motion to the Grand Council. The Grand Council Treats the Popular Motion as if it Were an Initiative from One of Its Members.

[10] 1. The right to request a popular vote belongs to 4,500 voters, whose signatures must be gathered within ninety days from the publication of the contested act.

2. The request for a popular vote must be the subject of preliminary notification within twenty days from the publication of the contested act; the law regulates the notification procedure.

3. The request for a popular vote may concern an act of the Grand Council among the following

a) laws;

b) decrees that entail expenditures;

c) decrees through which the Grand Council submits an initiative to the Federal Assembly;

d) opinions that the Grand Council gives to the federal authority regarding the establishment of a nuclear installation;

e) decrees of approval of international or inter-cantonal treaties whose content is equivalent to one of the acts mentioned in letters a and b of this paragraph;

f) decrees of approval of agreements concluded with Churches and other recognized religious communities;

g) other acts of the Grand Council, if thirty of its members so decide.

4. However, the referendum excludes the budget, accounts, elections, amnesty, pardon, decisions of a judicial nature, and procedural decisions.

1 The laws whose entry into force cannot tolerate any delay may be declared urgent by a decision taken by a two-thirds majority of the members of the Grand Council who participate in the vote. These laws may be put into effect immediately. Their duration of application must be limited.

2. If a popular vote is requested, the law becomes void one year after it has come into force, unless it has been accepted by the people in the meantime. The voided law cannot be renewed according to the urgency procedure.

1. The following are subject to a mandatory popular vote

a) Popular initiatives that the Grand Council disapproves of; it may propose a counter-project in response;

b) Modifications of the cantonal territory;

c) Approval decrees for international or intercantonal treaties whose content is equivalent to a revision of the Constitution.

2. Provisions regarding the revision of the Constitution are reserved.

Before popular votes, the authorities provide sufficient and objective information on the matters submitted to them.

1. The cantonal authorities are the Grand Council, the Council of State, and the judicial authorities. They are organized according to the principle of separation of powers.

2. In the exercise of their duties, the judicial authorities are independent from the Grand Council and the Council of State.

Eligible as members of the cantonal authorities are electors of Swiss nationality. The law may extend eligibility to foreign individuals for judicial authorities. It may also declare eligible for the Council of State and judicial authorities persons who reside in another Swiss canton.

1. No individual may simultaneously be a member of the Grand Council, the Council of State, or any judicial authority. However, non-permanent members of a judicial authority may be members of the Grand Council.

2. Members of the cantonal administration staff cannot simultaneously be members of the Council of State or, subject to exceptions defined by law, any judicial authority. They may be members of the Grand Council, except for managerial staff, staff members who have decision-making or policing power, staff of judicial authorities and services of the Grand Council, as well as associates and staff members in the immediate entourage of the Council of State and the State Chancellery; the law defines these categories.

3. The law may provide for other cases of incompatibility.

[11] 1 Members of the cantonal authorities, as well as the staff of the cantonal administration, must recuse themselves when dealing with matters that concern them personally.

2. The cases of recusal in judicial or administrative procedures are furthermore determined by law.

1. Members of the Grand Council and the Council of State cannot be prosecuted for statements made before the Grand Council or any of its bodies.

2. Furthermore, the law may provide special provisions regarding the criminal prosecution of members of the Council of State and higher courts.

[12] The law may provide for the removal of members of the Council of State and judicial authorities, as well as the dissolution of the Council of State. It regulates the procedure and conditions for such actions.

Cantonal authorities are required to provide the public with sufficient information about their activities.

[13] 1. Legislative power is vested in a Grand Council of one hundred members.

2. The Grand Council is elected by the people according to the system of proportional representation. The electoral district is the canton. The law ensures equitable representation of the various regions of the canton.

3. The law may establish a procedure for substituting members who are unable to serve.

The Grand Council is elected for four years and fully renewed. Its members are eligible for re-election. The legislative term ends when the newly elected Grand Council is constituted.

Members of the Grand Council deliberate and vote without instructions.

The Grand Council enacts the laws.

1. The Grand Council approves international treaties and intercantonal treaties that do not fall under the exclusive competence of the Council of State.

2. It may invite the Council of State to initiate negotiations with a view to concluding a treaty, as well as to denounce an existing treaty.

[14] 1 The Grand Council adopts the budget and approves the accounts. It authorizes the use of borrowing and sets the limit on indebtedness.

2. It votes on expenditures and authorizes acquisitions and disposals of public property, except in cases which fall under the exclusive authority of the Council of State.

3. Laws and decrees that lead to significant new expenditures for the canton, a significant decrease or increase in its tax revenues must be voted on by a three-fifths majority of the members of the Grand Council. The law defines the concepts of significant new expenditure, significant decrease, and significant increase in tax revenues.

3bis Similarly, laws and decrees that lead to significant savings for the canton, when adopted to comply with legal provisions regarding indebtedness limits, must be voted on by a three-fifths majority of the members of the Grand Council. The law defines the concept of significant savings.

4. The same majority is required for the adoption of any annual budget that deviates from the legal provisions regarding indebtedness limits.

The Grand Council exercises the planning powers conferred upon it by law.

[15] 1 The Grand Council exercises supreme supervision over the activities of the Council of State and the administration.

2. It also exercises supreme supervision over the management of the judicial authorities.

The Great Council elects the judicial order's magistrates, except where otherwise provided by law.

1 The Grand Council

a) exercises the participatory rights conferred upon the cantons by federal law;

b) provides the canton’s opinion, as required by federal legislation, regarding the establishment of a nuclear facility;

c) gives its opinion, if it so chooses, during other federal consultations;

d) handles popular initiatives and decides, in particular, on their substantive validity;

e) approves the concordats concluded with the Churches and other recognized religious communities;

f) enacts amnesty and grants pardon;

g) resolves jurisdictional conflicts that arise between cantonal authorities;

h) exercises other powers conferred upon it by the laws.

2 It also assumes the duties incumbent upon the State that are not attributed to any other cantonal authority.

[16] 1 The Grand Council shall convene as of right four times a year. The law may provide for additional sessions.

2. The Grand Council shall also convene at the request of thirty of its members or at the invitation of the Council of State.

[17] 1 The Grand Council elects its president each year and forms an executive office.

2. The members of the Grand Council may organize into political groups.

3. The Grand Council establishes committees from among its members, which are specifically tasked with preparing its deliberations; the law regulates their institutional framework.

1. The initiative belongs to each member of the Grand Council, as well as to the office, the groups, and the committees.

2. The initiative also belongs to the Council of State and to each municipality.

3. Provisions on the popular initiative and on the popular motion are reserved.

The deliberations of the Grand Council are public. The law regulates the exceptions.

1. The governmental and executive power is vested in a Council of State composed of five members.

2. The Council of State is elected by the people through a two-round majority voting system. Cross-voting is permitted. The electoral district is the canton.

**Article X: Election and Term of the State Council**

The State Council is elected for four years, at the same time as the Grand Council, and is entirely renewed. Complementary elections are reserved in case of vacancy during the four-year term. Members of the State Council are eligible for re-election.

The State Council leads the policy of the canton, subject to the powers of the Grand Council and the people.

1. The Council of State generally prepares draft laws.

2. It issues ordinances within the framework of the Constitution and the laws.

**1. The Council of State negotiates, concludes, and ratifies international treaties and inter-cantonal treaties.**

**2. The approval of the Grand Council is reserved, unless a law or a treaty approved by the Grand Council provides otherwise.**

**3. The Council of State shall inform the Grand Council in a timely manner of its intentions regarding foreign policy, particularly of the treaties it intends to conclude. The law specifies the cases in which it consults the Grand Council or one of its committees.**

1. The Council of State prepares the budget draft and presents the accounts.

2. It decides on expenditures as well as acquisitions and disposals of public domain within the limits set by law.

The Council of State ensures the proper application of cantonal law as well as federal law to the extent that it falls under the canton’s responsibility.

**The Council of State exercises supervision over the communes.**

The Council of State

a) generally prepares the deliberations of the Grand Council;

b) represents the canton in its relations with external entities;

c) responds to federal consultations, taking into account the opinion of the Grand Council if one has been given;

d) concludes agreements with the Churches and other recognized religious communities, subject to the approval of the Grand Council;

e) decides on applications for naturalization;

f) ensures public safety and order and, when these are seriously and directly threatened or disturbed, takes necessary measures to restore them, even in the absence of a specific law;

g) exercises other powers attributed to it by law.

1 In cases of disasters or other extraordinary situations, and if the Grand Council is unable to exercise its powers, the Council of State shall take all necessary measures to protect the population.

2. The extraordinary situation is confirmed by the Grand Council, if it can convene.

1. The State Council is organized autonomously.

2. It elects its president each year.

1. The Council of State directs the cantonal administration.

2. The cantonal administration is divided into departments. Each member of the Council of State directs one or more departments.

3. The Council of State appoints the administration's personnel, who are subject to its instructions and supervision.

The State Chancellery assists the Council of State in the exercise of its powers. It is headed by a State Chancellor, appointed by the Council of State.

1. The Grand Council and its committees have the right to obtain from the Council of State and the administration all the information they need to perform their tasks, particularly in the exercise of high oversight. In the event of a dispute, the Grand Council makes a decision after having heard the Council of State.

2. The individual right of the members of the Grand Council to obtain information is governed by law.

1. In the first year of the legislature, the Council of State presents a political program to the Grand Council, in which it announces what it intends to accomplish during this legislative session. This program is accompanied by a financial plan.

2. The Grand Council takes note of the program and the plan. It becomes the subject of a debate.

[18] 1. By means of a motion, the Grand Council may instruct the Conseil d’Etat to submit a report or a project to it.

2. Through a recommendation, the Grand Council may invite the Conseil d'Etat to take a measure that falls within its legislative competence. The proposal for a recommendation must be signed by seventeen members of the Grand Council.

[19] 1 Members of the Council of State may attend sessions of the Grand Council, speak, and make proposals therein as provided by law.

2 The participation of members of the Council of State in the sessions of the Grand Council's bodies, as well as the scope of such participation, shall be governed by law.

[20] 1 The judicial organization is regulated by law.

2. Civil, criminal, and administrative disputes are settled by courts.

3. The law regulates the oversight of judicial authorities.

1 The magistrates of the judiciary are elected for a period of six years. They are eligible for re-election.

2. In the exercise of their duties, judges must conduct themselves impartially.

Court hearings are public. Judgments must be reasoned in writing. The law governs the exceptions.

The courts apply federal law and cantonal law. They do not apply legislative or regulatory provisions that are contrary to a higher law. Federal law provisions concerning the application of federal laws are reserved.

[23]

[24]

1. Municipalities are territorial public entities that ensure the well-being of their inhabitants.

2. They manage their assets and oversee local public services.

3. They also undertake tasks assigned to them by cantonal and federal legislation.

1. The law establishes the number of municipalities and lists them.

2. The territory of each municipality is defined in accordance with cadastral records.

1. The existence of municipalities and their territory are guaranteed.

2. The State encourages the mergers of municipalities.

3. However, no merger or division of municipalities, nor any transfer of territory from one municipality to another, can occur without the consent of the affected municipalities.

1. The State encourages intermunicipal collaboration, in the form of syndicates or other types of groupings.

2. Collaboration may be mandated in certain areas when it is necessary for the fulfillment of the communes' responsibilities.

3. In its operation, intermunicipal collaboration must uphold democratic procedures.

1. The fiscal authority of the municipalities is determined by law.

2. The law establishes financial equalization that mitigates the inequality of the financial capacities of the municipalities.

The autonomy of the municipalities is guaranteed within the limits of cantonal legislation.

[26] 1 Each municipality has a General Council, which is the legislative authority, and a Municipal Council, which is the executive authority.

2. Both Councils are elected for four years.

3. The General Council is elected by the people of the municipality; the election is conducted according to the system of proportional representation, except for exceptions regulated by law.

4. For the Municipal Council, the municipality decides whether it is elected by the people or by the General Council and establishes the electoral system.

5. The law determines the communal electorate and regulates the electoral procedure, as well as matters pertaining to initiatives, referendums, and popular motions.

6. The law may provide for the dismissal of members of the Municipal Council. It regulates the procedure and conditions for such dismissal.

1. The activities of municipal authorities are subject to state supervision.

2. The purpose of state supervision is to ensure that the activities of municipal authorities comply with the law. In certain areas, the law may extend state supervision to include the assessment of the appropriateness of municipal acts.

3. The state may replace municipal authorities that, after being duly invited, fail to take the measures required by law.

1. The State takes into account the spiritual dimension of the human person and its value for social life.

2. The State is separated from Churches and other religious communities. However, it may recognize them as institutions of public interest.

3. The independence of Churches and other religious communities is guaranteed.

1. The State recognizes the Reformed Evangelical Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Christian Catholic Church of the Canton of Neuchâtel as institutions of public interest representing the Christian traditions of the country.

2. The State collects the voluntary church contribution that the recognized Churches request from their members free of charge.

3. The services that the recognized Churches provide to the community give rise to financial participation from the State or the municipalities.

4. The recognized Churches are exempt from taxes on properties used for their religious activities and the services they provide to the community.

5. The State may enter into agreements with the recognized Churches.

Other religious communities may apply for recognition as being of public interest. The law sets the conditions and procedure for such recognition. It also governs the effects thereof, unless they are subject to a concordat.

1 The Constitution may be revised at any time, either totally or partially.

2. Partial revisions must adhere to the principle of the unity of subject matter.

1. A total revision may be requested by the Grand Council or by 10,000 voters acting through a popular initiative.

2. When a total revision is requested, a preliminary popular vote shall decide

a) if it should take place;

b) if in the affirmative, whether it will be drafted by a Constituent Assembly or by the Grand Council.

3. If the revision is to be drafted by a Constituent Assembly, it shall be composed in accordance with Article 52.

1. Partial revision may be proposed by the Grand Council or requested by 6,000 voters through a popular initiative.

2. The popular initiative is submitted to the Grand Council. It takes the form of a drafted project or a general proposal.

3. When the initiative is in the form of a drafted project, the Grand Council submits it to a popular vote and decides whether to recommend its acceptance or rejection. In the latter case, it may present a counter-proposal.

4. When the initiative is in the form of a general proposal, the Grand Council decides whether to approve or disapprove it. If approved, it develops the requested revision. If disapproved, it is submitted to a preliminary popular vote, with or without a counter-proposal. If the preliminary vote is positive, the Grand Council develops the requested revision.

Any amendment, whether total or partial, to the Constitution shall be subject to two deliberations, each followed by a vote by the Grand Council. The second debate may not take place until one month after the first.

In all cases, the new Constitution or the revised part of the Constitution can only enter into force if it has been accepted, by popular vote, by the majority of voters who have expressed themselves.

Are repealed

a) the Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel, dated 21 November 1858 [27];

b) the decree concerning cantonal colors, dated 11 April 1848 [28];

c) the constitutional decree concerning the application of the federal law on the peaceful use of atomic energy and protection against radiation, dated 29 January 1979 [29].

1. The Grand Council formally adapts the present Constitution to the amendments of the Constitution of the Republic and Canton of Neuchâtel, dated November 21, 1858, accepted by the people after April 25, 2000.

2. It formally adapts to the present Constitution the constitutional amendments proposed after this date.

3. The decree related thereto is not subject to a referendum.

1. This Constitution is subject to a vote by the people.

2. The Great Council sets the date of its entry into force.

Constitution adopted by the Great Council on April 25, 2000, and by the people on September 23 and 24, 2000; federal guarantee granted on September 17 and 20, 2001.

According to the decree of the Great Council, dated June 19, 2001 (FO 2001 No 47), the date of entry into force is set for January 1, 2002.

Transitional Provision to the Amendment of January 26, 2010 [30]

The election of the canton’s deputation to the Swiss Council of States according to the system of proportional representation occurs simultaneously with the next election to the Swiss National Council.

Transitional Provisions to the Amendment of December 3, 2015 [31]

1. In order to promptly undertake the construction of a direct railway connection between Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds as part of the overall Neuchâtel RER project, in the event of a favorable decision by the Confederation regarding the financial support for this infrastructure, the State of Neuchâtel or a financing company mandated by it is authorized to contract a loan and to bear the associated interest liabilities.

2. The law defines the financing modalities and the deadlines related thereto.

3. These transitional provisions are applicable until the completion of the payment of interest liabilities related to the realization of the direct line.

4. The Great Council certifies the occurrence of this moment by decree, whose promulgation results in the repeal of this transitional provision.

Transitional Provision to the Amendment of March 27, 2017 [32]

The amendments of March 27, 2017, apply for the first time to the 2021 general election of the Great Council.