With all the crap going on around the western world, my country included (Eastern European here) I kept going back to a thought I had a long time ago. I have a very good Swiss friend, from whom I learned, and later researched, how their political system works and came to the conclusion it's the best one.
People vote on laws, not politicians. We all know that politicians are easily corruptible, as are all humans. You vote for them on the hope that they deliver their campaign promises, which quickly disappear once they get into office, because of (((special interests))). At best we get a watered down version of that long ago promise they made as a soundbite.
The only caveat would be "tyranny of the majority" but in Switzerland it hasn't happened yet:
archive.is
My main point is that the people decide, not a handful of politicians. You get to propose a referendum and vote in one for the laws by which you are governed.
For whatever reason, humans have an innate fascination with the cult of personality. I suspect it's a psychological evolutionary system which makes us appreciate our leaders, and the same part of us that has a need for a deity. It opens us, however, to massive exploitation. Election cycles are pageant shows, popularity contests which usually consist of who can make the biggest and most controversial splash. Switzerland has a ruling council that shares power and is continuously rotated.
This ensures there is no cult of personality as there is no one central figure to adulate or "worship". It also reduces corruption as power is much less centralized. Leads to more efficiency since each Councillor heads a branch of the federal executive departments, ensuring no one person has the reigns of them all.
Decentralized power is the solution to the absurd pooling of too much political capital into one place. Each canton has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts.The Swiss Federal Constitution declares the cantons to be sovereign to the extent that their sovereignty is not limited by federal law. The cantons also retain all powers and competencies not delegated to the Confederation by the Constitution. Most significantly, the cantons are responsible for healthcare, welfare, law enforcement and public education; they also retain the power of taxation.
Each canton can hold their own referendums on their own specific issues.
As I said at the beginning, these three key features of the Swiss political system make for the purest form of democracy, the lowest level of corruption, the highest level of individual liberty and responsibility for the citizen who truly rules his country instead of handing the reigns to a politician.