Last week, a majority of the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, voted against stripping serious criminals of Swiss nationality, according to Le Matin.
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A motion to take Swiss citizenship away from those who have committed serious crimes and who have more than one nationality, was put forward by Lorenzo Quadri, a member of the Lega party in Ticino.
114 members of the National Council voted against the motion and 62 for it.
However, Switzerland’s constitution treats all citizens in the same way, a principle at odds with Quadri’s motion.
Switzerland’s department of justice and police is looking at current rules on Swiss citizenship in relation to dual nationals who present an internal or external threat to Switzerland, terrorists in particular.
Quadri, who would like to see more crimes included, criticized this narrow scope. Someone who tries to kill or assault others is not worthy of citizenship, he argued. He also thinks that the expedited naturalisation of third generation residents will only worsen the problem.
However, Karin Keller-Sutter, the minister of justice and police, said it would be disproportionate to extend the scope of the current rules.
More on this:
Le Matin article (in French) – Take a 5 minute French test now
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