In July 2020, a group started gathering signatures to launch a public vote to ban Switzerland’s Covid-19 contact tracing app. To launch a referendum in Switzerland organisers must collect 50,000 signatures from eligible voters within 100 days. Organisers of the “Stop Swiss Covid” initiative had until 8 October 2020 to collect 50,000 signatures. According to […]
Home vacancy rates continue to rise in Switzerland
Finding a place to rent or buy has never been easy in Switzerland, a real estate market notorious for tight supply of property. Recently published data from Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office show are rise in vacancy rates from 1.66% to 1.72% in 2020. On 1 June 2019, there were 75,383 vacant properties either for rent […]
Swiss National Bank intervenes heavily to weaken Swiss franc
Official data recently released by the Swiss National Bank (SNB) show it sold 51.5 billion Swiss francs while acquiring US dollar and euro-denominated assets in a bid to weaken the franc over the first quarter of 2020. The data followed comments by SNB President Thomas Jordan signalling that even larger interventions may be on the […]
Swiss politician hopes to ban dual citizens from running for parliament
Andreas Glarner, a member of the Swiss People’s Party (SVP/UDC) told the SonntagsZeitung that members of parliament with dual nationality “do not represent Switzerland’s best interests”. In an interview, Glarner said he is submitting a parliamentary proposal to ban dual citizens from running for the National Council, Switzerland’s parliament, and the Council of States, Switzerland’s […]
Pandemic increases demand for second homes in Switzerland
Demand for second homes has risen since restrictions related to coronavirus were loosened, according to real estate company Wüest Partner. The option of remote working appears to be encouraging some to trade time in central city locations for more time in Alpine resorts, the countryside, commuter regions and smaller cities. The prices of second homes […]
Swiss would pay more for food to cut waste, according to study
After surveying 3,229 people, political science researchers at ETH in Zurich discovered that a majority would pay more for food if it would cut food waste. Switzerland’s population is well aware that food waste is a problem. The vast majority of those surveyed regard food waste as a moral, economic and environmental problem. Most accurately […]
Rising numbers struggling to pay rent in Switzerland
Nearly 44% of renters surveyed said that coming up with the money pay rent is now harder than it was before Covid-19, according to ASLOCA, a renters’ association. Following the survey the organisation is calling for more protection against the cancellation of rental contracts and moratoriums on evictions. The main reason cited for the current […]
Voters in Geneva accept minimum wage initiative
A majority of voters in Geneva accepted a plan to set a minimum wage of CHF 23 per hour (US$ 24.77). 58.15% of voters in the canton were in favour of the minimum wage plan, which previously only covered domestic workers. Two earlier votes on the subject were rejected by the canton’s voters. Unions argued […]
Swiss voters reject changes to wildlife hunting laws
Today, Swiss voters voted on whether to make it easier to hunt wolves and other wild animals. Based on the latest vote count a majority of Swiss voters (51.92%) have rejected plans to change Switzerland’s hunting rules. As many predicted, majorities in cantons in mountainous regions of Switzerland with a high percentages of farmers in […]
Swiss voters accept new fighter jets by thin margin
Today, Swiss voters voted on whether to spend CHF 6 billion on a new fleet of military jets to replace its ageing fleet of McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornets. With 50.15% of voters in favour of the purchase and 49.85% against it, the margin was narrow. Polls just before the vote suggested 58% would vote in […]
