Swiss voters are asked to vote on a wide range of matters. On the 27 of September 2020, one of the questions voters face is whether the federal government should spend CHF 6 billion buying a new fleet of military jets. Switzerland is a neutral nation with a military dedicated to self defence that uses […]
Referendum: Swiss to vote on ending EU agreement
On 27 September 2020, Swiss voters have many decisions to make. This time the list of votes includes decisions on fighter jets, hunting, tax deductions for child care and paternity leave. Probably the most important among them is a decision on whether to accept a proposal to end the EU agreement on the free movement […]
Referendum: Swiss to vote on two weeks paternity leave
On 27 September 2020, Swiss voters have many decisions to make. The list of referenda is long and includes decisions on fighter jets, ending the free movement of people between Switzerland and the EU, hunting and tax deductions for child care. Another is a decision on whether to accept a proposal to grant fathers two […]
Referendum launched against SwissCovid app
A group in Switzerland has decided to launch a vote against Switzerland’s contact tracing app, an application designed to make it easier to know whether someone has been in contact with someone infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. On 25 June 2020, Switzerland’s contact tracing app, known as SwissCovid, became available for download. Created by a […]
Swiss vote results on affordable home quota and discrimination – 9 February 2020
The vote on an affordable housing quota was rejected by 57.1% of voters. The participation rate was 41%. Only five cantons had majorities in favour of the plan: Basel-City (60.2% in favour), Geneva (60.1%), Vaud (53.2%), Jura (53.2%) and Neuchâtel (56.2%). The other 21 Swiss cantons had majorities against the plan. The government’s plan to […]
Swiss to vote on banning discrimination based on sexual orientation – 9 Feb 2020
The government decided to extend the existing legal ban on racism and religious discrimination to discrimination based on sexual orientation. Some, who see this as limit to free expression and a form of censorship, launched a referendum to stop the government’s plan. In addition, they argue hate crimes are already punishable under the law. If […]
Swiss to vote on affordable housing quota – 9 Feb 2020
Economic and population growth have increased demand for housing in Switzerland. The period leading up to 2015 saw a fall in the number of available homes in urban areas in Switzerland. Rental prices continued to rise beyond 2015 into 2016. The initiative aims to impose a rule requiring 10% of new homes to be controlled […]
Swiss federal election results 2019 – winners and losers
On 20 October 2019, Swiss voters chose members of the 200-member National Council (parliament) and 46-member Council of States (upper house). Parties winning the greatest number of seats in the National Council were the Swiss People’s Party (UDC/SVP) – 53 seats (-12), the Swiss Socialists Party (PS/SP) – 39 seats (-4) , the Liberal Radical […]
More than 1,000 elected officials in Switzerland paid by employers for political work
Most elected officials in Switzerland have full-time jobs outside politics and undertake their political work on a part time basis. According to research by RTS, more than 1,000 people across all levels of government (federal, cantonal and communal) get some sort of financial help from their employer, typically in the form of paid leave, to […]
Swiss federal elections – test your knowledge
Switzerland holds federal elections every four years. The last was on 18 October 2015 and the next is on Sunday 20 October 2019. Answers are shown below in italics at the bottom of the page. 1. How many people have a right to vote in Switzerland? 2. Which party held the largest share of parliamentary […]
