Recently, a new initiative on organ donation reached the first milestone of collecting more than 100,000 valid signatures. The aim of the initiative is to introduce, by referendum, laws that would presume donor consent. The changes would allow surgeons to take organs from anyone declared dead without requiring the dead person’s prior consent. Instead they […]
Swiss vote on gun law changes on 19 May 2019
Following the gun attacks in Paris and Brussels, the EU tightened gun rules in 2017. In 2018, the government of Switzerland, a nation outside the EU but within the Schengen area, changed its laws on guns to reflect european laws. The Schengen area is a visa-free zone covering most of the EU and the non-EU nations […]
Switzerland to vote against animal experimentation
A vote aiming to make experimentation on animals and humans illegal has passed the first official hurdle. Late last week, the administration gave the initiative a green light after validating 123,640 signatures, a number exceeding the 100,000 minimum. Launched by a group in the canton of St. Gallen in 2017, the initiative aims to make […]
Most Swiss unhappy with the nation’s politics, according to survey
A recently published survey shows only 38% of Swiss were happy with the country’s politics in 2018. The online survey by Vimentis, shows a small improvement on 2017 when the same figure was 36%. Results varied significantly by political party membership. In 2018, most members (60%) of the PLR (FDP) were satisfied, compared to members […]
Campaign launched for a pesticide-free Switzerland
On Monday, a referendum in Switzerland aiming to ban the use of all synthetic pesticides was launched. The popular vote, which collected the required 100,000 signatures in 2016, is scheduled for 2020, according to RTS. The pesticides that would be banned include glyphosate and neonicotinoids, a group of chemicals known to kill bees. Vote organisers […]
Vote results on freezing construction land and secularity in Geneva – 10 Feb 2019
The federal vote to stop urban sprawl was rejected by 63.7% of voters. Majorities in all cantons voted against this initiative which would have frozen construction land. The only cantons close to majorities were Geneva (47.7%), Neuchâtel (46.2%) and Basel-City (46.5%). In Geneva the law restricting restricting religious clothing in public office was accepted by 55% of voters, while initiatives […]
Poll shows majority now against the vote to put a freeze on construction land
If next week’s vote had taken place on 19 January 2019 it would have failed suggests a poll run by Swiss broadcaster SSR. A similar poll in December 2018 show a majority in favour of the plan. The latest poll shows that only 47% are certain or fairly certain to vote in favour while around […]
Vote against laws restricting religious clothing in public office divides Geneva
In Switzerland, religion is a cantonal matter. Cantons decide on the relationship between religion and politics. This has created a patchwork of different systems across Switzerland. In April 2018, the government of Geneva introduced new rules designed to further protect religious freedom and preserve religious neutrality in its public institutions, known as laïcité or secularity laws. Laïcité […]
Swiss democracy continues to suffer from low participation
The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2018 Democracy Index classified only 20 out of 165 countries as having fully functioning democracies in 2018. 14 were in Europe. Globally, democracy remained stable in 2018 according to the report. Only 4.5% of the world’s population (12% of countries) lives in a fully functioning democracy. Overall, the ranking shows a […]
Swiss to vote on gun law changes
After the terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, the EU decided to tighten firearms laws in member states and nations with EU agreements, such as Switzerland. Unhappy, a group of gun owners decided to launch a referendum against the pending changes. According to the organizers, the required number of 50,000 signatures has been presented […]
