The government sees no need to make political party funding more transparent.
Keystone
In a message to parliament on Wednesday, the Swiss government says it rejects a people's initiative calling for more transparency in political party funding, and sees no reason to legislate on the issue.
This comes in response to an initiative launched by parties including the Social Democrats, Greens and centre-right Conservative Democrats, along with the Swiss branch of Transparency International. The initiative calls for parties to publish the origin of all donations over CHF10,000 ($10,290). In addition, individuals and committees who donate more than CHF100,000 to a campaign – or more than CHF10,000 per person – would have to declare the total amount they have donated and where it all came from. Accepting anonymous donations would be illegal.
But the government says these rules would be hard to reconcile with the particularities of the Swiss political system, such as federalism and direct democracy. The system means political forces control and counter-balance each other, Justice Minister Simonetta Sommaruga told the media.
This is despite repeated reprimands to Switzerland from the Council of Europe for opaque political party funding. Switzerland is the only member of the Council of Europe Group of States against CorruptionExternal link (Greco) that has not introduced legislation at national level with rules on transparency.
The cantons of Ticino, Geneva and Neuchâtel have adopted their own rules, while Schwyz and Fribourg have agreed to hold a popular vote on similar rules.
More
More
Switzerland reprimanded for opaque political financing
This content was published on
Council of Europe Group of States against CorruptionExternal link (Greco) criticised Switzerland’s “lack of progress” on the issue. At present, Swiss political parties are not obliged to declare the source of their funding, whether it be from individuals, corporations or other interest groups. “Greco expresses regret that the federal government is maintaining its position of…
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
Legal action filed against Swiss purchase of Israeli drones
This content was published on
Legal action aims to put an end to the delivery of the six Elbit reconnaissance drones already plagued by delays and setbacks.
Higher direct payments fail to curb scrub encroachment on alpine pastures
This content was published on
The scrub encroachment on Swiss alpine pastures leads to the loss of grassland and damages the typical landscape. It is also responsible for the decline in biodiversity. Despite higher direct payments, the bushes continue to spread.
Head of Swiss financial regulator’s Banks division quits
This content was published on
Thomas Hirschi, head of the Banks division of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority FINMA will leave at the end of August.
Swiss population satisfied with life according to survey
This content was published on
In a survey, the population of German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland expressed general satisfaction with their lives. Respondents were less happy with politics and their personal finances, according to the online comparison service Moneyland.
WHO ‘extremely concerned’ about growing vaccination scepticism
This content was published on
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), vaccination scepticism and a collapse in funding for vaccination campaigns pose a major threat to the health of the world's population.
High-net-worth individuals prioritise well-being over material possessions
This content was published on
The priorities of wealthy private individuals have shifted against the backdrop of ongoing geopolitical tensions and trade disputes. While spending on luxury goods is declining, demand for travel and experiences is unabated.
Swiss researchers sequence genome of 1918 Spanish flu virus
This content was published on
Researchers from the Universities of Basel and Zurich (UZH) have sequenced the genome of the Spanish flu virus, thanks to a sample taken from an 18-year-old Swiss boy who died in the city on the Limmat in 1918, when the pandemic spread around the world.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Fribourg and Schwyz to become more politically transparent
This content was published on
Political parties and organisations in cantons Schwyz and Fribourg will have to declare their finances during campaigns for elections and votes.
This content was published on
“Too much money in elections hollows out democracy,” Annan told the audience at the Geneva Graduate Institute attending a public debate entitled, “Are elections giving democracy a bad name?” “We must recognise that the growing and sometimes pernicious influence of money, especially in elections even in well-established and seemingly stable democracies really does distort democracy.”…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.