Political debates at educational institutions in the western canton of Vaud are now forbidden in the ten weeks before elections, in a decision that has outraged left-wing parties.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Español
es
Un cantón suizo prohíbe los debates políticos en la enseñanza antes de las elecciones
This decision was taken by the cantonal education minister, Frédéric Borloz of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party. It is intended to prevent vote-catching during the election campaign. Left-wing parties are outraged.
Borloz defended his decision at a meeting of the cantonal government on Tuesday. Debates in schools are important to educate young people to become citizens, but they cannot take place at any time, he said.
Debates in the run-up to votes that do not fall within the realm of pure politics are not a problem, Borloz continued. However, this does not apply to debates related to elections, where fairness is more difficult to ensure, according to him.
His decision provoked outrage from the left. Social Democrat party cantonal president Romain Pilloud explained that adversarial debates, where all political opinions can be heard, have nothing to do with “propaganda”. “On the contrary, they are invigorating moments that allow young people to engage with civic issues,” he said.
Alice Genoud of the Green Party called the decision an “attack on the freedom” of schools.
Support from the right
Several centre-right MPs supported Borloz. Swiss People’s Party politician Céline Baux said that debates in election times were “manipulation” and only served to “put certain personalities in the foreground”. For François Cardinaux, a Radical-Liberal, “school is a place to learn, not to do politics”.
The Left wanted to overturn the decision with a resolution. However, it failed because of the centre-right majority in the cantonal government.
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate them into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. You can find them here.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
Aussie adoptee gains Swiss citizenship at 54 thanks to old envelope
Basel diocese files five claims of sexual abuse in Swiss Catholic Church
This content was published on
The diocese of Basel has received 141 reports of sexual abuse since the publication of a sweeping study on violations in the Catholic Church by the University of Zurich in 2023.
Swiss president calls for open markets and stable institutions in WEF speech
This content was published on
Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter was among speakers at the WEF in Davos to make the case for fair competition, a day after Donald Trump became the 47th president of the United States.
Swiss film in competition at the 75th Berlinale has a shot at Golden Bear
This content was published on
The feature film La Cache by Lausanne screenwriter and director Lionel Baier has a chance of winning the Silver or Golden Bear at the 75th Berlinale, festival organisers said on Tuesday.
Swiss politician who shot at image of Jesus resigns from Liberal Green Party
This content was published on
Sanija Ameti, who caused controversy after shooting at an image of Jesus and Mary last September, has resigned from the Liberal Green Party.
Swiss campaigners gather enough signatures to submit ‘responsible business’ initiative
This content was published on
The Swiss people are set to vote again on the corporate responsibility of multinationals after campaigners collected 183,661 signatures in 14 days for their new 'responsible business' initiative.
Several Swiss municipalities and banks hit by cyberattack
This content was published on
Russian hackers attacked the websites of several Swiss municipalities and banks on Tuesday, just as the World Economic Forum (WEF), got under way in Davos.
Music strengthens brain connections in premature babies, Swiss study shows
This content was published on
In premature babies, music strengthens connections in certain areas of the brain, according to a years-long study by the University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG).
WEF gives Crystal Award to Beckham, Yamamoto and von Fürstenberg
This content was published on
The World Economic Forum in Davos handed out awards to UNICEF ambassador David Beckham, Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto and women's rights activist Diane von Fürstenberg.
Swiss CEOs betting on a strong domestic market in 2025
This content was published on
Swiss business leaders are optimistic about 2025, despite a world in crisis, says a new survey by Pricewaterhouse Coopers.
This content was published on
Economics Minister Guy Parmelin and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis have welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang to Bern
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.