Switzerland Today

Good evening from Bern!

This special vote edition of the briefing comes to you today from Switzerland’s political centre.

On Sunday, the ballots closed on four issues: two initiatives which aimed to reduce the strain of healthcare costs on individuals, a new energy law which aims to loosen the restrictions on the development of renewable energy infrastructure and a proposal to ensure the right to refuse vaccination.

While these issues do not directly affect you who are currently living abroad, as SWI swissinfo.ch journalist Balz Rigendinger often reminds us, many of the Swiss living abroad might one day return. The results of today’s votes can shape how the landscape will look (and I mean this both figuratively and literally) in Switzerland.

The final results of the votes are in. Statistically, how you, dear Swiss Abroad, have voted compared to your local counterparts remains to be seen. We will update you on your voting preferences in an upcoming briefing – so keep an eye out for that!

But for now, let’s take a look at today’s results:

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Swiss deny themselves relief from healthcare pains

The healthcare initiatives put forward by the Social Democratic Party and Centre Party have been rejected at the ballot box.

The “Premium Relief Initiative” put forth by the Social Democratic Party had proposed to cap health insurance at 10% of individual income. “It’s a surprisingly clear no for the 10% initiative,” said Lukas Golder, a political scientist from gfs.bern research institute to Swiss public television, SRF.

Why was the first healthcare initiative rejected?

The open questions as to who would cover the necessary subsidy costs to make this initiative viable created uncertainties among voters, which ultimately led to the proposal being rejected.

Switzerland will not be hitting the brake on healthcare spending

People living in Switzerland have one of the highest healthcare costs in the world. Spending on related costs currently accounts for 11.8% of GDP. Economists point out that while wages in Switzerland have only risen 6% over the past ten years, healthcare costs have increased a staggering 31% in comparison.

The second initiative focused on reducing financial strain through the implementation of a “brake” system.

Much like with the Swiss “Debt Brake”, the healthcare “brake” would cap healthcare costs to ensure it isn’t able to increase faster than the economy and wages.  

Why was this initiative also rejected?

With this initiative, again, the open questions surrounding which measures exactly the Centre Party would have expected the government to take to curb these costs were not clearly defined. It was suggested that had the initiative been approved by voters, details would be ironed out by the Swiss parliament at a later date.

As SWI journalist Balz Rigendinger writes, “the reality that someone has to pay for social initiatives has reached the public consciousness just as the healthcare premium initiative came to a vote. And this in an environment of tight public finances”.

What we know so far about how you abroad have voted:

The analysis by Rigendinger shows that you who vote from abroad have filled a gap in the voting population, coming in support of low-income households who would have benefited most from a reduction in healthcare costs.

Many low-income households belong to the 27% of people who live in Switzerland and pay taxes but don’t have a say on voting day because they aren’t Swiss.

The concerns from the low-income households which have previously been put forth to a vote included childcare costs and parental leave. These have been consistently rejected at the ballot box.

The rejection of both healthcare cost reduction initiatives caused an outcry in French-speaking Switzerland and Ticino: in these minority regions, individuals pay the highest health insurance premiums.

As SWI journalist Rigendinger says, if politicians don’t find answers to spiralling health costs, the issue will become a threat to national solidarity.

+ Read the full analysis by Rigendinger here Embedded teaser

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The Swiss People’s Party vaccination freedom initiative dismissed

The Swiss People’s Party’s “For Freedom and Physical Integrity” initiative has its roots in the Covid-19 pandemic. Simply put, it states that the refusal to get vaccinated should not have negative personal or professional consequences. The first such initiative to this effect was first put forth in 2020.

The right-wing Swiss People’s Party is the only major group to back the initiative. In Switzerland, it is widely accepted that individuals cannot be forced to get vaccinated against their will.

This has been rejected by over 70% of voters.

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The new electricity law

The only issue on the ballot box accepted by Swiss voters today was the “Secure Electricity Supply” initiative.  

The electricity law, as it is known, was put forth by the Swiss government to loosen the restrictions on the development of renewable energy projects.

The government’s motivation for this proposal aimed to secure Switzerland’s energy supply. Following Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the Nord Stream pipeline blast, many countries in Europe were on high alert to the state of energy costs. Residents throughout Europe were warned of potentially sky-high energy costs in the winter of 2022. Many throughout Europe were indeed affected by dramatic increase in costs. In Switzerland, however, the blow was softened due to a mild winter.

This doesn’t mean Switzerland is off the hook.

Switzerland finds itself in a particularly tricky situation, as during the winter it requires a substantial amount of imported energy from its neighbours. Not only that, but with the rapid transition to electric vehicles on the roads, more electricity is needed to ensure there are sufficient numbers of charging stations.

Swiss authorities made it clear that the country cannot take the risk of energy challenges in the future.

Prior to the vote, Energy Minister Albert Rösti said “security of supply can only be achieved in the short and medium term by expanding domestic electricity production from renewable sources. If you want more electricity and independence, vote yes”.

The passing of this proposal will see Switzerland producing more energy domestically, specifically through renewable energy projects. There will be changes to energy products, transport and how energy can be stored and used. Current restrictions in place will be loosened to allow for renewable energy projects to be built quicker and with less bureaucracy.

As I said at the beginning of this briefing, the Swiss landscape will be different when or if you choose to return home.

While today’s vote might not have much of a direct effect on you now, how do you feel about these vote results? Is Switzerland on the right path? Let us know!