Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad, 

We’re writing to you from Bern after a busy, albeit somewhat predictable voting Sunday. As soon as the polls closed at 12pm, it was clear that both proposals would be rejected, and, indeed, that was the case. 

The Swiss voted against increased protection for biodiversity, and turned down a complex reform of the occupational pension scheme.

In this special edition of our briefing, we’ll give you the details on the results for the two votes. One initial takeaway: Swiss voters are increasingly mindful of the money leaving their pockets. 

Keystone / Peter Schneider

Let’s start with the numbers: 63% of voters rejected the biodiversity initiative, while 67.1% voted against the government-backed occupational pension reform; turnout was 45%.

Take a look at this map to get the final results canton by canton, and click on this link for details on today’s biodiversity and pension reform votes and reactions.  

Keystone / Christian Beutler

Swiss reject the government’s pension reform. Is trust in institutions taking a hit? 

Switzerland has traditionally enjoyed one of the highest levels of trust in government, but those days may be behind us. 

In August, the Federal Social Insurance Office admitted it had seriously miscalculated its projected spending for old-age and survivor insurance. This has put the Swiss government under the spotlight, and when it came to today’s rejection of the proposed reform of Switzerland’s occupational pension scheme, the second pillar of the state pension system, this calculation fiasco certainly had an impact.

As political scientist Lukas Golder from the gfs.bern research institute commented earlier this afternoon, the extent of Sunday’s “no” vote was a clear “slap in the face” for the authorities.

Several factors led to today’s rejection of the reform at the ballot box, but the main issue was that the reform was far too unclear. It was difficult – if not impossible – to understand how it would affect individual pensions. The only certainty was that it wouldn’t impact current pensioners, and not much would change for you Swiss citizens living abroad either.

+ More on Swiss government’s proposed reform of occupational pensions

Keystone / Gaetan Bally

Preserving biodiversity: is Switzerland doing enough or falling short? 

Wherever you live, there’s a good chance that biodiversity is at risk in your country – and Switzerland is no exception. The Alpine nation is known for its stunning landscapes, picturesque fields and tranquil lakes, but biodiversity loss here is even more pronounced than in many other European countries, according to the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN). 

+Biodiversity loss in Switzerland in six graphs 

In 2020, several environmental organisations launched the “For the future of our nature and our landscape” initiative to force Swiss authorities to allocate more land and funding for biodiversity protection, but it lacked specific figures. 

Opponents, mainly right-wing and centrist parties along with some farming groups, argued the proposal was “too extreme and ineffective,” claiming it would make about 30% of Swiss land off-limits and hurt food production and renewable energy. 

And they managed to get the public on their side, even though the reported additional costs of CHF400 million ($470 million) a year likely swayed the Swiss to vote against it. 

Here are the key takeaways from today’s vote in a nutshell. If you’d like to dive deeper, you can find our analysis piece here.