Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad, 

This special edition of our briefing comes to you from Bern, the political heart of Switzerland.

As recent snow on the capital’s streets slowly melts, trust in institutions seems to be steadily eroding too. The Swiss have rejected three out of four decisions backed by the Swiss parliament; voter turnout on Sunday was once again relatively low – around 45%. 

Voters accepted the reform of standardised healthcare financing but rejected the expansion of motorways, tighter subletting rules and easier evictions.  

Keystone / Peter Schneider

Swiss reject CHF5 billion motorway expansion but the Swiss Abroad vote against the trend 

Motorway junctions around Switzerland’s largest cities are notorious for some of the slowest traffic in the world. Despite this, most Swiss citizens believe that expanding motorways is not the best solution. 

+Read more about today’s results.

This vote was a major blow to the authorities, with 52.7% against and 47.3% in favour of the government-backed plan to invest CHF5 billion ($5.6 billion) in expanding national motorways at six critical points in the country’s motorway system, notably on the A1 near the capital, Bern, and between Geneva and Lausanne. 

Although Switzerland is a small country, congestion levels in Zurich and Geneva are higher than in major cities such as Manchester, Taipei, Sydney, Tokyo and Seattle, according to an international ranking by GPS provider TomTomExternal link. 

We will soon provide an analysis of how you, the Swiss Abroad, voted. However, early projections suggest that Swiss citizens living outside the country clearly supported the motorway expansion plan.  

Opponents, meanwhile, argued that bigger motorways would simply fuel traffic congestion, while the country needs better traffic management and more investment in public transport. 

Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Healthcare funding: Switzerland approves reform to save CHF440 million annually 

Switzerland has approved one of the most comprehensive reforms to its 30-year-old Health Insurance Act, which could save CHF440 million per year, according to the Federal Office of Public Health.

Today, 53.3% of Swiss voters approved the proposal aimed at increasing the number of outpatient procedures while discouraging inpatient care, which involves at least one night in hospital. 

Starting in 2028, cantons will cover at least 26.9% of outpatient costs, shifting the financial burden from health insurers who currently pay the entire bill. This cost-sharing arrangement will also apply to inpatient care and nursing homes. 

Historically, proposals to reform the Swiss healthcare system have faced challenges at the ballot box. However, despite the complexity and perceived lack of transparency of this proposal, voters were ultimately persuaded by the promise of lower premiums.  

Keystone / Gaetan Bally

A country of renters: Switzerland rejects tenancy law modifications

Switzerland not only leads Europe in terms of slow traffic but also in the number of people who rent accommodation. 

In one of the wealthiest countries in the world, around 60% of the resident population rent their homes. This is one of the highest percentages in Europe, where 69% of the population owned a house External linkin 2022. 

It is therefore not surprising that Sunday’s two referendums to ease eviction rules for landlords and to tighten subletting conditions failed to pass. 

Early in the afternoon, the outcomes of these two votes were too close to call. However, the final results showed that a majority of voters (51.6%) had turned down the subletting changes in Swiss tenancy law. At the same time, 53.8% of voters rejected the plan to make it easier to evict tenants for personal use of the property.

In our coverage of today’s votes, we also reported on several significant local decisions. These included a controversial referendum in Basel, where public funding for the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest had been challenged. The proposal was eventually rejected by 66.6% of Basel voters, but where did this opposition to the world’s biggest music event come from? My colleague Benjamin von Wyl explains it all in this article.