Switzerland Today
Dear Swiss Abroad,
This special Sunday edition of our briefing comes to you from Bern, the political heart of Switzerland.
Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected the only federal initiative on the ballot, as well as most of the cantonal proposals.
At the time of publication, voter turnout was low at just 38% (the long-term average is about 45%). We don’t yet know how the voting patterns compare between Swiss residents and Swiss Abroad, so tune in to tomorrow’s briefing for a breakdown of the results.
Sunny regards from Bern,
Swiss voters reject the environmental responsibility initiative
Swiss voters have overwhelmingly rejected the “environmental responsibility initiative”, put forward by the Young Greens to reform the country’s economy and align it with “planetary boundaries”.
It’s rare for the result of a national vote in Switzerland to be so confidently predicted in advance. But in the case of this initiative, the outcome was clear. Just an hour after polls closed, a majority of the country’s 26 cantons had already said no.
Support for the proposal was likely limited to left-wing and environmentalist circles, Lukas Golder of research institute gfs.bern told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF.
Social Democrat Linda De Ventura said the defeat was expected, noting that initiatives launched by youth parties often struggle. However, she stressed that the result was “not a statement against stronger climate protection”. Voter support for recent climate and energy laws, she said, proves that the public wants more climate action – just not via this particular initiative.
The sense that the vote result was certain may have contributed to the campaign’s relatively low profile, writes my colleague Domhnall O’Sullivan. According to Année Politique Suisse, a research group at the University of Bern, media coverage of the initiative was well below average. Other possible factors include low campaign budgets on both sides and competing news events, such as the resignation of Defence Minister Viola Amherd.
- Read the full article and updates on the federal and cantonal votes on SWI swissinfo.ch (in English)
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Voters reject minimum wage initiatives
Today, voters in cantons Basel Country and Solothurn rejected proposals to introduce a minimum wage.
Basel Country’s minimum hourly wage initiative proposed CHF22 ($24.20) while Solothurn’s proposal called for CHF23 ($25.30) per hour. Voters rejected the left-wing initiative by 59% in Solothurn and 51.4% in Basel Country.
A minimum wage proposal was previously approved by voters in neighbouring Basel City, but the initiative in Basel Country would have required social partners to adapt the collective labour agreements to meet minimum wage provisions within a set timeframe, going further than that of Basel City.
Out of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, only Basel City, Jura, Ticino, Neuchâtel and Geneva currently have a minimum wage requirement.
Both Basel Country and Solothurn allow Swiss voters abroad to participate in cantonal votes, but at the time of publication, no data was available on their voting patterns.
- Read the Keystone agency news report on the canton Solothurn vote on SWI swissinfo.ch (in English)
- Read the Keystone agency news report on the canton Basel Country vote on SWI swissinfo.ch (in English)
Bern voters reject solar initiative but approve counter-proposal
The “solar initiative” in canton Bern was rejected by a clear majority (72%) of voters. This included Swiss Abroad, who are eligible to participate in Bern’s cantonal votes.
The proposal called for mandatory solar panel installations on suitable roofs and façades. Existing buildings would not have been exempt if they had undergone renovations by 2040.
The initiative was deemed too far-reaching by the cantonal government, which put forward a counter-proposal. Voters ultimately approved this alternative with 66.6% in support. The counter-proposal also mandates solar panels on suitable buildings but limits the requirement to roofs and exempts existing buildings.
Voter turnout in canton Bern was 37.4%.
- Read the Keystone agency news report on SWI swissinfo.ch (in English)
Lucerne voters reject lower voting age
Voters in canton Lucerne have decisively rejected a proposal to lower the voting age from 18 to 16, with 79.1% voting against the change.
Canton Glarus remains the only Swiss canton to have introduced a voting age of 16, after approving the measure in 2007. The initiative in Lucerne was launched by the Young & Committed alliance, which includes the youth wings of the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Liberal Green Party and the Centre Party, along with various organisations and associations.
Attempts to lower the voting age have previously failed in Neuchâtel, Uri, Zurich and Bern. Most recently, in canton Aargau, voters rejected the proposal with a 79.7% majority.
Voter turnout in Lucerne was 45.12%. Swiss Abroad are not eligible to vote on cantonal issues in Lucerne.
- Read the Keystone agency news report on SWI swissinfo.ch (in English)
Picture of the day
In the front row from left to right: Olivia Senn, Young Greens campaigner, Linus Dolder, Young Greens member Magdalena Erni, Co-President of the Young Greens, and Mirjam Hostetmann, President of the youth section of the Social Democratic Party (JUSO), react to the projected rejection of the only federal initiative on the ballot, the “environmental responsibility initiative”, today.
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