Swiss nationals who no longer live in their homeland retain a number of rights, including the right to vote and stand for election.
One of our readers, however, wonders what Swiss nationals scattered around the world contribute to Switzerland in return:
Dear Swiss Abroad, how do you respond to this?
Hello SWI__ __On the subject of money:__ – it’s worth noting the high health insurance premiums I’ve paid to SWICA over the years, and the fact that I’m now not receiving any benefits from my surplus funds. This is an aspect that isn’t discussed, as everyone assumes that redistribution takes place per contribution year; so where do the rising sums for the reserves come from? It might be worth discussing the possibility of minimal cover for travel to Switzerland with a health insurance expert.____- Disability benefits are (rightly) checked by the health insurers even abroad; this is currently the case with my wife.____Now to my further contribution here in Brazil/Pará__- Although I have long since retired, I still work as a freelance consultant, drawing on my experience to develop innovative solutions in collaboration with Swiss companies. I do this free of charge, provided that these partners are unable to sell the results for a profit. This leads to patents and other intellectual property rights being registered in Switzerland with my involvement.____- Provided the envelope arrives on time, I also take part in every referendum.____- I, too, pay withholding tax, but I see none of it.____- My children live with their families in Switzerland and I visit them regularly; unfortunately, I am forced to choose a non-Swiss airline. But here in Brazil and on our travels, we buy Swiss goods whenever possible.____Generally speaking, it really annoys me when politicians describe Swiss citizens living abroad as beneficiaries of those living in Switzerland today, as this is usually based on their incomplete perspective. One reason for our emigration was also the financial aspect; without social security benefits, it simply wouldn’t be possible for my wife and me to live in Switzerland without owning our own home. ____I love Switzerland, its nature, its infrastructure and its democracy.____Hanspeter Emil Müller / 7 September 2026
Hallo SWI__ __Zur Geldfrage:__- zu ergänzen sind die hohen KK-Beiträge die ich über Jahre an SWICA zahlte und nun keine Leistungen aus meinen Überschüssen beziehe. Ein Aspekt der nicht diskutiert wird, da jeder annimmt, dass die Umverteilung pro Beitragsjahr erfolgt, woher kommen dann die steigenden Summen für die Rücklagen? Hier könnte eine Diskussion für einen minimalen Schutz bei Reisen in die Schweiz mit einem Experten der KK interessant sein.____- IV-Leistungen werden (zu recht) durch die Kassen auch im Ausland überprüft, gegenwärtig gerade bei meiner Frau.____Nun zu meinem weiteren Beitrag hier in Brasilien/Pará__- Ich arbeite - obwohl längst pensioniert - immer noch als freier Berater basierend auf meinen Erfahrungen für innovative Lösungsentwicklungen mit Schweizer Unternehmen zusammen. Dies unentgeltlich, solange diese Partner das Erreichte nicht gewinnbringend veräussern können. So entstehen Patente und andere Schutzrechte in der Schweiz mit meiner Mitwirkung.____- Wenn das Couvert rechtzeitig ankommt, nehme ich auch an jeder Abstimmung teil.____- auch ich zahle Quellensteuer, davon sehe ich nichts.____- Meine Kinder leben mit Ihren Familien in der Schweiz und ich besuche sie regelmässig und bin leider gezwungen dazu eine nicht schweizerische Fluggesellschaft zu wählen. Aber hier in Brasilien und auf unseren Reisen kaufen wir wenn möglich CH-Güter.____Generell nervt es mich sehr wenn Politiker die Auslandschweizer als Nutzniesser der heute in der Schweiz lebenden bezeichnen da dies meistens aus ihrer unvollständigen Sicht erfolgt. Ein Grund für die Auswanderung war auch für uns die finanzielle Seite, ohne Sozialunterstützung würde das in der Schweiz für mich und meine Frau ohne Eigenwohnheim nicht gehen. ____Ich liebe die Schweiz, ihre Natur, ihre Infrastruktur und ihre Demokratie.____Hanspeter Emil Müller / 07. September 2026
Hello,__As a dual national – having been born in another country – I’d like to ask if there’s a place where we can discuss having two cultural backgrounds. My family is from the canton of Zurich, where I spent all my childhood holidays. I then had my very first job in Winterthur and have returned to my fatherland 🇨🇭 at least 50 times. I even tried to settle in the canton of Fribourg, but the lack of housing put me off. I’d like to share my roots – to which I’m deeply attached – with my children and grandchildren: the language of their grandmothers, Swiss cuisine 🇨🇭, as well as its history, national anthem, landscapes, traditional skills, culture and legendary neutrality, ...__For the first time this year, I had the pleasure of taking part in the National Day celebrations on 1 August with the Swiss-Brittany Association, in the region where I live. The discussions were both highly enriching and enjoyable, and I would be interested in exploring the commonalities between the culture of the Swiss Confederation 🇨🇭 and that of Breizh. __If any other people with dual nationality would like to discuss this dual culture – and, in particular, the questions of identity it raises – please do not hesitate to contact me...__Thank you in advance for your feedback and for your magazine, which I read with great interest.__Kind regards.____Ms Léonie Guéguen __Landrévarzec __Tel (33) 06 41 13 80 34 __leoniedys@gmx.fr
Bonjour,__En tant que bi-nationale car née sur le sol d'un autre pays, je souhaite vous demander s'il existe un lieu pour échanger sur la double culture. En effet, ma famille est du canton de Zürich ou j'ai passé toutes mes vacances enfants. Ensuite, j'ai eu ma toute première expérience professionnelle à Winterthur et je suis retourné au moins 50 fois dans mein Vaterland 🇨🇭. J'ai même tenté une installation dans le canton de Fribourg mais le manque de logement m'a découragé. Je souhaite faire connaître mes origines auxquelles je suis très fortement attachées à mes enfants et petits enfants : la langue de leur Gross-Mütter, la gastronomie Suisse 🇨🇭 ainsi que son histoire, son hymne, ses paysages, ses savoirs faire, sa culture, sa neutralité légendaire, ...__Pour la première fois cette année, j'ai eu le plaisir de participer à la fête Nationale du 1 er août avec l'Amicale Suisse/Bretagne, région que j'habite. Les échanges ont été forts enrichissants et plaisants et je serai intéressé d'étudier les points communs entre la culture de la Confédération Helvétique 🇨🇭 et la Breizh. __Si d'autres personnes ayant une double nationalité souhaitent échanger sur cette double culture, sur les questions identitaires qu'elle suscite en particulier, qu'elles n'hésitent pas à me contacter...__En vous remerciant par avance pour votre retour et votre revue que je lit avec attention.__Cordialement.____Madame Guéguen Léonie __Landrévarzec __Tel ( 33) 06 41 13 80 34 __leoniedys@gmx.fr
After nearly 50 years in Germany for love’s sake…__I have been registered on the electoral roll in my home municipality for many years. Of course I vote! If you’re planning to return to Switzerland, I think it’s particularly important. That’s not the case for me. My family lives here. This is also my home. However, should the AFD take complete control in the near future, then I will return to Switzerland. That would mean applying for supplementary benefits and much more.____Switzerland might well ask what I do, or have done, for them. After all, I did work in Switzerland for several years. For many years, I paid into the AHV voluntarily.__We used to travel to Switzerland every year and spend our holidays there.__For health reasons, this is now only possible if our son drives us there.__Our son has dual citizenship. So do his two sons. They’ve spent many holidays in Switzerland. My son doesn’t vote in Switzerland. His main place of residence is here. He won’t be receiving any AHV later on either. ____Our love for Switzerland is in all our hearts. Naturally, we share this with our community and our circle of friends. Thanks to this love, the stories and the photos, quite a few acquaintances and friends have already spent several holidays in Switzerland. That means extra revenue for the railways, restaurants, hotels and holiday home owners, mountain and boat railways, food shops, and so on.____Incidentally, we Swiss living abroad also buy Swiss products in our respective countries. My favourite cheese is more expensive here than in Switzerland. It doesn’t taste quite as good either, unfortunately. ____And I almost forgot to mention this. A month ago, I had to travel to Berlin to apply for a new passport/ID card. That was quite an adventure… Although I’ve been in Germany for almost 50 years, I’m not a dual national. To this day, I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it.
Nach knapp 50 Jahren in Deutschland der Liebe wegen…__Seit vielen Jahren bin ich ins Stimm- und Wahlregister meiner Heimatgemeinde eingetragen. Natürlich stimme ich mit ab! Wenn man wieder vorhat, in die Schweiz zurückzukehren, empfinde ich es als besonders wichtig. Das ist bei mir nicht der Fall. Meine Familie lebt hier. Hier ist auch Heimat. Sollte allerdings die AFD das Zepter in einiger Zeit komplett übernehmen, ja dann kehre ich in die Schweiz zurück. Das würde bedeuten, Ergänzungsleistung beantragen uvm.____Fragt sich die Schweiz was ich für sie mache, bzw. gemacht habe. Einige Jahre habe ich doch in der Schweiz gearbeitet. Viele Jahre habe ich freiwillig in die AHV einbezahlt.__Früher sind wir jedes Jahr in die Schweiz gefahren, haben unsere Urlaube dort verbracht.__Aus gesundheitlichen Gründen ist das jetzt nur noch möglich, wenn uns unser Sohn hinfährt.__Unser Sohn ist Doppelbürger. Seine beiden Söhne ebenfalls. Sie haben viele Ferien in der Schweiz verbracht. Mein Sohn stimmt nicht ab in der Schweiz. Er hat sein Lebensmittelpunkt hier. Er bekommt auch später ja auch keine AHV. ____Die Liebe zur Schweiz ist in unserer aller Herzen. Das tragen wir natürlich in unsere Gesellschaft, in unseren Freundeskreis. Durch diese Liebe, die Erzählungen, die Fotos haben doch schon einige Bekannte und Freunde mehrere Urlaube in der Schweiz verbracht. Das sind zusätzliche Einnahmen für die Bahn, Gastronomie, Hotels und Ferienhausbesitzer, Berg- und Schiffsbahnen, Lebensmittelgeschäfte usw.____Übrigens kaufen wir Auslandsschweizer in unseren Ländern auch Schweizer Produkte. Mein Lieblingskäse ist hier teurer als in der Schweiz. Er schmeckt auch nicht ganz so gut, leider. ____Und fast hätte ich es vergessen zu erwähnen. Vor einem Monat musste ich nach Berlin fahren um einen neuen Pass/ ID zu beantragen. Das war ein Abenteuer…. Obwohl fast 50 Jahre in Deutschland bin ich keine Doppelbürgerin. Bis heute konnte ich mich nicht dazu entschließen.
A ‘normal’ Swiss citizen living abroad costs Switzerland – apart from the (completely outdated and relatively easy to change) postage for voting materials … absolutely nothing. There may be some ‘burdensome’ emergencies amongst them, but these would also be borne by the state here in Switzerland. ____As soon as the cantonal authorities realised that voting materials could be sent by email – complete with an individual voting card – this would no longer be an issue following a one-off investment in software; incidentally, banks have been offering this service for decades. The envelopes for the ballot papers and ID cards, as well as the return envelope and the postage, would be paid for by Swiss citizens living abroad. ____It has, after all, always been ‘en vogue’ to badmouth others and other matters, and the fact that this gives rise to a great deal of envy on the part of those ‘left behind’ is down to the latter. ____The agony of choice, indeed! ____Peter Fässler – Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Ein "normaler" Auslandschweizer kostet die Schweiz - ausser dem (total veralteten und relativ einfach zu änderndem) Stimmrechtporto ......... gar nichts. Es gibt darunter allenfalls "belastende" Notfälle, welche aber auch in der Schweiz zulasten von Vater Staat gingen. ____Sobald die kantonalen Behörden begreifen würden, dass man das Stimmmaterial per Email verschicken kann; mit individuellem Stimmrechtsausweis, dann wäre dies auch kein Thema mehr nach einer einmaligen Softwareinvestition - wird übrigens von Banken schon seit Jahrzehnten so angeboten. Die Umschläge für die Stimmzellen-cum-Ausweis sowie das Rückantwortcouvert sowie auch das Porto wären vom Auslandschweizer bezahlt. ____Es ist halt immer schon "en vogue" gewesen, über Andere und Anderes hinweg zu lästern und dass hier viel Futterneid durch die "Daheimgebliebenen" entsteht, liegt an den Letzteren. ____Die Wahl der Qual halt! ____Peter Fässler - Demokratische Volksrepublik Laos
I worked for Swiss companies in Afghanistan, Ghana, Nigeria, Thailand, Kosovo and the Geneva based UN in Jordan, Iraq, Libya. I believe that I did a lot more for Switzerland than any Swiss inside Switzerland. What would the Swiss Economy do without us? Without our work abroad Swiss export would have been a lot lower. And now in retirement I am saving Switzerland any possible 'additional social security benefits' (Ergaenzungsleistungen). Switzerand should be grateful for all retirees emigrating, it saves them millions. And yes, we must remain politically active in order to save our rights. Voting? Difficult when voting papers always reach too late. Let's hope the electronic version is coming up soon.
Before I comment, I would like to understand what the real question is. Is it: What is the monetary contribution that Swiss living abroad make to Switzerland giving them the right to vote? Or is it: Why foreign nationals living in Switzerland who pay their taxes, contribute to the pension fund etc cannot vote? I ask this because I am a Swiss living in Hong Kong who paid taxes and social security to the Hong Kong government while I worked here, am a permanent resident and Hong Kong ID card holder and can vote. There seems to be some unfairness in the government policy in Switzerland rather than unfairness of Swiss living abroad not contributing to the country, but still having the right to vote.
I consider the whole notion of "Swiss Abroad" needs to be looked at afresh. Are we including the many thousands of frontaliers - Swiss people who live across the border but work in CH?
As for the Council of Swiss Abroad, the structure has outlived its sell-by date.
It would be more relevant to have a web based interface with properly registered participants. Those taking part should have to prove they are actually Swiss, are registered with a canton and have a CH passport.
Why do we have to give something back to Switzerland?
The question should be what is Switzerland doing for us expats? We have worked hard in Switzerland for decades, paid taxes and AHV and contributed to Switzerland's prosperity.
I moved to Thailand twelve years ago as an expat. The first thing the Swiss health insurance company did was kick me out, even though healthcare costs in Thailand are much cheaper than in Switzerland.
Not long after that, my Swiss banks started hitting me with exorbitant account management fees and unfounded justifications.
The only accommodating bank was Postfinance. Always friendly, good service and reliable with moderate costs. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them once again.
No wonder it is a thorn in the side of the banking association today.
The disaster with COVID began not long afterwards.
The Swiss "Foreign Minister" came to Bangkok and gave us a hundred reasons why Switzerland could not give us a vaccine for political reasons. Thank God the USA provided us with vaccine immediately and free of charge, unbureaucratically.
We usually receive the voting documents so late that it is impossible to vote. To be on the safe side, we have been told that we cannot vote electronically.
But electronic banking has been working for years. What is the problem?
Only the Swiss government and its lobby are to blame for all these problems!
As long as Switzerland takes more care of its asylum seekers than of us expats, we hardly owe Switzerland anything.
One day we expats will unite worldwide under one roof like a trade union and then we will be a political power and can push through our concerns.
Warum müssen wir der Schweiz etwas zurückgeben?_Die Frage sollte lauten: Was tut die Schweiz für uns, die Auswanderer? Wir haben jahrzehntelang in der Schweiz gearbeitet, Steuern und AHV bezahlt und zum Wohlstand der Schweiz beigetragen._Ich bin vor zwölf Jahren als Expat nach Thailand gezogen. Das Erste, was ich tat, war, mich von der Schweizer Krankenkasse ausschliessen zu lassen, obwohl die Gesundheitskosten in Thailand deutlich günstiger sind als in der Schweiz._Kurz darauf fingen meine Schweizer Banken an, mich mit exorbitanten Kontogebühren und unbegründeten Vorwürfen zu schikanieren._Die einzige entgegenkommende Bank war noch Postfinance. Immer freundlich, guter Service und zuverlässig zu moderaten Gebühren. Ich nutze die Gelegenheit, um ihr noch einmal zu danken._Kein Wunder, dass sie dem Bankenverband heute ein Dorn im Auge ist._Kurz darauf begann das Desaster mit COVID._Der Schweizer «Aussenminister» kam nach Bangkok und nannte uns hundert Gründe, warum die Schweiz uns aus politischen Gründen keinen Impfstoff geben könne. Gott sei Dank haben uns die USA sofort und kostenlos Impfstoffe zur Verfügung gestellt, ganz ohne Bürokratie._Meistens erhalten wir die Stimmunterlagen so spät, dass es unmöglich ist, an der Abstimmung teilzunehmen. Aus Sicherheitsgründen wurde uns gesagt, dass eine elektronische Stimmabgabe nicht möglich sei._Aber E-Banking funktioniert doch schon seit Jahren. Wo liegt das Problem?_All diese Probleme sind allein der Schweizer Regierung und ihrer Lobby zuzuschreiben!_Solange sich die Schweiz mehr um ihre Asylsuchenden kümmert als um uns, die im Ausland lebenden Schweizer, schulden wir ihr fast nichts._Eines Tages werden wir Auswanderer uns weltweit unter einem Dach zusammenschliessen, wie eine Gewerkschaft, und dann werden wir eine politische Macht sein und unsere Forderungen durchsetzen können.
I have heard similar comments from other Swiss Nationals living and working here in Hong Kong. There needs to be some serious reflection and debate on how the Swiss Government and the Swiss Banking system handles the Fifth Switzerland.
The AHV payments are not gifts from Switzerland but were financed by contributions.
The right to vote for Swiss citizens abroad will only work once the votes have been computerized.
The question remains whether Switzerland is interested in the opinion of expatriates and how important it still is for them.
In any case, retired emigrants have already done their bit for Switzerland.
I was often disturbed by the criticism (envy?) of emigrants in the media.
The critics usually have incomplete knowledge of the advantages and disadvantages of emigrants.
Die AHV-Auszahlungen sind keine Geschenke der Schweiz, sondern wurden durch Einzahlungen finanziert._Das Stimmrecht der Auslandschweizer wird erst dann funktionieren, wenn die Abstimmungen digitalisiert sind._Es bleibt die Frage, ob die Schweiz an der Meinung der im Ausland lebenden Schweizer interessiert ist und welche Bedeutung sie für diese noch hat._Auf jeden Fall haben die im Ausland lebenden Rentner bereits ihren Beitrag für die Schweiz geleistet._Ich habe mich oft an der Kritik (Neid?) gestört, die in den Medien gegen die Auswanderer geäussert wurde._Die Kritiker haben in der Regel nur eine unvollständige Kenntnis der Vor- und Nachteile der Auswanderer.
"Wish you a very happy New Year to you!"
I also find it important to consider the contribution of the Swiss living on the (geographic and social) edge of Switzerland. We who live on the border (for example, I in Ticino), experience two realities; the Swiss and the Italian. We can compare and touch the two realities that converge in our living as Swiss almost abroad.
Trovo importante considerare anche il contributo degli svizzeri che vivono in svizzera, al margine (geografico e sociale) della Svizzera. Noi che viviamo sul confine (per esempio io in Ticino), viviamo due realtà; quella svizzera e quella italiana. Possiamo confrontare e toccare con mano le due realtà che confluiscono nel nostro vivere da svizzeri quasi all'estero.
Well, first of all : the "turned your back on Switzerland" is often not true at all !
Many of us who "left" live more Swiss than those who "stayed behind"...
I followed my fiancé ( a secondo ) to Vancouver in 1976 .
We started a family and all of our 3 children speak Swiss German without any gaps and we participate intensively in the Swiss Society , theater group , choir and organization at festivities ...
Several visits to the "old country" helped to maintain our precious youth friendships and to introduce our children to the familiar places , cultural sites and events !
The right to vote we appreciate / but we keep away from actively voting, because we just : no longer live THERE .
But it is very reassuring to be up to date !
Erstens stimmt der Ausdruck «der Schweiz den Rücken gekehrt zu haben» oft gar nicht!_Viele von uns, die die Schweiz verlassen haben, leben viel schweizerischer als diejenigen, die geblieben sind...__Ich bin 1976 meinem Verlobten (einem «Secondo») nach Vancouver gefolgt._Wir haben eine Familie gegründet, und unsere drei Kinder sprechen perfektes Schweizerdeutsch; ausserdem engagieren wir uns aktiv in der Swiss Society, in der Theatergruppe, im Chor und bei der Organisation von Festlichkeiten ...__Mehrere Besuche in unserer «alten Heimat» haben es uns ermöglicht, unsere wertvollen Freundschaften aus der Jugendzeit zu pflegen und unseren Kindern die Orte, Kulturstätten und Anlässe näherzubringen, die uns vertraut sind!__Wir schätzen das Stimmrecht zwar sehr, verzichten aber darauf, aktiv an Abstimmungen teilzunehmen, da wir nicht mehr dort leben.__Aber es ist sehr beruhigend, auf dem Laufenden zu sein!_
My contribution: I visit Switzerland every 2 years with my grand daughters and we spend a lot of money on train rides, rental cars, hotels if needed, restaurants, gifts, fashion and more.
I do not care to much about the vote privileges, because I do not keep up with all the election needs and wants. I still have family there, and as long as they are alive, I will visit.
My Swiss wife is giving her Swiss family and friends a American view of the world, via weekly telephone calls, and monthly skypes, plus postal letters. She reads Swiss Review and lots of other international news, plus swiss.ch on the internet. She's dual citizenship and votes in both Switzerland and the disunited States. -Eric Burr, Mazama WA USA
Dear Asparagus, Great to hear it. Your wife is on a good course!
It used to be that people like me, having immigrated to Canada in the late 60 early 70, would have a close knit within this Swiss community living here, and we certainly served as good ambassadors for Switzerland. In my case I was even a cofounder of a Swiss choir (Jodelclub) and we participated in many events spreading a lot of things which were SWISS. Moving forward and with technology advancing as it did and the travelling patterns moving around in the world of ours, people at large have acquired a good knowledge of any part of our globalist planet which means that the input of the Swiss living here has become irrelevant.
Having said the above, and voicing my own opinion regarding my contribution presently in return which allows me to vote and stand for election, I have a different optic at this time of my life since I do not believe that I should place my vote for any of the issues on the agenda since I have been living over (50) years in Canada and as such, and whatever is voted on, I do not have to live the consequences.
Last but not least, I have remained very much Swiss which is displayed by the fact that I am visiting family and friends a number of times every year. I am also very grateful to have been brought up in Switzerland where I received all the tools at school which allowed me to succeed as an immigrant in Canada.
The negative part of the developments in terms of the living costs as well as the strength of the Swiss currency or for that matter the weakness of the Canadian Dollar, it is getting harder to muster the courage to travel to CH these days and the old age pension payments (AHV) for the few years I have been working in Switzerland have not increased.
Just the same I am still a very proud Swiss and I make it known at every occasion I have talking to my Canadian friends.
Not only the Swiss abroad, but also those of us who have lived and worked in CH and who are still passionately interested in everything to do with Swiss life.
However, in view of the astronomical price of everything in Switzerland, especially cost of living [meat, dairy products etc.] as well as the phenomenally ever-rising cost of health care, we could never afford to live there nowadays. It seems this applies to many people who have left. Additionally, after six years of working in CH, my AHV monthly payment is laughable at only CHF160.00, which has only increased 2.00 during 14 years [even worse than the British pension}!
I second the comment on the Swiss Pension. It is certainly not an amount that any person could reasonable live on. The Pension Find requires a rethink and reset.
Hello,
I'm very surprised by this reader's question: the premise of the question is that the Swiss abroad (there's a problem here: the Swiss abroad are not a homogeneous group, there are expatriates sent by companies/organizations/etc., migrants, dual nationals, people who live in both countries partially, with at least 6 months and one day abroad, etc.) have "abandoned" their country.
I find this wording shocking, it comes from a trial of intent, which is why I won't answer this question (and I have a lot of answers to give about what I bring to my country) until it has been reworded with a little more nuance.
Bonjour,__Je suis très étonné de l'énoncé de la question de ce lecteur: la prémisse de cette question est que les Suisses de l'étranger (déjà là, il y a un problème, les Suisses de l'étranger ne sont pas un groupe homogène, il y a des expatrié.es envoyé.es par des entreprises/organisations/etc., des migrant.es, des doubles nationaux, des personnes qui vivent dans les deux pays de manière partielle avec au moins 6 mois et un jour à l'étranger, etc) auraient "abandonné" leur pays. __Je trouve cette formulation choquante, cela part d'un procès d'intention, c'est la raison pour laquelle je ne répondrai pas à cette question (et j'ai beaucoup de réponse à donner sur ce que j'apporte à mon pays) tant qu'elle n'aura pas été reformulée avec un peu plus de nuance.
Hello, I've deliberately left the reader's question untouched, as it is indeed a little provocative. But, as you say, the reality is far more nuanced. In any case, I'd be curious to know what you think, and I hope you'll take the time to answer. :)
Bonjour, j'ai volontairement laissée intacte la question formulée par le lecteur, car elle est effectivement un peu provocante. Mais, ainsi que vous le mentionnez, la réalité est bien plus nuancée. Je serais en tout cas curieuse de connaître votre avis et j'espère que vous prendrez malgré tout le temps de répondre. :)
Hello,
Thanks for the clarification.
I exercise my right to vote in all votes and elections (I hope that my ballot paper for the second round of the elections to the Council of States will arrive in time) for several reasons:
The first may seem abstract, but it is certainly the most legitimate and universal: our nationality implies rights AND duties. I'm subject, like everyone else, to the duties of a Swiss citizen, and it seems only natural that I should also have recourse to my civic and political rights.
The others are personal: what happens in my country directly affects my family back home. So I support them in the causes that matter to them. What happens in my own country also affects me directly, since I'm linked to it through part of my professional activity from my country of expatriation to Switzerland.
To know what I bring to my country: I'm an unofficial ambassador for my country on a daily basis abroad; I make up for the lack of social and financial support for dependent people by constantly travelling back and forth between my home and my family's home to honor my role as a caregiver - which means I don't overload the network of possible helpers so that lonely people can be taken care of - ; as a first-generation expatriate, I have of course paid my taxes and AHV in Switzerland, so I have contributed to the common good and continue to do so; I shed light in Switzerland on some of the other parts of the world I visit; I support national teams and individual national sports teams, Swiss culture, Swiss transport services, gastronomy and the hotel trade when I visit parts of our beautiful country or show it to foreign acquaintances, and so on.
In short, I make the same contribution to my country as a citizen living in his canton, voluntarily and consciously.
Bonjour,_Merci de la précision._J'exerce mon droit de vote à toutes les votations et élections (j'espère d'ailleurs que mon bulletin de vote pour le second tour des élections au Conseil des États arrivera à temps) pour plusieurs raisons:__La première peut paraître abstraite, mais elle est certainement la plus légitime et universelle: notre nationalité implique des droits ET des devoirs. Je suis soumis comme tout un chacun aux devoirs du citoyen suisse, il me semble naturel d'avoir également recours à mes droits civiques et politiques.__Les autres sont personnelles: ce qu'il se passe dans mon pays affecte directement ma famille restée au pays. Je les soutiens ainsi dans les causes qui leur importent. Ce qu'il se passe dans mon pays m'affecte aussi directement, puisque j'y suis lié en exerçant une partie de mon activité professionnelle depuis mon pays d'expatriation à destination de la Suisse.__Pour savoir ce que j'apporte à mon pays: j'en suis un ambassadeur inofficiel quotidien à l'étranger; je pallie le manque de soutien social et financier aux personnes dépendantes en faisant des allers-retours constants entre mon lieu de vie et celui de ma famille pour honorer mon rôle de proche aidant - ce qui permet de ne pas surcharger le réseau de possibilité d'aides afin que les personnes esseulées puissent être prise en charge - ; comme je suis un expatrié de première génération, j'ai bien sûr payé mes impôts et mon AVS en Suisse, j'ai donc contribué au bien commun et continue de le faire; j'apporte un éclairage en Suisse sur certaines autres parties du monde que je cotoie; je soutiens les équipes nationales et les nationaux de sports individuels, la culture suisse, les services de transports suisses, la gastronomie et l'hôtellerie lorsque je visite des coins de notre beaux pays ou que je le fais découvrir à des connaissances étrangères, etc.__En résumé, j'apporte la même chose à mon pays qu'un citoyen installé dans son canton, de manière volontaire et consciente.
Thank you very much for your detailed and pertinent reply. Just out of curiosity, may I ask what country you live in? Best regards.
merci beaucoup de votre réponse détaillée et pertinente. Simple curiosité: puis-je vous demander dans quel pays vous vivez? Cordialement.
I'm based in Germany, so I can easily cover Central and Eastern Europe.
Kind regards
Je suis basé en Allemagne ce qui me permet de couvrir facilement l'Europe centrale et de l'est. _Bien à vous
Thank you! :)
Merci ! :)
Hello, I'd like to ask you to take part in one of our "Let's talk" discussions. Would you mind if I contacted you directly at the e-mail address you provided in your profile? Kind regards
Bonjour, j'aimerais vous demander de participer à l'une de nos discussions "Let's talk". Seriez-vous d'accord que je vous contacte directement à l'adresse e-mail que vous avez renseignée dans votre profil? Bien à vous
Yes, of course!
Oui, bien sûr !
Hello, I've sent you two e-mails to the address in your profile (m**@*-**g.ch), I hope you've received them? Sincerely
Bonjour, je vous ai envoyé deux e-mails à l'adresse de votre profil (m**@*-**g.ch), j'espère que vous les avez bien reçus? Cordialement
Very well said. Thank you on behalf of all of us patriotic Swiss living abroad.
Good evening, far from our Switzerland for 14 years, I am struggling for the elections . Who. Is the potential candidate to represent us, the Swiss abroad? Thank you
Bonsoir, loin de notre Suisse depuis 14 ans, je peine pour les élections . Quel. Est le potentiel candidat pour nous représenter, nous les suisses de l'étranger ? Merci
Hello, you can find all our coverage of the federal elections on our [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/%C3%A9lections-f%C3%A9d%C3%A9rales-du-22-octobre-2023-en-suisse]SPECIAL PAGE[/url]. Here, we place particular emphasis on issues affecting the Swiss abroad. Specifically, we have published [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/qui-sont-ces-suisses-de-l-%C3%A9tranger-qui-briguent-une-place-au-conseil-national-/48814772]THIS ARTICLE[/url] on Swiss abroad candidates in the elections.
Bonjour, vous pouvez retrouver toute notre couverture des élections fédérales sur notre [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/élections-fédérales-du-22-octobre-2023-en-suisse]PAGE SPECIALE[/url]. Nous y mettons un accent particulier sur les thématiques qui touchent les Suisses de l'étranger. Plus concrètement, nous avons publié [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/qui-sont-ces-suisses-de-l-étranger-qui-briguent-une-place-au-conseil-national-/48814772]CET ARTICLE[/url] sur les candidat-es Suisses de l'étranger au élections.
The system does not provide for any member of parliament representing Swiss abroad. In theory the "Council of Swiss Abroad" is supposed to represent views of Swiss people living all over the world and has a mission to encourage the expat Swiss to vote in Swiss elections. Not very realistic when you have to send your ballot in by post. Recently this body is coming under criticism for being self-serving and unrepresentative.
I fled Switzerland in order not to end up in the social welfare trap, because the IV has declared me a malingerer! Yes, the oh so social Switzerland has managed to expel me! And there are still many things wrong, even for Swiss abroad, which is bad enough! e.g. it was not possible for me to renew my ID/passport during the Corona period, although I would have needed it here for many things! Neither the consulate abroad, nor the DFA had a solution for this! But hey they are there for me in case of emergency!? It's also great that you can't even continue to pay your AHV from an EU country like Hungary, thanks to missing contracts! And there we should have no voting rights? Although it is for many, thanks to the abolition of electronic voting, anyway no longer possible to take part in it, because the postal service, in many countries works too slowly and those in Switzerland are not able to send it earlier for these regions, which is just a joke! So yes, it is probably necessary that there still some more would have to be done, if one would take the 5th Switzerland only, in the relationship cost yes the consulates eh too much! But the questioner is actually eh only interested in whether we still tax coal!
Ich bin aus der Schweiz geflohen, um nicht in die Sozialhilfeschleife zu geraten, denn die IV hat mich als Simulanten eingestuft! Ja, die Schweiz, ach so sozial, hat es geschafft, mich zum Wegziehen zu bewegen! Und es gibt noch vieles, was nicht stimmt, sogar für Auslandschweizer, was schon schlimm genug ist! Zum Beispiel war es mir während der Corona-Zeit nicht möglich, meine Identitätskarte bzw. meinen Pass zu erneuern, obwohl ich diese hier für viele Dinge gebraucht hätte! Weder das Konsulat im Ausland noch das EDA hatten dafür eine Lösung! Aber gut, sie sind ja da für mich, falls es nötig ist! Es ist auch toll, dass man wegen fehlender Abkommen nicht einmal mehr von einem EU-Land wie Ungarn aus in die AHV einzahlen kann! Und wir hätten kein Stimmrecht? Dabei ist es für viele aufgrund der Abschaffung der elektronischen Stimmabgabe ohnehin nicht mehr möglich, daran teilzunehmen, da der Postweg in vielen Ländern zu langsam ist und man in der Schweiz nicht in der Lage ist, die Stimmzettel für diese Regionen früher zu versenden – was einfach ein Witz ist! Also ja, man müsste noch mehr tun, wenn man zuerst die «5. Schweiz» berücksichtigen würde, denn die Konsulate sind ohnehin zu teuer! Was den Fragesteller jedoch interessiert, ist, ob wir Kohle noch besteuern!
I'm always astonished by this kind of relatively primitive reaction....
If I live my retirement in another country, it's also because Switzerland doesn't allow me to live financially in Switzerland. I know more and more people in this situation, forced to move abroad to live decently.
It's a facet of Switzerland ... "rich" that eliminates its poorest and most modest pensioners....and that's a dark facet of Switzerland that we don't talk much about!
So I don't benefit from Swiss welfare. Which in itself justifies my usefulness and my right to participate in Swiss politics.... to try to improve it...
Je suis toujours étonnée de ce genre de réactions, relativement primaires...._Si je vis ma retraite dans un autre pays, c'est aussi parce que la Suisse ne me permet pas de vivre financièrement en Suisse. Je connais de plus en plus de personnes dans cette situation, obligée de s'expatrier pour vivre décemment. _C'est une facette de la Suisse ..."riche" qui élimine ses plus pauvres et ses retraités modestes....et ça, c'est une facette sombre de la Suisse dont on parle peu!_Je ne profite donc pas de l'aide sociale suisse. Ce qui déjà en soi, justifie mon utilité et mon droit à participer à la politique suisse....pour tenter de l'améliorer...
Thank you for your opinion. I recommend that you read our articles on "financial" expatriation. [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/societe/pour-fuir-la-pr%C3%A9carit%C3%A9--les-seniors-choisissent-l-expatriation/46943378]CELUI-CI[/url] deals with the expatriation of seniors for financial reasons, and [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/societe/suisses-de-l-%C3%A9tranger_fuir-au-costa-rica-pour-%C3%A9viter-l-aide-sociale/45375738]CELUI-LA[/url] with expatriation to avoid welfare.
Merci pour votre avis. Je vous conseille de lire nos articles sur les expatriations "financières". [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/societe/pour-fuir-la-précarité--les-seniors-choisissent-l-expatriation/46943378]CELUI-CI[/url] traite de l'expatriation des séniors pour des raisons financières, et [url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/fre/societe/suisses-de-l-étranger_fuir-au-costa-rica-pour-éviter-l-aide-sociale/45375738]CELUI-LA[/url] de l'expatriation pour éviter l'aide sociale.
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