Nine issues to be decided in six Swiss cantons

Nine substantive proposals will be decided in six cantons Keystone-SDA

In addition to a federal referendum on environmental responsibility, votes will be held in six cantons on Sunday. Solothurn and Basel Country will vote on minimum wage initiatives, and Lucerne is deciding on lowering the voting age to 16.

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Lucerne would be only the second canton to lower the voting age. In 2007 canton Glarus became the only canton to vote in favour of a voting age of 16. The constitutional initiative was launched by the “young and committed” alliance, which consists of the young parties of the Social Democratic Party, the Green Party, the Liberal Green Party and the Centre Party as well as various organisations and associations.

Two minimum wage initiatives

Two cantons are deciding on a minimum wage initiative. The Unia trade union initiative in canton Basel Country is calling for a minimum wage of CHF22 ($24.20) per hour for all employees working in the canton.

+ What’s a people’s or citizens’ initiative?

In canton Solothurn, the initiative launched by a committee made up of the Social Democrats, Young Social Democrats and the Federation of Trade Unions is calling for a minimum wage of CHF23 per hour.

In German-speaking Switzerland, only canton Basel City has had a minimum wage since July 2022. It has been CHF22 per hour since the beginning of the year. In the rest of the country, there is a minimum wage in cantons Jura, Ticino, Neuchâtel and Geneva.

+ Voting wraps up on ecological overhaul of Swiss economy

Canton Solothurn has also passed a new energy law at the second attempt. This is a compromise after voters rejected a first version by a landslide in 2018. The law focuses on incentives and promotion rather than, for example, a ban on fossil fuel heating systems.

In canton Basel Country, it also involves the introduction of the double proportional representation system for elections to the cantonal council and other authorities, which are elected by proportional representation. This is intended to better reflect the party strengths in the cantonal council. The new electoral system will be used for the first time in the 2027 district council elections.

Bern decides on solar initiative

In canton Bern, the solar initiative submitted by the Green Party in 2021 demands that all new and existing buildings must be equipped with a solar system if the roof or façade surfaces are suitable and the installation is reasonable. For existing buildings, the initiative provides for a transitional period until 2040.

The cantonal parliament’s counter-proposal only includes a solar obligation for roofs on new buildings, but not for façades. Furthermore, in the case of renovations, owners only have to report whether roof surfaces are suitable for the use of solar energy. The counter-proposal also includes a solar obligation for larger public parking spaces.

In canton Schaffhausen, the issue is road traffic tax. According to the amendment submitted to the people, owners of electric vehicles will have to pay significantly less in future.

In canton Fribourg, voters will decide on a loan of CHF56 million for a new building for cultural assets. The new Minergie building will one day centralise goods from currently 29 locations. Six million objects with a total value of over CHF420 million are to be stored on an area of 23,800 square metres.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts

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