Should Swiss abroad be guaranteed seats in parliament?
The number of Swiss living abroad able to vote and stand in federal elections continues to increase. However, their chances of actually winning a seat in parliament remain negligible. Should a certain number of seats be reserved for the Swiss abroad? What is your view?
At the end of 2010, 695,101 Swiss citizens were registered in Swiss legations abroad, 1.5% more than the previous year. Of these, 538,243 are adults and thus have the right to vote and run for election in parliament.
In order to participate in voting or to run for office, they have to be registered at the Swiss legation in their country of residence and also be on the voting register of a municipality in Switzerland.
Political participation by the expatriate community is increasing steadily. At the end of 2010, 135,877 Swiss abroad had their names on voting registers at home, which represents a 4.5% growth in one year.
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