Initiative seeks voter power to sack Swiss government
Voters could be asked to vote on the power of voters to vote out government ministers.
Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller
Swiss voters should be empowered to dismiss unpopular government ministers to hold them more accountable for their performance, states a newly launched popular initiative.
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The ‘Swiss Freedom Movement’ group is trying to gather enough signatures for their proposal to force a nationwide vote on the issue.
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Initiative launched to make becoming Swiss easier
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The initiative calls for naturalisation to be possible after five years of legal residence, irrespective of the permanent residence permit.
Switzerland’s seven-member government, or Federal Council, is elected by parliament once every four years following a general election.
Ministers should then be subject to a public vote of confidence every two years, Swiss Freedom Movement president Richard Koller stated at a media conference.
“If people are dissatisfied, they must be able to dismiss heads of ministries,” he said on Tuesday. “The people are the boss.”
The performance of government ministers has been the subject of closer, and often more critical, scrutiny particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic.
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Separation of powers
In Switzerland, power is shared across three federal levels, as well as between the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
The current initiative sought to distance itself from a People’s Party proposal in 2013 for voters to directly choose government ministers. That initiative was rejected by a large majority.
Choosing members of the Federal Council should still be left to parliament, which has deeper knowledge of candidates, said Koller.
The latest initiative has until November next year to gather the necessary 100,000 signatures to force a vote.
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