Recall option risks to shorten career of Geneva politicians
![Man (Pierre Maudet) in street of Geneva s old town](https://www.swissinfo.ch/content/wp-content/uploads/sites/13/2021/11/b2d8460a39a42a7ebca4c098ea96a7fe-448998008_highres-data.jpg)
Voters in Geneva have won the right to recall elected members of their cantonal government, an option rarely used in Switzerland.
The constitutional amendment was approved by 92% of voters on Sunday, according to official resultsExternal link.
Under the new regulations, a government member can be forced out of office notably if she or he has “lost the confidence of citizens”.
A final decision for a recall lies with voters once the proposal has won a clear majority in the cantonal parliament.
A previous attempt failed in 2012.
The latest proposal was launched three years ago following a scandal about a Geneva government member, Pierre Maudet, who was convicted of accepting perks while in office.
He didn’t win re-election in March this year.
Recall system
The recall system at cantonal level has existed in Switzerland since 1848 but has rarely been used.
As a rule, cases involving politicians’ incompetence or corruption are resolved mainly through legal means, media pressure or internal reorganisation, according to political scientists.
Geneva is one of nine Swiss cantons to introduce a recall mechanism, but the system varies considerably from one canton to the next.
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