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SWISS CITIZENSHIP

Switzerland rejects voting rights for foreigners

Foreigners resident in Switzerland will not be allowed to vote, after the State Political Commission of the National Council (SPK-N) rejected a proposal to introduce the measure.

Published: 3 March 2022 16:46 CET

A man casts a ballot in the Swiss city of Zurich. Photo: ANDY MUELLER / EQ IMAGES / AFP

A man casts a ballot in the Swiss city of Zurich. Photo: ANDY MUELLER / EQ IMAGES / AFP

Switzerland’s Greens had lodged a proposal to provide foreigners resident in Switzerland for five years with rights to vote and to be elected at a federal level.

Despite support from Switzerland’s Social Democrats, the measure was rejected by 17 votes to 8 in the SPK-N.

Those opposed to the measure said no change was necessary, with anyone wanting to gain voting rights free to apply for naturalisation, Swiss news outlet Watson reports.

According to procedure of the State Political Commission, Switzerland’s National Council will now decide on the matter, however prospects of success are limited due to the rejection.

READ MORE: The nine most surprising questions on Switzerland’s citizenship exam

Despite approximately 25 percent of Swiss residents being foreigners, Switzerland restricts voting at a federal level to citizens only.

Switzerland also has one of the most restrictive frameworks for gaining citizenship in the world, with third-generation foreigners often refused naturalisation.

Some cantons grant foreigners rights to vote at a cantonal and municipal level, however this is relatively rare.

The Commission said that as there had been no general trend among the cantons in awarding voting rights to non-citizens, it should remain a question of the cantons rather than allowing foreigners to vote at a federal level all across the country.

READ MORE: Why your Swiss citizenship application might be rejected – and how to avoid it

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'Great transport, unfriendly service': New Swiss citizen assesses life in Switzerland

Jenny Chase, a solar energy analyst for BloombergNEF who lives in the canton of Solothurn, shared her thoughts on the process of becoming Swiss and life in her adopted country after she and her family were were recently granted Swiss citizenship.

She took to social media site X (formerly Twitter) to announce that after taking 4 years to become Swiss it was time to reveal her views of Switzerland.

“Since I cannot be refused citizenship now, it is time to say what I *really* think of this country,” she wrote.

My family finally became Swiss citizens after a 4-year application process. Photo shows information for our first referendum vote.

Since I cannot be refused citizenship now, it is time to say what I *really* think of this country. Thread. pic.twitter.com/NPQeVnNBOD

— Jenny Chase (@solar_chase) May 20, 2024

The post gained over 13 million views, 55 000 likes and prompted hundreds replies, perhaps unsurprisingly given the somewhat controversial (and often humorous) nature of some her thoughts. Many of them struck a chord with other foreigners in Switzerland.

The thread wasn’t solely limited to slice-of-life observations. Jenny also discussed the process of becoming a Swiss citizen, highlighting how the mandatory courses in her canton forced her to really consider why she was choosing to do so.

“The citizenship process (in canton Solothurn) is 25 hours of courses designed to make you think about why you are doing this and prepare you for two exams and multiple interviews. And also to make you deeply examine what *you* are good for and why a country would want you.”

Although she admitted the real reason for becoming Swiss was slightly more practical and probably one many readers will understand.

“Really the answer to “why am I doing this” is “got a boyfriend, didn’t I, and he wouldn’t leave his job for me,” she said.

She listed some positive things about Switzerland including public transport, the planning that goes into apartment building, the fact Switzerland is child-friendly (although not everyone agreed “until you child makes cries or makes a noise”, responded one) and that richer people pay higher driving fines than poorer drivers.

Among the “bad things about Switzerland” she listed the low tax rates and high salaries “acting as brain drain on surrounding countries” and Switzerland’s “self-serving neutrality”.

She also blasted the unfriendly service.

“Swiss service in restaurants or shops outside cities is usually unfriendly unless you’re a regular. They are doing you a favour by selling you their product. It’s nice that they don’t need the money that much. But as a newcomer, it takes some adjustment,” she said.

Jenny controversially began her thread: “Britain’s cheese and beer are *much* better than those of Switzerland, and it’s not even close. Also, British tea may be made of floor sweepings. Still, at least we pour hot water directly onto it instead of serving as a cup of lukewarm water with a sad teabag on the side.”

Naturally, this opinion prompted some controversy.

User @Philkellr responded: “I’ve read many offending tweets today, but this pushes all my buttons. Excuse me, sir? What are you comparing UK cheeses against? If it’s Emmentaler. Alright. But nothing beats Gruyere.”

@hal_torto echoed their outrage: “I’m calling every authority in Switzerland to ask for your citizenship to be revoked on grounds of thought crimes.”

Jenny’s opinions weren’t limited to foodstuffs. She also had views on the Swiss tendency to wear multiple heavy layers well into the warmer months of spring.

“Older Swiss people wear heavy clothes all spring and stare if you don’t. I guess those who herded cows up the mountain dressed for a sunny morning eventually died in an afternoon snowstorm. But for a walk around the village, it’s overkill”, she posted.

Jenny also reflected that the Swiss were “really serious” about democracy.

“They vote on everything – and seem to be making it work. People do not just vote in their own short-term best interests, and the voter information package is a serious attempt to *inform*”, she wrote.

This prompted several responses, with some reminding Jenny how women were granted the vote in Switzerland relatively recently.

User @lisabethsparkle replied: “On our honeymoon in Lauterbrunnen in ’85 everything shut down on voting day and we learned women only achieved the right in ’71. That astonished me!”

@Gabalicious01 also retorted, “How democratic can a country that didn’t let women vote until the 1970s really be? Please don’t get arrogant about how well a tiny, wealthy country with a largely homogeneous population does democracy. It’s much harder to give everyone a voice with 341 million people and vast diversity.

Concluding her thread, Jenny clarified that her path to Swiss citizenship had included ten years of residency in the country before she could apply and that she was married to a Swiss citizen, which expedited the process.

The entire thread, including Jenny’s follow-up answers to reader questions, can be found here.

Is she right? Share you own reaction to Jenny’s views in the comments section below.

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