SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

VOTING

Will Switzerland introduce obligatory military service for women?

Military service is mandatory only for men in Switzerland, but a new movement may change all that.

A female member of the Swiss army. Will women have to do military service in Switzerland? Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP
A female member of the Swiss army. Will women have to do military service in Switzerland? Photo: Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

An inter-party committee launched a popular initiative on Wednesday calling for the introduction of compulsory military or civil protection service for women.

READ MORE: Do naturalised Swiss citizens have to do military service?

Committee members say any person of Swiss nationality should serve in the military or a similar service recognised by law, such as civil protection.

“Everyone should make a commitment to the community and the environment at least once in their life” reads the text of the initiative. 

“The initiative takes a historic double step. It embodies gender equality in service to the community and recognises civilian forms of commitment as equivalent to military service.”

READ MORE: Do Swiss soldiers really use the army knife?

What are the current rules? 

Article 59 of the Federal Constitution of Switzerland says “Every man with Swiss citizenship is liable for military service. Alternative civilian service shall be provided for by law.”

Recruits must generally do 18 weeks of boot camp (longer in some cases).

They are then required to spend several weeks in the army every year until they have completed a minimum 245 days of service.

Military service is compulsory for Swiss men aged 18 and over.

Women can chose to do military service but this is rare.

While women do serve in the Swiss military, they make up such a small part of the military that they were required to wear mens underwear until relatively recently. 

READ MORE: Women in Swiss military can finally wear women’s underwear

Is this likely to pass? 

As yet, there have been no widespread polls to see how popular the idea is among the Swiss populace, although the conservative bent of Swiss voters may see the idea fail, given that women did not achieve universal suffrage in each canton until 1990. 

The committee has until October 26th, 2023 to collect 100,000 signatures needed to bring this issue to the ballot box.

The committee has said after the requisite signatures are collected, the issue will hopefully be put to a vote in 2025. 

If the measure is approved at a future referendum, Switzerland would become the third country in the world, after Israel and Norway, to make military service compulsory for both sexes.

EXPLAINED: What happened after Swiss women got the right to vote in 1971?

In late 2021, a Swiss man alleging the rule was discriminatory brought the case to the European court, after having similar legal efforts in Switzerland knocked back. 

Martin Küng, who brought the action, said he was optimistic the European court would find in his favour, pointing to a successful appeal by a German man who complained about a fire brigade tax which was only imposed on men.

“This question has not yet been conclusively answered by the court” Küng said.

The impact of a decision in his favour could be considerable, with European law technically taking precedence over Swiss law.

It would set Switzerland on a collision course with the bloc, particularly given the popularity of the conscription provision.

Küng clarified that political outcomes and repercussions don’t concern him.

“My only concern is for a court to determine that the current regulation is legally wrong.”

READ MORE: Is Switzerland’s male-only mandatory military service ‘discriminatory’?

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

BRITS IN EUROPE

UK opens voter registration for Brits in Europe as 15-year rule finally ends

The UK has changed its rules on overseas voting, meaning that thousands of Brits living in Europe will be eligible to vote in the next general election - and voter registration opens on Tuesday.

UK opens voter registration for Brits in Europe as 15-year rule finally ends

Since 2002 the UK operated the ’15-year rule’, meaning that people who have lived outside the UK for more than 15 years can no longer vote in UK elections.

It was this rule that barred tens of thousands of Brits living in Europe from voting in the Brexit referendum – even though its outcome had the potential to up-end their lives.

Now, however, after many false starts and delays, this rule has finally been overturned, meaning that an estimated three million Brits living outside the UK can re-register to vote – and registration opens on Tuesday, January 16th. 

No date has been announced for the next general election, although it must be held before January 28th 2025 – most political watchers think it will either be in May or November 2024. 

The new rule does have some caveats – UK citizens who have never lived in the UK cannot vote, and the overseas voting applies only to general elections (and possibly any forthcoming referendums) – local elections are not covered and there are different rules for the Stormont, Senedd and Holyrood elections, in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

You register your vote in the constituency you were last registered to vote in, or where you last lived if you were not previously registered to vote.

There is an online portal to register – and you can find full details of how to register and what documents you need at this link.

If you’re not sure if you are eligible, the campaign group British in Europe has a helpful Q&A here.

Jane Golding Co-chair of campaign group, British in Europe said: “Voting is a basic citizenship right regardless of where someone lives. This is a historic change to the UK franchise after years of campaigning by ourselves and others, particularly long-term campaigner Harry Shindler, who sadly died before he could use his hard-won vote.”

Once registered, you can either opt for a postal vote or ask for a proxy vote.

There have been problems in the past with postal votes not arriving at overseas addresses in time. The British government has pledged to prioritise the sending of overseas ballots, but that concern remains valid.

You may prefer to opt for the proxy option, in which you authorise a UK-based voter to exercise your right to vote on your behalf. Your proxy does not have to live in the same constituency, as they can ask for a postal vote on your behalf.

UK-based voters may only act as proxies for four people living overseas.

If you have lived out of the UK for less than 15 years and are already registered as an overseas voter, you may still need to re-register, especially if you are registered as a proxy voter as the changes to overseas voting rules means that proxy voters must complete a new declaration.

This can also be done online.

SHOW COMMENTS