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REFERENDUMS IN SWITZERLAND

Swiss citizens in Vaud set to have their say on foreigners’ rights to vote

Swiss nationals in the canton of Vaud are likely to be given the chance to vote in a referendum on cantonal voting rights for foreigners.

Published: 10 August 2023 13:17 CEST
A woman inserts her postal voting envelope into the door of the polling station in Lausanne on September 29th, 2019.
A woman inserts her postal voting envelope into the door of the polling station in Lausanne on September 29th, 2019. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

The campaign group AG!SSONS (‘Take Action’ in English) said it had collected enough signatures needed for its initiative to be brought to the ballot box in a referendum. 

Under the banner “political rights for those who live here”, the group calls for the right to vote and run for elections at the cantonal level to be granted to all foreigners who have been living at least 10 years in Switzerland. Further requirements are that the foreign nationals have clocked up three consecutive years of residence in Vaud itself, and currently live in the canton.  

Switzerland has a unique system of direct democracy which allows people to have a greater say in the way the country is run. 

Groups are able to put forward initiatives, like this one, which can then go to the ballot box if enough public support is gathered. 

‘Why do non-Swiss residents have no say?’

The initiative says that people who live and work in an area “should be able to get involved in public affairs and participate fully in political life and decision-making”.

The campaign goes on to say that more than a third of the population living in the canton of Vaud do not have Swiss nationality so have limited voting rights.

“Yet these people are active in the social life of the canton; they have jobs, pay taxes and live in the same area, sometimes for decades,” says the initiative. “How are they different from Swiss nationals by birth or naturalisation?

“As a result, elections and votes are not representative of the population of the canton of Vaud, and they are not conducive to broader democracy: this missing third of the population is also affected by political decisions, yet it has no say in them!

“The introduction of political rights for non-Swiss citizens will make up for this lack of representation and inclusiveness.”

READ ALSO: Just how diverse is Switzerland?

A total of 15,667 signatures were gathered, the group said — only 12,000 are required for an initiative to be brought to the ballot box in canton Vaud. 

“It was a huge challenge, because neither the political parties nor the unions wanted to commit to collecting signatures,” Simon Berthoud, campaign manager at AG!SSONS, told Swiss news platform LeTemps. 

Around 70 volunteers took part in the campaigning stage. The signatures are now being checked and validated by local districts. The submission of the initiative to the Chancellery is due to take place on September 1st. 

“With close to 16,000 signatures collected, we are sure the initiative reaches the minimum requirement, i.e. 12,000 valid signatures,” said Berthoud. 

Despite this movement, the outlook for the proposed referendum doesn’t look promising. 

Citizens in Vaud have already voted twice on a similar proposal back in 1992 and 2011, and both times it was rejected.

Eligible foreigners (residing in Vaud for at least three years with a B or C permit) can vote or run for political office at communal level.
 
READ ALSO: Where in Switzerland can foreigners vote?

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HEALTH INSURANCE

How Switzerland’s two crucial health insurance referendums could impact you

The price of Swiss health insurance premiums has been rising significantly in the past few years, prompting political parties to launch two cost-cutting initiatives. The votes will take place in June and there's a lot at stake.

Published: 24 April 2024 15:33 CEST
Updated: 28 April 2024 08:44 CEST
How Switzerland's two crucial health insurance referendums could impact you

On June 9th, the Swiss will cast their votes on two issues aiming, though in different ways, to curb the continually increasing cost of the obligatory health insurance (KVG / LaMal).

This is what’s at stake.

The ’10-percent’ initiative

In view of the high (and rising) premiums and other costs of living, which eat up a big chunk of the budgets of low- and middle-income consumers, the Social Democratic Party has spearheaded a national vote to cap the insurance rates at 10 percent of income.

Anything over this limit should be paid for by the federal and cantonal government, the party says.

While this strategy may sound enticing to everyone tired of paying high premiums, the government warns that while this proposal looks good on paper, the ‘yes’ vote could unleash some serious consequences.

Its main argument is that this measure would cost several billion francs per year, and does not provide any incentives to control health costs.

Instead, the Federal Council and the parliament have concocted their own ‘counter initiative’ that they want voters to approve.

Under this proposal, cantons will have to increase the amount of financial help they pay toward health premiums for low-income people. 

READ ALSO: How do I apply for health insurance benefits in Switzerland?

‘For Lower Premiums’ initiative

For its part, the Centre party has come up with its own proposal to reduce health insurance costs, which will also be voted on June 9th.

It provides for a ‘brake’ on health costs, which should evolve according to the economy and wages.

This brake would work in the same way as the federal spending brake. Therefore, when healthcare costs exceed wages for a given year by 20 percent, the government must take action to bring the  costs down.

The government is asking voters to turn down the Centre’s proposal because it doesn’t take into account factors such as demography, technological progress in healthcare, as well as the dependence of salaries on economic developments.

Here too, the Federal Council and parliament have put out their own counter-project, providing for more targeted measures, including specific cost control objectives for healthcare services.

Are there any other proposals on the table aiming to curb the cost of insurance premiums?

Yes.

While they are not on the ballot, two ideas have been debated in past months.

One calls for scrapping multiple private carriers  in favour of a government-run single health insurance scheme, similar to that in the EU. 

The other idea floating around is to replace the current system where rates are determined by factors such as age and canton of residence, and base them on wages instead. 

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