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REFERENDUMS IN SWITZERLAND

EXPLAINED: This year’s Swiss referendums that will affect you

Voters in Switzerland will go to the polls four times in 2024 — as they do most years. What key issues will be at stake?

Published: 10 January 2024 15:08 CET
Updated: 13 February 2024 15:31 CET
EXPLAINED: This year's Swiss referendums that will affect you
Retired people will be the focus of two of Switzerland's forthcoming referendums. Photo by Philippe Leone on Unsplash

Referendums are scheduled for March 3rd, June 9th, September 22nd, and November 24th.

Let’s look at four that are likely to impact all residents of Switzerland, including foreign nationals.

During the first round of referendums, on March 3rd, two retirement-related issues will be at stake.

AHV /AVS -13 old-age pension

This proposal, created by left-wing parties and trade unions calls for the payment of an additional old-age pension, of the same amount as the ‘regular’ AHV/AVS pension received each month.

This would correspond to a monthly raise in pensions of 8.33 percent which, according to supporters, is a necessary increase to compensate for the inflation-driven higher cost of living and lower purchasing power.

The parliament and the Federal Council urge voters to reject the proposal, arguing that such an increase in public spending would not be financially sustainable.

READ ALSO: What is Switzerland’s 13th-month pension plan and why are they voting on it?  

For secure and lasting old age provision

This initiative, spearheaded  by the liberal-radical party, calls for raising the retirement age for men and women to 66, from the current 65 for men and 64 for women (the latter to go up to 65 in 2025).

Further, the retirement age will be tied to the average life expectancy — that is,  it would be automatically raised if life expectancy increases.

The Federal Council and parliament recommend rejecting this measure because basing retirement age on population’s longevity doesn’t take into account social issues or the situation on the labour market.

Premium relief initiative

The cost of the obligatory health insurance has risen significantly over the years, straining the budget of many households.

According to left-wing groups, which are the driving force behind this initiative, premiums have more than doubled, while salaries and pensions have not kept pace with the increases.

They propose that premiums be capped at 10 percent of the disposable income. The average premium burden is currently about 8 percent, but individual households pay significantly more depending on the canton and its premium reduction system, which can be up to 20 percent of their income.

The Federal Council and parliament urge the ‘no’ votes, on the grounds that the federal government would have to pay much more for the premium reductions than before.

The date for the vote on this issue is not yet set, but it will likely be June 9th

Cost brake initiative

This is yet another vote focused on healthcare.

The centrist referendum demands that the Federal Council, parliament, and cantons intervene if healthcare costs rise too much in comparison to wages.

MPs recommend rejecting this initiative and have come up with a plan of their own, which focuses on curbing healthcare costs though measures already outlined in the Health Insurance Act.

The date for this vote has not yet been set.

What about cantonal and municipal referendums?

For Zurich and Geneva, we only know of the ones that will be on the ballot on March 3rd.

In Zurich, people will vote on the proposed extensions of two runways at Zurich Airport.

The project is intended to guarantee better punctuality and safety, as well as improve existing infrastructure, and be more environmentally-friendly.

Zurich voters will also weigh in on the Mythen Park proposal, which demands that the city create a public park in the area from the Mythenquai to the General-Guisan-Quai.

The city council recommends rejecting this initiative because to implement the idea, a tunnel would have to be built under a part of the Mythenquais, which would cost 250 million francs.

According to city officials, “this would result in an awkward relationship between costs and benefits. 

As for Geneva, two  interesting issues will be voted on — interesting because they have to do with the voting process itself.

Right now. vote organisers have 40 days to collect enough signatures to launch a cantonal referendum, but some days are not ‘valid’ for signature gathering — for instance, from July 15th to  August 13th and from  December 23rd to January 3rd.

On March 3rd, voters will have an important decision to make: whether to add Easter to this list as well.

Voters will also have to weigh in on whether the number of signatures — defined by a percentage of the voting population — should be reduced.

Another issue on the Geneva ballot is he government-supported Praille-Acacias-Vernets real estate project.

It provides for the creation of 2,230 new housing units, a school, business premises, shops and numerous public facilities. 
 

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For members

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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